Topic 5: Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer

Meyer, Carolyn. 1999. Mary, Bloody Mary. New York: Harcourt. ISBN: 0152019065.

In MARY, BLOODY MARY, Carolyn Meyer takes the reader back in time to meet one of history’s most unpopular queens. But the author takes the reader farther than the reign of Mary, instead going back to the point where King Henry VIII has decided to divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. Mary struggles to deal with the fact that her father has separated her from her mother, declared her a bastard and has been “bewitched” by Anne Boleyn. The first person account gives new insight into the character of Mary, who was forced to renounce her Catholic faith, take care of the infant Elizabeth, and who lost almost all the people she had counted on in her young life. Uncertain of where she will live, what will be expected of her, and sometimes, even if she will live, Mary keeps track of the ever changing political climate by listening very carefully to what is being said around her. A historical note follows the story and explains what happens to Mary in the years following the one covered by the book.

“Meyer gives Mary, Henry, and Anne strong, distinct personalities and motives, enlivens historical events with closely observed details of dress and ceremony, and drives it all forward with engrossing emotional intensity” (Kirkus.) The emotional clashes between these three people is part of the draw of this novel. Almost anyone can tell you what happened to Anne Boleyn and that Mary would be queen, but Meyer’s portrayals give a human element to these real people that is missing from history texts. History texts studied by young adults often times do not mention that Mary was expected to care for Elizabeth or gloss over the hardships that the royals of this period faced. Meyer provides the emotional suspense of the political back and forth, including numerous arranged engagements, that swirled around Mary before the split of her parents and the plotting that followed the break. “The book captures the glamour and glitter of court life during the 1500s, as well as the sinister conspiracy that resulted when Mary's mother, Catherine of Aragon, bore no male heir.” (Johnson, 106.)

The novel is engrossing even though the outcome is generally obvious. Mary will survive her youth, but the effects that this turbulent portion of her life will cause her to slide to the extreme. “Some of it is repetitious, as undoubtedly court life was, but one comes away with a feeling for what it must have been like not only to live then, but to live as a person of royal blood squashed under the thumb of necessity and Anne Boleyn.” (Kirkus.) Meyer also foreshadows some of the coming events as she handles how Mary was responsible for caring for Elizabeth and the swirling emotions she had for the redheaded infant who loved her, but who represented all that she had been through. Readers are pulled into the story by the strong emotions and the human touch that each character is given.

Reference List:
Johnson, Nancy J. 2000. “Children’s Books: Discussing Compelling Characters.” Reading Teacher. Vol. 54 issue 1 (Sept.), 106-109.
2000. Review of Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer. Kirkus Reviews. Available at:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=Ft1eP5UAaj&isbn=0152164561&itm=1. Last Accessed 27 November 2004.