Doomed Queen Anne

Author: Carolyn Meyer
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: HarperCollins, 2004
Pages: 240
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Though born without great beauty, wealth, or title, Anne Boleyn blossomed into a captivating woman. She used her wiles to win the heart of England's most powerful man, King Henry VIII, and persuade him to defy everyone - including his own wife - to make her his new queen. But Anne's ambition was her fata flaw. 

Review: I am going to refer to 2025 as "The Year of Carolyn Meyer" even though I just discovered this author last month. I am on a mission to read all of her books. She writes interesting books about interesting people that, up to this point, I wasn't really interested.

Queen Anne was introduced in Mary, Bloody Mary and I enjoyed reading her perspective. She was a wily one.

Other Carolyn Meyer Novels
Cleopatra Confesses
Diary of a Waitress: The Not-So-Glamorous Life of a Harvey Girl
In Mozart's Shadow: His Sister's Story
Mary, Bloody Mary
The Bad Queen

Cleopatra Confesses

Author: Carolyn Meyer
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2011
Pages: 304
Rating: Recommend
 

Synopsis: It is the first century B.C. Cleopatra, the third of the pharaoh's six children, is the one that her father has chosen to be the next queen of Egypt. But when King Ptolemy is forced into exile, Cleopatra is left alone to fend for herself in a palace rife with intrigue and murder. Smart, courageous, ambitious, and sensuously beautiful, she possesses the charm to cause two of history's most famous leaders to fall in love with her. But as her cruel sisters plot to steal the throne, Cleopatra realizes there is only one person on whom she can rely - herself.

Review: I've never thought of myself particularly interested in Egyptian history, but I did take two years of it in college. I like to say it's because I figured out how to get As from that professor. However, there might be more to it than that, because I flew through this book. 

Almost more interesting than Cleopatra herself, and she was interesting, are the times in which she lived.

This is another highly readable Carolyn Meyer novel. I only wish she would have gone into more detail about Cleopatra and Mark Antony's relationship. Once again, this is a novel written for ages 12-18, but adults should give it a chance.

Other Carolyn Meyer Novels:
In Mozart's Shadow: His Sister's Story
Diary of a Waitress: The Not-So-Glamorous Life of a Harvey Girl
Doomed Queen Anne
Mary, Bloody Mary
The Bad Queen

The Bad Queen

Author: Carolyn Meyer
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers, 2011
Pages: 430
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: From the moment she was betrothed to the dauphin of France at age fourteen, perfection was demanded of Marie-Antoinette. Desperate for affection and subjected to constant scrutiny, the spirited young woman can't help but want to let loose with elaborate parties, scandalous fashions, and even a forbidden love affair. Meanwhile, the peasants of France are suffering from increasing poverty and becoming outraged. They want to make the queen pay for her reckless extravagance with her life.

Review:  Old European monarchs aren't of particular interest to me, or perhaps I should say, until I discovered Carolyn Meyer's novels, they weren't. I knew of Marie-Antoinette, but had not spent any time learning about her. She was a name in the history book.

This novel was so fascinating. I have quite a few books to read yet to meet my reading goal for the year, but I have no regrets starting a 400+ page novel this late in the year. It held my interest and I read it quickly. I came away feeling for sad and sorry for Marie-Antoinette and her family. They deserved better than what they received.

The book jacket indicates that this was written for 7th to 9th graders, but I disagree in some respects. While the writing is easy, some topics / themes are better suited to older high school. It also begs the question, why was so much time spent on the consummation of Marie-Antoinette and Louis' marriage, or rather the lack of consummation. Seems like an odd detail on which to be focused.

Other Carolyn Meyer Novels:
Cleopatra Confesses
Diary of a Waitress: The Not-So-Glamorous Life of a Harvey Girl
Doomed Queen Anne
In Mozart's Shadow: His Sister's Story
Mary, Bloody Mary

Mary, Bloody Mary

Author: Carolyn Meyer
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: HarperCollins, 2001
Pages: 240
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: The story of Mary Tudor's childhood is a classic fairy tale: A princess who is to inherit the throne of England is separated from her mother; abused by an evil stepmother who has enchanted her father; stripped of her title; and forced to care for her baby stepsister, who inherits Mary's right to the throne. Believe it or not, it's all true.

Told in the voice of the young Mary, this novel explores the history and intrigue of the dramatic rule of Henry VIII, his outrageous affair with and marriage to the bewitching Anne Boleyn, and the consequences of that relationship for his firstborn daughter.

Review: I just love this author for historical biographies. My mother was fascinated with the history of the royal family, and so on principle, I was not ☺However, as it turns out my husband has this same interest and he talks about his novels enough that I found myself sort of interesting. I liked Mary, Bloody Mary because it was "Tudor-lite." It's a crazy family, and because this novel is written for the middle to high school set, it wasn't a deep dive into the family. Perfect for someone who wants to dapple and not know too much.

Other Carolyn Meyer Novels:
Cleopatra Confesses
Diary of a Waitress: The Not-So-Glamorous Life of a Harvey Girl
Doomed Queen Anne
In Mozart's Shadow: His Sister's Story
The Bad Queen

In Mozart's Shadow: His Sister's Story

Author: Carolyn Meyer
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008
Pages: 350
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Nannerl Mozart was a musical prodigy who seemed to have a brilliant future. But once her younger brother, Wolfgang, began composing symphonies at the age of five, her  career and talents were utterly eclipsed. Here, at last, is Nannerl's heart-wrenching tale. It's the story of her undying passion for music; her relationship with her "miracle boy" brother, and her life as the "other Mozart," the one forgotten by history.

Review: I recently read The Diary of a Waitress: The Not-So-Glamorous Life of a Harvey Girl, and while it is written for the middle to high school-aged children, I enjoyed it. Interested in other books this author has written, I found her on Goodreads. In Mozart's Shadow jumped out at me because my 10 year old just finished a book report and project on Mozart for school. We read Who Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart together so this was a chance for me to learn more about his sister.

The middle of this book was repetitive while Mozart traveled around Europe performing and composing, but Nannerl herself was given the short end of the stick. She was also considered a child prodigy, but life in the 1700s did not give girls the same opportunities as boys. My heart broke for her.

Carolyn Meyer Novels
Cleopatra Confesses
Diary of a Waitress: The Not-So-Glamorous Life of a Harvey Girl
Doomed Queen Anne
Mary, Bloody Mary 
The Bad Queen

Diary of a Waitress

Author: Caroline Meyer
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Astra Publishing House, 2015
Pages: 288
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: In 1926, droves of Americans traveled by train across the United States to visit the West. They ate at Harvey Houses, where thousands of well-trained waitresses provided first-class service. Diary of a Waitress tells the first-person story of one spunky girl, Kitty Evans, as she faces the often funny and painful experiences she and fellow waitresses Cordelia and Emmy endure. As Kitty writes about her escapades, a lovable teenager emerges; she embraces adventure, independence, her position as a Harvey girl, and a freelance writing career.

Review: Nearing the end of The Harvey Girls, I went down a rabbit hole. My search for additional historical fiction novels about Harvey Girls landed on this title and requested it from the library not realizing it's for ages 10-14. I decided to give it a try. I really liked it, and recommend it for all ages.

Other Novels by Carolyn Meyer
Cleopatra Confesses
Doomed Queen Anne
In Mozart's Shadow: His Sister's Story
Mary, Bloody Mary 
The Bad Queen