About this title: Reissue of Philippa Gregory's disturbing novel of passion and betrayal in Tudor England. A haunting story of a woman's desire in a time of turbulence. Alys joins the nunnery to escape hardship and poverty but finds herself thrown back into the outside world when Henry VIII's wreckers destroy her sanctuary. With nothing to support her but her ...
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Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Touchstone Books
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9781416590880ISBN:1416590889
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Minor shelf and edgewear. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 520 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Very Good. 1416590889 Paperback, Condition: Very Good; this book is in very good condition with light curve to the spine / light reading creases to the covers. read more
Description: Good. 1992-Paperback----Used-Good-Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Description: Acceptable. 1992-Paperback---Used-Acceptable. Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Touchstone
Date Published: 2008-05-27
ISBN-13:9781416590880ISBN:1416590889
Description: Very Good. Softcover in very good condition, minor shelf wear to cover only, no writing, non-smoking home, clean text, binding tight, Christian business. read more
Edition: Sixth Printing
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Touchstone Books Simon and Schuster
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9781416590880ISBN:1416590889
Description: Near Fine. No Jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Near fine condition trade paperback. Very light shelf rub to cover edge else fine. Scan available. King Henry VIII's England. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Touchstone
Date Published: 2008-05-27
ISBN-13:9781416590880ISBN:1416590889
Description: Like New. Like new softcover in excellent condition, no writing, non-smoking home, clean text, binding tight, Christian business. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Viking
Date Published: 1992
ISBN-13:9780670843695ISBN:0670843695
Description: Good. No Jacket (as published) 5.25" x 8.5" Historical fiction set in Tudor times form this popular author. All orders processed and shipped promptly from the UK, usually within 24 hours. We do not use stock photographs, the picture displayed is of the actual book for sale. Call or email with your questions by going to "Bookseller & Payment Information" below and then "Ask bookseller a question" or "View Booksellers Homepage" A heavy book that will require additional shipping. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780140167818ISBN:0140167811
Description: Good. PAPERBACK BOOK-GOOD OVERALL CONDITION-TRUSTED DEVON (UK) BASED SELLER-IN STOCK-SENT WITHIN 1 WORKING DAY-AVAILABLE BY EMAIL FOR QUERIES-NO QUIBBLE REFUND IF NOT COMPLETELY SATISFIED- read more
Binding: PAPERBACK
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780140167818ISBN:0140167811
Description: Fair. Paperback, a good reading copy. Cover image is a stock image and may vary. Your book will be securely packed and promptly dispatched from our UK warehouse. read more
"Not one of Gregory's best. It starts out pretty well, but as it goes it gets sillier and the protagonist gets more annoying and unsympathetic. It starts with the burning of a nunnery during the reign of Henry VIII. Alys, the "heroine" of the novel, is a novice at the abbey who takes off running, leaving the other nuns behind to burn. She takes shelter at the hovel where she was raised as a foundling by the wise woman Morach, but soon finds herself summoned to the castle of the local lord. Once there, she falls for the young Lord Hugo, who is married to the cartoonishly villainous Catherine. Alys vows she will have Hugo and return to her life of comfort by any means necessary. Like Scarlett O'Hara but less likable, she lies, cheats, steals, and kills to get her man and make sure she's never hungry or cold again. Early in the book, the skills of wise women such as Morach and Alys are attributed to a talent for herbs and intuition. However, soon Alys is summoning the devil and making little wax voodoo dolls to control those who have power over her. It just gets more and more ridiculous. However, if you're into magic and melodrama, you'll probably like this one."
"I have read many of Philippa Gregory's books and I must say this is one of my favorites. Aly's is a woman with many misfortunes in her life, she ends up on a path of discovery about herself and the people she knows. Aly's life changes many times through out this book, sometimes she acts like a nun and other times like a lusty woman, and at times like a witch..a real witch. This book is scary at times and makes you think about life back in the 1500's. Women now are lucky to have choices, back then you did not have many."
"Philippa Gregory has been one of my favorite authors for years. That's why I was excited to find a book by her that I hadn't read yet just sitting on a bookshelf waiting for me to come along and buy it. Only a few chapters in, I remarked to myself that I thought I had outgrown her. Then I thought that I was being ridiculous, should keep reading, and I would be sure to get into it. Really, I said, at the worst, everyone is entitled to a turkey, and there could be a reason I hadn't picked this one up yet. So I kept reading.
The Wise Woman tells the story of Alys, a wise woman's (witch) apprentice turned nun, turned witch again. After her convent is burned down, Alys finds escape in the local lord's castle, and tries to keep her past a secret. She falls in lust and love (for a time) with the younger lord, and uses her dark skills to try to control her fate.
One thing that I do know about Gregory is that she's always faithful to the history in her work, and does her research well. This book is no different. I know enough about Tudor England and the Protestant Reformation to be able to say that her setting is quite accurate. The social hierarchies and descriptions of dress and culture hold true to the time as well. This is something that I appreciate in all historical fiction.
There were two elements that really bothered me with this book. It seemed sloppily written overall, and in particular, her use of adverbs was astronomical. I kept asking myself why Gregory couldn't show her intentions through the actual dialogue of the characters instead of describing how they said everything. Also, none of the main characters were likeable. The more I read, the more fed up I got with each of them. One could argue that Gregory was showing some of the greed and scheming of the times, but I just found it increasingly difficult to take in.
I wondered if it was just me who felt this was about a beloved author. It wasn't. I went to Amazon, and found mixed reviews on the book. However, people who read in the horror genre gave this book 5/5 stars, and those who read more general fiction gave it 3/5 stars. My recommendation would be to pick this up if you are into the horror genre. If not, I'd recommend the Boleyn series for an interesting representation of Tudor England instead."
"This was another one of Gregory's darker novels. Not as bad as "Wideacre," which I hated, but what is it with her and deviant sex? The "heroine" is far from wise - manipulative, craven, and self-serving, more like. Very little to like about any of the characters. Set in the England of Henry VIII, she provides a good sense of place and history, but this novel was not a patch on "The Constant Princess," "The Queen's Fool," or even "The Other Boleyn Girl.""
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