Philippa Gregory tells a good story in every novel she writes. She really is a great writer. This novel was no different. I don't plan to buy any more of her books, though, after her comments about genre writers, which I found to be distasteful, especially since she herself writes genre fiction and has made a great living off the readers who buy her books.

I say it every time, so I'll get it out of the way: I am getting Tudor-ed out. However, I enjoyed this book a lot more than recent Tudor books I've read. I enjoyed learning about Jane Grey's sisters, who I am confident I've never heard one thing about. I really appreciated the way she divided the book in thirds to give each sister a voice. Each one had different aspirations and issues, and seeing their point of view one at a time, as opposed to alternating between them, really enables the reader to get a better picture of their characters. Offering the points of view of three different women also does a lot in unpacking what a woman's life could be like in the 16th century. Overall, this was entertaining, informative, and quick, as well as a welcome change of subject in the Tudor genre!

There is no one that tells the story of the Tudors better than Philippa Gregory!

The three Grey sisters are royal cousins and in the turbulent times of the Tudor succession living a quiet life is impossible. The eldest, Jane, is pious and learned but forced into a marriage for political gain. When her sickly cousin Edward dies and names Jane as his heir over his Catholic half-sister Mary, the Protestant nobles force Jane onto the throne. However Mary has support and overthrows them, Jane is an unwilling victim and is executed. Jane's sister Katherine comes to the court of Elizabeth and is treated well but Katherine is a romantic and her childhood marriage is dissolved. Elizabeth will not marry, will not name an heir and is determined that none of her cousins will be allowed to marry without permission. When Katherine falls in love with another cousin and marries him they are thrown in the Tower, separated and eventually Katherine dies of starvation and grief. The youngest sister is Mary, short and twisted yet still beautiful. She is ignored and not seen as a threat for most of her life but when she marries a commoner she also suffered the wrath of Elizabeth.

The story of Jane Grey is well-documented, Katherine less so and Mary even less so it was nice to read an account which focused on the minor stories rather than the obvious. This is Philippa Gregory so romance is high in the profile but the stories are placed into context, there is a lot of politics here and the actions of the characters are cleared linked to the politics of the time as well as actions of the heart. There is less of the fey, supernatural to this book which I welcomed. Gregory is a fantastically entertaining writer who brings Tudor history to life for the masses.

Always a treat when a new Philippa Gregory novel appears, and this one was no different. She's a master at piecing together historical details to create a vivid, compelling page-turner. Loved it!

Told from the POVs of the three Grey sisters, Gregory takes us on a treacherous journey of royal succession until we are at the last Tudor, Elizabeth I, their cousin. Ambition, arrogance and betrayal fill the pages of this meticulously researched novel. Pious (and for me, unlikeable) Jane's story wasn't as fascinating as was Katherine and Mary's stories in which falling in love is a recipe for disaster. Still, the path which they walk to their ends is both fascinating and satisfying. And now, with the Tudors done, where will Gregory take us next? I can't wait to find out.

Another great read from Ms. Gregory! She does such a great job of storytelling, that I feel like I am right there with the characters. She really knows her history and brings it to life. A must read!

Review will be posted week of 8/21/17

Lady Jane Grey and her sisters, Katherine and Mary, are all grandnieces of Henry VIII. That means they are in line for the throne and during this time period that is a dangerous place to be. Henry's son and heir, Edward, dies and he writes in his will that he wants Jane to take the throne, not Princess Mary. I'm sure most readers are familiar with the Nine Days Queen's story as Jane's ascension to the throne doesn't last long and is very controversial. Then there's Jane's sister, Katherine, who marries Ned Seymour without Queen Elizabeth's permission and this sparks some major drama that ends up being very dangerous for Katherine. Lastly, there's the youngest of the Grey sisters, Mary, who thinks that she is too unworthy to even garner any political attention. When she makes the same mistake that Katherine made by marrying someone without the Queen's permission, this also creates a problem. The Last Tudor by Philippa Gregory is an interesting look at the three Grey sisters. While I was familiar with Lady Jane's story, I was delighted to learn more about Katherine and Mary's heartbreaking trials and tribulations.

