Alisa S

• Rated 2 stars

“A quick read, but a little....odd!”

Alisa S wrote this review Friday, March 12, 2010. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“I'm thrilled to find a new author and genre to add to my favorites! C.J. Sansom writes Tudor-era mysteries. His first book dealing with this subject is Dissolution. The murder mystery ties in with Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries and the reader enjoys a vivid portrait of monastic life and glimpses of the infamous Thomas Cromwell through the eyes of lawyer/investigator Matthew Shardlake. I got attached to all of the characters and the mystery was just enough to keep me intrigued. Glad I've got several more of Sansom's works to add to my list. Highly recommended for fans of Tudor history and perhaps those who enjoy Brother Cadfael mysteries.”

Alisa S wrote this review Saturday, February 7, 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“I enjoyed this because I have read Katherine by Anya Seton many times and I loved getting more information about one of my favorite heroines and the ancestress of my beloved Tudors. However, for a casual reader the information was rather dry and the author seemed almost combative where her research differed from Seton's. Actually I'm not a big fan of Weir's work although I do end up picking up most of her titles. Her opinions differ from mine, especially regarding Richard 3 and the Princes in the Tower. Overall, an interesting selection for those obsessed with Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt. I did enjoy the illustrations showing tombs and effigies of the main players.”

Alisa S wrote this review Tuesday, February 3, 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 1 stars

“Very disappointing tale about the Romanovs! You get a truer picture of palace life and their story from the animated movie Anastasia. Only Tatiana is developed and has any common sense. Her parents and sisters are one-dimensional and have no idea of what is going on in their country as it heads toward revolution while Tatiana runs around with peasants and rebels and is of course the most beautiful of the sisters. Everything I have previously read about the Romanovs stresses the strong family feeling they had but all this book does is create a bizarre scenario that in the end enables Tatiana to escape. I read the whole thing wondering how Erickson would pull this off and perhaps to read some of Tatiana's story in a post-Grand Duchess world but I'm sorry I did!”

Alisa S wrote this review Sunday, December 7, 2008. ( reply | permalink )

2 of 2 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 2 stars

“Just re-read this novel. I had originally purchased it because the subject is one of my favorites: Richard III. Unfortunately the author rewrote a scene from my favorite book, Katherine by Anya Seton and merely changed the characters from Katherine and John to Anne Neville and Richard. This is the scene where John and Katherine take some time away dressed as pilgrims when they first become lovers. She also used a big chunk from Sullivan Ballou's famous Civil War letter to his wife. There was no credit given in the edition I purchased although I later saw her apology for this on her website. Unfortunately these issues soured my enjoyment of the book. I do plan to read the next two in the series to see how Worth handles the rest of the story! Having read the other two novels in this series at least book two seemed better, although it was so short it could have been attached to one of the other books. Unfortunately in Fall from Grace Worth is back to her old tricks. She borrows scenes both from Shakespeare (who she at least credits) and Seton again, almost word for word.”

Alisa S wrote this review Thursday, May 8, 2008. ( reply | permalink )