SUZANNAH DUNN

La inteligente y piadosa Katherine Parr, sexta y última esposa de Enrique VIII, ha conseguido sobrevivir a un turbulento matrimonio. Sin embargo, pocos meses después de la muerte del viejo rey, el ambicioso y apuesto Thomas Seymour se gana su corazon: un precipitado idilio que echara por tierra cuatro años de precauciones y volvera en su contra a quienes mas queria. En una epoca en donde la menor indiscrecion podia acarrearla prision y la muerte, el amor es un lujo que ni siquiera una reina puede permitirse.La inteligente y piadosa Katherine Parr, sexta y última esposa de Enrique VIII, ha conseguido sobrevivir a un turbulento matrimonio. Sin embargo, pocos meses después de la muerte del viejo rey, el ambicioso y apuesto Thomas Seymour se gana su corazon: un precipitado idilio que echara por tierra cuatro años de precauciones y volvera en su contra a quienes mas queria. En una epoca en donde la menor indiscrecion podia acarrearla prision y la muerte, el amor es un lujo que ni siquiera una reina puede permitirse.

La bella, ambiciosa y testaruda Ana Bolena conmocionó a la sociedad inglesa de su tiempo, pero tras provocar el divorcio de Enrique VIII se gana muchos enemigos, y fuerzas poderosas se confabularán para hacerle pagar un alto precio. Mientras tanto en las cocinas de palacio, Lucy Cornwallis, pastelera del rey, se entrega a sus quehaceres. Ella sola, entre doscientos hombres, convierte el azucar en fantasticas figuras para las celebraciones reales y sortea las complicaciones de la vida cortesana. Pero tambien Lucy y su confidente, el musico Mark Smeaton, se veran atrapados en el torbellino que amenaza a la nueva reina y que podria acabar con todos sus sueños...La historia de Ana Bolena ha sido contada muchas veces pero nunca de una forma tan terrenal, tan plausible, contada directamente desde los dormitorios y las cocinas de Enrique VIIILa bella, ambiciosa y testaruda Ana Bolena conmocionó a la sociedad inglesa de su tiempo, pero tras provocar el divorcio de Enrique VIII se gana muchos enemigos, y fuerzas poderosas se confabularán para hacerle pagar un alto precio. Mientras tanto en las cocinas de palacio, Lucy Cornwallis, pastelera del rey, se entrega a sus quehaceres. Ella sola, entre doscientos hombres, convierte el azucar en fantasticas figuras para las celebraciones reales y sortea las complicaciones de la vida cortesana. Pero tambien Lucy y su confidente, el musico Mark Smeaton, se veran atrapados en el torbellino que amenaza a la nueva reina y que podria acabar con todos sus sueños...La historia de Ana Bolena ha sido contada muchas veces pero nunca de una forma tan terrenal, tan plausible, contada directamente desde los dormitorios y las cocinas de Enrique VIII

María Tudor —reina de Inglaterra e Irlanda, y reina consorte de España— se siente desdichada. Su marido, Felipe II, no la ama y tampoco consigue hacer realidad su sueño de ser madre. La alegría que los ingleses vivieron con su coronación se ve ensombrecida por el furor religioso que domina su vida, mientras se encienden sangrientas hogueras por todo el país. Rafael —un sevillano que acude con la Corte de Felipe II a Inglaterra para construir un reloj de sol en Palacio— será testigo de la trágica historia de María Tudor. Y surgirá entre ellos una proximidad que se va haciendo más estrecha a medida que la Reina ejerce el poder de manera más cruel y sanguinaria. Casi sin darse cuenta, Rafael y su nuevo amor se verán envueltos en el caos que sacude toda Inglaterra. "

