pickJoanne Paul is a very engaging writer. I enjoyed this look at the Tudor period through the perspective of the Dudley family, who I (as an American) mostly knew because of Robert Dudley and his relationship to Queen Elizabeth I. It was interesting to see what life was like when your fortune and your very life depended on whether you found favor with the king or queen.
pickA fascinating look at Tudor history from another angle, through a different lens. Written in an accessible narrative style backed up by solid research this volume follows the rise and fall and rise again (and fall again, and rise again . . .) of the Dudley family who rose first with Henry VII and then served four more monarchs (five if you count Queen Jane, the 9 days Queen.) Pictured is Robert Dudley, favorite of Elizabeth I.
so-soSomewhat to my surprise, I did not love this. The writing is lively & engaging and there's certainly plenty to say about the Dudleys; but I was frustrated by the handling of Amy Robsart's death. (I do not think Dudley killed her.)
The House of Dudley: A New History of Tudor England | 