Lady Jane Grey's story is a sad one in The Last Tudor. I always felt like her ascension to the throne was simply due to being a political pawn. It's a shame that her parents used her this way. I'm sure she'd rather be reading and studying as that seemed more her speed. While I was aware of Jane's fate, it was still upsetting to read about.

Katherine's story was especially interesting to me in The Last Tudor. I really knew nothing of Katherine going into it and was especially horrified to find out what happened to her. She married Ned Seymour for love and without the Queen's permission. This, apparently, was very offensive to Queen Elizabeth and I felt she made Katherine suffer greatly and unjustly. Obviously, since this part of the story is from Katherine's point of view, it definitely painted Queen Elizabeth in an unflattering light. What Katherine had to deal with and the separation from Ned as well as her children was just heartbreaking. It definitely brought a tear to my eye to think about it.

Lastly, Mary's story is the final section of The Last Tudor. I found her story to be the least intriguing of the three. Shockingly, Mary makes the same mistake as Katherine in that she married for love and without the Queen's permission. Why on Earth would she do that after witnessing what her sister went through? But nonetheless, she does it and must suffer the consequences.

The Last Tudor really demonstrated the fact that this time period was so dangerous and politics is a dangerous game essentially. If you are close in line to the throne, you must watch your back. I felt badly for all three Grey women even though I didn't always agree with their choices. It just seems so simple to be able to marry who you want and live the life they way you want, but that was not the case for the Grey women.

Although this wasn't my favorite of Gregory's novels, I still enjoyed it. So, if you are a fan of historical fiction and want to learn more about these compelling sisters, definitely give The Last Tudor a try. Philippa Gregory's novels always make for excellent "historical beach reads."

I never really knew a lot about lady Jane Grey and about her rise to the throne in the short period between Edward and Mary Tudor so was looking forward to getting my teeth into this. Was surprised to find that her story only comprised of the first third and the novel went deeper into sisters' stories too - This was not a bad thing - I didn't even know she had sisters that outlived her so their stories really gave me a lot of information and background as well into Elizabethan England. The way that the parts are written really takes on each girls personalities that you would be forgiven for thinking that three different authors wrote them. Bravo Philippa Gregory - another historical masterpiece!

This book was more like a history book rather than fiction. It was well written, but not to my taste. My rating is based on the writing skill and not my enjoyment of the book.

This was my first Philippa Gregory book, and I picked it up because the characters and time period have always been interesting, but somewhat confusing to me. (Perhaps this is because of the name recycling of royal Marys, Janes and Kathryns!)

While the history was fascinating, I thought that the novelistic elements were a thin coating over the basic facts. Except for the characterization of Elizabeth I as an unprincipled, cold-hearted monster, most of the characters didn’t come alive for me.

Good historical fiction but honestly not Gregory's best. For some reason, this novel, told from the viewpoints of Jane, Katherine, and Mary, never really took off for me. All three of these woman have been explored at depth in both fiction and non-fiction so there's a good chance you know their stories and their view points. I didn't gain anything here but equally importantly think it would have benefited from a tough edit to cut out reptetiveness, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm looking forward to whatever Gregory writes next.

"The Last Tudor" is a return to form for Philippa Gregory. I found most of the Cousins' War books ("The White Queen," "The Red Queen") to be uninspired, with the characters all sounding similar. Here, each of the Grey sisters—Jane, Katherine, and Mary—narrate a section of the novel, and they each have their own distinct voice and personality. I especially loved how the virtuous Jane was presented as, in some way, a typical teenager: irked by her younger sisters, grandiose one minute and frightened the next. It did drag a bit in the middle, but [spoiler alert for those unfamiliar with British history] when your narrator is imprisoned for years on end, that's bound to happen. And that leads me to why, imo, Gregory's novels that serve as fictional biographies/autobiographies don't move me the way that "The Other Boleyn Girl" and "The Queen's Fool" do: Having to hew closely to the trajectory of a real, well-known person is more limiting than the possibilities that open up when following a fictional or lesser-known individual.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Skip this, August 8, 2017
By Katherine M.
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This review is from: The Last Tudor (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels) (Kindle Edition)
This book divides up the sisters into their own sections told entirely from their POV. Unfortunately I found this tedious and longed for a new vantage point. This book is very dry and lacking the fun political intrigue and interesting characters that usually characterize Gregory's books. With her previous works I've been fascinated even when I'm very familiar with what will happen to the characters involved because she has found a way to shed new light and paint a different account. This version, however, is very boring and lackluster. I'd recommend reading a different book if you want to read about the interesting life of the Grey sisters.

