The Pleasure Palace

Who doesn't love to read about the scandal and shock that existed at court during the reign of Henry VIII? We watch the same thing on soap operas, reality shows and yes, that crap that Showtime's been feeding us (love it) because we are all filth mongers and we love a good steamy affair.

Historical fiction, even the less romantic ones always tug at my heartstrings in a special way. I know what really happened but I just can't help when reading to think "Maybe this time...maybe this time the story will be different." Maybe Catherine of Aragon will run away with the historical equivalent of the hot pool boy or maybe she'll be able to give Henry five healthy sons and he'll never cheat on her- and then Anne Boleyn would never have to die show more (but then we'd miss out on good Queen Bess and we wouldn't have wanted to miss her for the world). Anyway, I tend to indulge myself in a bit of whimsical fancy about what could have been whenever I'm reading such books.

But the story is always the same. King Henry VIII was a real shit. They could go ahead and put him down in the history books under real shit.

Oh the book? Yeah I guess we should talk about that.

Young Jane (Jeanne) Popyncourt and her mother were hastily forced to flee the French court after the mysterious death of King Charles. They sought refuge in England at the court of King Henry VII where Jane was placed in the royal nursery to befriend and converse in French with the young princesses Margaret and Mary. At the age of eight, Jane couldn't comprehend why she had to leave her home and now live apart from her mother for the first time. When her mother's unexpected death occurs only months later, Jane's life will be filled with unanswered questions about her past and the mysterious circumstances that brought them both to England.

At court Jane, a ward of the king and a companion to the royal princesses, enjoys all the privileges that come with a life at court until the king's death which began the reign of the new king, Henry VIII. In this new court, an unattached, attractive lady with no fortune or family of her own can quickly become a pawn of the powerful men who surround her. Life at court is now a scandalous, volatile place to be and Jane's shadowed past may afford her enemies she never knew she had. Her search for her past will uncover truths too dangerous to believe and reveal a love she has known life long.

Loved it! Plus two stars for having a map and a family tree at the beginning of the book. LOTR-er here and we appreciate anything with a hand drawn map. Gotta love a map. The story was captivating, fast-paced, with interesting details- Emerson explains card games and amusements that would have entertained the court at that time. There was no blatant or unnecessary distorting of history and all characters were kept pretty much true to form and she still managed to conjure up a happy, if some what rushed, fairy tale ending. show less

3.5 Stars

Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace tells the story of Jane Popyncourt, who, along with her mother, fled France for England as a child to live at the court of Henry VII. While Emerson does a good job of bringing the personalities of the Tudor Court to life, especially Jane, the novel does not have that 'can't put it down' factor. Jane's questioning of why her mother fled France underlines most of the storyline, but the outcome was entirely too predictable and unoriginal. Certainly an entertaining read, but it hasn't left me wanting to read more even though the second novel in Emerson's Secrets of the Tudor Court series is available.

On a related note, I don't think the title fits this novel, and I admit that I show more originally avoided the book because the title gave me the impression that it would be heavy on the romance. I'm glad my original impressions weren't correct, but I can't help but wonder how many other fans of historical fiction have avoided it because of the title? show less

In the famous British court of Henry VIII, political games, ambition, secrets and lust are commonplace. Understanding these concepts and being able to utilize them is crucial. In the case of the Jane Popyncourt, secrets are a method of survival. After being brought to Henry VII's court at a young age and under strange circumstances, Jane becomes the ward of the king and teaches his daughters, the Princesses Mary and Margaret, French. Jane grows up around the royal family, eventually installing herself as one of Princess Mary's ladies and a spy for King Henry VIII. Jane's life at court seems to be secure, until the mysterious secrets surrounding her past begin to resurface.

Kate Emerson's Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace is show more another entry into the massive (and still growing) collection of historical fiction novels set in the dramatic, soap opera-like Tudor era. And it's not a bad entry by any means -the writing is easy to understand, the characters are three-dimensional and enjoyable and many of the plot concepts in the novel are fascinating.

However, the interesting plot points seem to not come often enough. The book does move, but very slowly at times, making the action a little uneven. Also, I had some issues with Emerson's playing with history. While I do understand that this is a historical fiction novel, some of the fiction just felt too forced when integrated with the history. I'm usually just fine with the fiction, but in The Pleasure Palace it seemed to cross a line -plus much of the dialog just felt too modern for me to feel completely engaged in the period. Overall an enjoyable and fun read, but there are better Tudor novels out there...

Fans of romantic Tudor era fiction may enjoy The Pleasure Palace, but those who are sticklers for historical accuracy should give it a miss... show less

3.5 - 4 stars

I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would; the ludicrous title really doesn't fit at all (thankfully). There were some problems though; I thought Jane's story was slightly contrived at times and you could tell almost from the beginning what her family secret was. The story wasn't as gripping as it could have been and was lacking a little bit that wow-factor that makes you want to keep turning the pages.

On the plus side, the author stuck closely to the historical facts and by far the most enjoyable aspect of the book for me was the descriptions of court life, e.g. the pageants, the meals, the clothes, the living arrangements. The itinerant nature of the court was also well described, and it's things like this that show more bring a book to life for me. show less

I wanted to like these books. I wanted to like them enough to keep them in the library and recommend them to other Tudor history buffs. Even after reading all three, I kept looking for a reason to like them. But that just never happened.

Kate Emerson advertises herself as an “expert in all things Tudor,” which right off the bat makes me suspicious. Tudor history is large and messy; covering many decades and hundreds of players. From the seamtresses who designed the gowns and costumes for the royals to the scullery maid in any given kitchen, Tudor history is crowded with people wanting to tell their story. Being an expert in all things Tudor can’t be done.

These books were written poorly, even woodenly at times and are overwrought show more with romantic conjecture and conniving. They are set in the Tudor court, and they follow minor characters of the Tudor court, but they are not about the Tudors. These are romance novels dressed up in Tudor regalia. These are not the stories of fully-rounded people whose stock in trade must be courtly intrigue and politics in order to survive. I found these books to be flat, boring at times and kept hoping for more … something.

If you want to read really good historical fiction about the Tudor era, especially Elizabeth I, stick to Phiippa Gregory show less

This novel tells the fictionalized account of the life of Jane Popyncourt, a girl from Brittany who flees to England with her mother and finds a place in the court of Henry VII, and later Henry VIII. A fast-paced Tudor novel, this tale was filled with the expected romance, mystery, intrigue, and scandal. My biggest issue with the novel was the lack of facts. While many other novelists such as Allison Weir and Philippa Gregory have taken liberties with the details (and even bigger parts) of lives of these characters, the stories that they choose are well-rooted in rumors and ideas surrounding the Tudors. Though little is known about Jane, Emerson took a few too many liberties in my opinion, especially when asserting that she is the show more illegitimate granddaughter of Henry VII when it appears that he was very devoted to his wife, unlike his son would come to be with his wives. show less

What I thought was going to be a romance novel was instead a really good historical fiction. After leaving France with her mother or unknown reasons Jane Popyncourt finds herself living as a ward of the king with his children. She grows up talking in french to the princesses Mary and Margaret. As she grows into a beautiful young woman with no money she finds herself at court as a companion to the princess. Eventually she starts to look into why she moved to England so quickly and what exactly happened to her mother. I've already bought the next book written by Kate Emerson and want to read it right away. One of my favorite parts of the book was the end when there was a note about who exactly Jane Popyncourt was in history and a list of show more books the author used while writing. show less