A Dangerous Inheritance
Alison Weir’s A Dangerous Inheritance weaves together the lives and fates of four of the Tower’s youngest and most blameless residents. It focuses on Lady Katherine Grey, Lady Jane's younger sister and Kate Plantagenet, an English princess who lived nearly a century before her. Besides sharing a name, these ladies searched for answers to the case of the missing princes, Edward and Richard, who were imprisoned by their uncle Richard III. Over the years, the young ladies shared the same small rooms in their dark prison and the unfortunate fate of being the victims of their reigning monarch.
I was hesitant to read this book, not because I don’t enjoy Weir’s work – she occupies a significant amount of shelf space – but because I know how Katherine Grey’s story ends. It’s tragic and heartbreaking and I wasn’t sure I wanted to read her sad story again. However, I am glad I picked up A Dangerous Inheritance. Weir’s decision to add the famous missing princes and create an undertone of mystery to Katherine’s story was well done. Whether or not her obsession with the princes was real is debatable, but it had to have occurred to Katherine during her stay in the Tower.
Weir also inserted Kate Plantagenet into this story. I like how she chose to split the story between Kate and Katherine’s perspectives. Through Kate, we learned more about the ruthless King Richard III and what might have motivated him to have his nephews murdered. I especially liked how Weir made Kate’s struggle to believe her father’s guilt believable. After all, how could anyone want to believe the worst about one of their parents?
It was interesting to see how Weir wrote from Queen Elizabeth I’s perspective throughout the book. It wasn’t often that we heard from the queen, but her insights really added to the story. Of course I resented Elizabeth’s decision to keep Katherine from her husband, essentially leading to Katherine’s death, but I understood it. Elizabeth’s position was precarious. The Catholics, Spanish, suitors, her advisors – they were constantly on her mind and making demands of her. She had to preserve herself and England. Working against Katherine may not have been the best decision for Katherine, but it was what Elizabeth chose, despite the fact that I think Katherine would have been a better choice as Elizabeth’s heir.
A Dangerous Inheritance is a brilliant book that attempts to answer a question that has bothered historians for centuries from the perspective of two lesser-known women of history. As with her other books, Weir gave Katherine and Kate a voice – one that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.
A Dangerous Inheritance Rating: ★★★★
I was hesitant to read this book, not because I don’t enjoy Weir’s work – she occupies a significant amount of shelf space – but because I know how Katherine Grey’s story ends. It’s tragic and heartbreaking and I wasn’t sure I wanted to read her sad story again. However, I am glad I picked up A Dangerous Inheritance. Weir’s decision to add the famous missing princes and create an undertone of mystery to Katherine’s story was well done. Whether or not her obsession with the princes was real is debatable, but it had to have occurred to Katherine during her stay in the Tower.
Weir also inserted Kate Plantagenet into this story. I like how she chose to split the story between Kate and Katherine’s perspectives. Through Kate, we learned more about the ruthless King Richard III and what might have motivated him to have his nephews murdered. I especially liked how Weir made Kate’s struggle to believe her father’s guilt believable. After all, how could anyone want to believe the worst about one of their parents?
It was interesting to see how Weir wrote from Queen Elizabeth I’s perspective throughout the book. It wasn’t often that we heard from the queen, but her insights really added to the story. Of course I resented Elizabeth’s decision to keep Katherine from her husband, essentially leading to Katherine’s death, but I understood it. Elizabeth’s position was precarious. The Catholics, Spanish, suitors, her advisors – they were constantly on her mind and making demands of her. She had to preserve herself and England. Working against Katherine may not have been the best decision for Katherine, but it was what Elizabeth chose, despite the fact that I think Katherine would have been a better choice as Elizabeth’s heir.
A Dangerous Inheritance is a brilliant book that attempts to answer a question that has bothered historians for centuries from the perspective of two lesser-known women of history. As with her other books, Weir gave Katherine and Kate a voice – one that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.
A Dangerous Inheritance Rating: ★★★★