This book was hard to begin because I found Jane so insufferable. She is so full of herself and her belief that her piety makes her so much greater than anyone that she is very hard to take. Unfortunately the beginning is an overly long monologue before the book finally starts to pick up with the events that will lead to her coronation and of course her execution. There is very little backstory about her parents but there are subtle hints at her childhood and her parents actions at the tower make very clear where their priorities are. This account is very different from from the ones I've read in the books by Alison Weir and Ella March Chase. I can understand the authors taking divergent views of her personality but it is interesting that there is such different accounts of things I would have thought were well known, for example in this book Guilford is not a mean savage.

If you aren't familiar with this complicated family or need a reminder you may want to look up what happened with the final wife of King Henry, as Katherine Parr and her husband Thomas are mentioned, as well as the rumors regarding him and the future Queen Elizabeth, but there are few details or backstory in this account. I always found it strange from the other books that Jane and Elizabeth weren't closer given their common faith but perhaps this version of Jane with her competitive piety explains that. I was surprised that this version differs so much in her last days with her confessor. I enjoyed the accounts in the other books of his esteem for her.

Moving on to Katherine was a relief from Jane, at least at first. This version of Katherine sees her shortcomings and has her own ambitions but more than anything wants to marry her beloved. Unfortunately I've had a hard time with this book. I carried on with Jane to get to the end and I'd like to get to Mary to see how she is portrayed in this version, I'm already intrigued that she and the Queen's dwarf are not on good terms, but I find Katherine's section too tedious to read for long. I keep putting it down and I do not look forward to plunging through it. For that reason I haven't been able to finish it and cannot recommend it.

When I saw the two names attached to this book, Tudor and Philippa Gregory, that was all I needed to tap the "Request book" button within a second. My fascination with The Tudors has spanned decades, and no one makes it more palatable than Philippa Gregory.

My only misgivings were that I would not find the central figures in this tome that interesting: the "Nine Days Queen", Lady Jane Grey, and her two younger sisters, Lady Katherine and Lady Mary. Queen Elizabeth I was England's Monarch at this time, and hers is a story I am not that charmed by as well. However, the special writing gift author Philippa Gregory has is to so humanize the characters through her first person narration that the reader can easily connect with them. She takes history, marries it with a bit of poetic license and serves you up "edible" history...while the reader eats out of her hand.

This book is divided into three "narrations" as I call them. The first Part begins with Lady Jane Grey (who at sixteen was Queen of England for just nine days), followed in succession by her younger sisters Katherine, and then Mary. Each "Part" is narrated by each of the sisters. Philippa Gregory weaves the tapestry of history with twists of irony, great love, shattering heartbreak, and anger ...which is acutely felt by the reader through the method of each sister's first person narration. You will surely shed a tear while reading this book.

Across the decades, I have read an abundance of books on the Tudors and specifically on Queen Elizabeth I. However, I hadn't quite realized just how paranoid, ruthless, jealous and heartless Queen Elizabeth I was until I read this particular book. In addition, I thought I wouldn't be that interested in reading about the Tudor line of the Grey sisters, but author Gregory handily lured me in with her enchanting writing magic.

I feel very fortunate to have read this tome as I learned much about another branch of the Tudor Dynasty I had given short shrift . My previous knowledge was limited to the movie starring British actress Helena Bonham Carter as Lady Jane Grey. Now I know a much richer story which is truly sad and makes me wonder what might have been had the Tudor line extended on an alternative pathway, as it most likely should have.

