Book Review: Ladies in Waiting

A book review in honor of Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford, who was executed 481 years ago today, and has been treated shabbily ever since.

Ladies in Waiting: Women Who Served in the Tudor Court by Victoria Evans is a fairly light and easy introduction to the households of Henry VIII's queens. The period covered is 1501-1547, beginning with Catherine of Aragon's arrival in England. This 193-page book is divided in 14 chapters, with a short introduction and epilogue. The first section (4 chapters, 70 pages) lays the groundwork for how Tudor royal apartments were arranged and staffed; the remainder of the book (10 chapters, 123 pages) looks more closely at each queen's household. Three chapters each are allowed to Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, in order to discuss how their households changed over time: before marriage,  as queen, and while out of Henry's favor. The other four queens each get one chapter.

The information presented in this book was mostly not new to me, which was a little disappointing. It draws a lot on secondary sources I was already familiar with, notably biographies of the queens and of their attendants--including Jane Dormer, Jane Parker, and Mary Boleyn. The material I was most excited to find were longer quotations from the Lisle letters than I've read elsewhere. The bibliography is helpfully divided into primary and secondary sources.

I found the writing style a little choppy, particularly in the transitions between paragraphs. The paragraphs themselves are mostly quite short, and the pages are double spaced, so the text reads quickly and doesn't feel dense. The author does adhere closely to the subject headings and chapter divisions, so even without a strong narrative structure, the current topic always remains clear.

I think I would have liked this book more if I wasn't expecting it to be something else (a dense history book focused more on the maids of honor and ladies in waiting than on the queens themselves). As it is, I think this book would be a good choice for introducing someone to the workings of the royal court and to research based on primary sources.

Score: 3.5 stars. The material's pretty solid, but the narrative is a little rough.

Accuracy: Good. Primary and reputable secondary sources are cited and quoted.

Strongest Impression: It's a good introduction to the subject, but there's not much new material if you're already familiar with the biographies of Henry VIII's queens. Highly recommended for a quick review on the royal households. If you're looking for serious academic writing or new research, this probably isn't the book for you.