This was brilliant, and I shall approach unread present and future offerings from Philippa Gregory with the knowledge that I will both learn and feel much...and forever be touched by history.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the privilege of receiving an advance reader copy in return for my honest review.

This novel is ostensibly about the Grey sisters--Jane, Katherine and Mary; however, all three Grey sisters are overshadowed by their cousin, Elizabeth who is portrayed as a terrible tyrant throughout the novel. While each of the Grey women is handled with care and sensitivity and is drawn with heartbreaking reality, Elizabeth seems unidimensional--almost a caricature like the mad queen of Lewis Carroll's imaginings. But while Elizabeth's fantastically mercurial personality comes across as too cruel to be real and honestly portrayed, it is highly likely that this is exactly how Elizabeth was perceived through the eyes of the Grey sisters from whose perspective the novel is written. As I read this book, each of the Grey sisters drew me in and inspired a whole range of feelings--sorrow for their plight and isolation, rage for the injustices done to them, elation for their ability find love and seize it with both hands--a veritable gamut of emotions. The book is ultimately about the darker side of human ambition and is by no means light-hearted, but it is nevertheless a fantastic novel and well worth the read.

As a long time reader of Philippa Gregory, I am always excited to get a new book by her. When I saw that this one was about the three Grey sisters, I really thought I was in for a treat. While I’ve read a bit about Jane and one book about Katherine, Mary was almost a complete mystery to me. I thought this would be my chance to get know these sisters as imagined by one of my favorite historical fiction writers. Unfortunately, after reading the book I feel very disappointed and really no closer to the sisters.

I did like that the book was divided into three parts, each narrated by one of the sisters, starting with Jane. However, I felt this first part just sort of started in the middle. There was nothing of her early life, just a few brief mentions of the time she spent, along with Princess Elizabeth, at the Dowager Queen’s house. Also, Jane was not presented as a very likable character. This is historical fiction and as such I want my main character to be fairly likable not an annoying prig.

Katherine’s part started off much more enjoyable. When Ms. Gregory is writing about her and her life, the book is wonderful. Once Katherine angers the queen and Queen Elizabeth (and her insecurities) become a bigger and bigger part of the story, I thought the book began to falter. I was hoping it would pick up again when Mary’s part began. It did for a short time, but then it became more like a recitation of Elizabeth's failings and the incarcerations of her various relations. Towards the end it was almost becoming a chore to read.

First, just let me preface by saying that I do not agree with the author's opinions regarding Elizabeth I. I have a healthy respect, however, for our different viewpoints and I absolutely adore her writing.

Lady Jane Grey has always intrigued me, but has remained largely unstudied in my adventures through the Tudor Era. (I didn't even know she had sisters, for instance. Just that she was the unlucky 9-day queen.) So I was very anxious to get my hands on this book, both to learn about Jane Grey and to see events through her eyes, as well as to learn more about her sisters Katherine and Mary.

With that said, I greatly The Last Tudor! I loved getting to know Jane Grey as well as her sisters and some of her family. Even when I didn't necessarily agree with what was being written, it didn't detract at all from the brilliant writing and the completely engrossing tale. A wonderful addition to my favorite history books, as well as one that I highly recommend. Thank you so much, Philippa Gregory, for fleshing these historical characters out for your readers and for making the Tudor Era come alive.

This was not one of my favorite books. I found that it drug for me in many places and it was hard to finish. This was all my issue and had nothing to do with the writing of Ms Gregory. Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I received this as an e-arc through Netgalley. I have always been a fan of Philippa's; from my first foray in "The Other Boleyn Girl" to now. The first thing that struck me as I delved into this volume is Gregory has really grown as a writer over the years. I remember feeling when reading her first that it was too much scandal and not enough fact. However, she's learned to become more of a historian and the stories are much more of a balanced mix now. This book was right on with that characteristic. I can imagine that this wasn't the easiest tale to tell either for that mix, as the Grey sisters had very sad lives. However, Gregory kept me intrigued from Jane to Mary and I am very grateful she told their story. I worry a little, as this sounds like her last step into the Tudor/Plantagenet world (the title is telling), but I still look forward to her future works!