I didn't stand a chance: looking back over thirteen years, that's what I see. In the very first instant, I was won over, and of course I was: I was fifteen and had been nowhere and done nothing, whereas Katherine was twenty-one and yellow-silk-clad and just married to the golden boy...Jane Seymour is a shy, dutiful fifteen-year-old when her eldest brother, Edward, brings his bride home to Wolf Hall. Katherine Filliol is the perfect match for Edward, as well as being a breath of fresh air for the Seymour family, and Jane is captivated by the older girl. Over the course of a long, hot country summer, the two become close friends and allies, while Edward is busy building alliances at court and advancing his career. However, only two years later, the family is torn apart by a dreadful allegation made by Edward against his wife. The repercussions for all the Seymours are incalculable, not least for Katherine herself. When Jane is sent away, to serve Katharine of Aragon, she is forced to witness another wife being put aside, with terrible consequences. Changed forever by what happened to Katherine Filliol, Jane comes to understand that in a world where power is held entirely by men, there is a way in which she can still hold true to herself.

Jane Seymour is a shy, dutiful fifteen-year-old when her eldest brother, Edward, brings his bride home to Wolf Hall. Katherine Filliol is the perfect match for Edward, as well as being a breath of fresh air for the Seymour family, and Jane is captivated by the older girl. Over the course of a long, hot country summer, the two become close friends and allies, while Edward is busy building alliances at court and advancing his career. However, only two years later, the family is torn apart by a dreadful allegation made by Edward against his wife. The repercussions for all the Seymours are incalculable, not least for Katherine herself. When Jane is sent away, to serve Katharine of Aragon, she is forced to witness another wife being put aside, with terrible consequences. Changed forever by what happened to Katherine Filliol, Jane comes to understand that in a world where power is held entirely by men, there is a way in which she can still hold true to herself.

A tremendously vivid‚ plausible novel that depicts the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn‚ the most spirited‚ independent and courageous of Henry VIII′s Queens‚ as viewed from both the bedrooms and the kitchens of the Tudor court. Everyone knows the story of Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII divorced his longstanding‚ long−suffering‚ older‚ Spanish wife for a young‚ black−eyed English beauty‚ and in doing so severed England from the Church in Rome and‚ indeed‚ from the rest of the western world. Then‚ when Henry had what he wanted‚ he managed a mere three years of marriage before beheading his wife for alleged adultery with several men‚ amongst them his own best friend and her own brother. This is the context for Suzannah Dunn′s wonderful new novel‚ which is about − and told by − two women: Anne Boleyn‚ King′s mistress and fated Queen; and Lucy Cornwallis‚ the King′s confectioner‚ an employee of the very highest status‚ who made the centrepiece of each of the feasts to mark the important occasions in Anne′s ascent. There′s another link between them‚ though: the lovely Mark Smeaton‚ wunderkind musician‚ the innocent on whom‚ ultimately‚ Anne′s downfall hinged.

This is a novel about everything and nothing, sour and melancholy, with elements of sheer comedy and almost unbearable beauty... The older Deborah reflects that "Im surprised any of us lived to tell the tale", and if this subtle book has a message, it is how alien and yet how relatable the past remainsGuardian Book of the DayA glorious writer... witty, well-observed and full of heartIrish IndependentA bittersweet, nostalgia-tinged adventure... with a steadily growing voltageDaily MailA deliciously unsettling read Clare Chambers, author of Small PleasuresLovely Patrick Gale A sharp eye and keen wit are brought to bear on the secrets and lies of a small rural community - secrets and lies that may prove deadly.Its 1972 and ten-year-old Deborah is living a ten-year-old life: butterscotch angel delight and Raleigh chopper bikes, and Clunk Click, and Crackajack and Jackanory, Layla and the Bee Gees, flares and ponchos.But new girl Sarah-Jayne breezes into school, pretty as a picture and full of gossip and speculation, as well as unlikely but thrilling stories about levitation. The other girls are dazzled but Deborah is wary and keeps her distance. That same week, eighteen-year-old brickie Sonny turns up on her doorstep with a stray tortoise and begins an unlikely friendship with her young widowed mum. Thats bad enough, Deborah thinks, but then Sonny starts work on a site opposite the school and Sarah-Jayne decides hes the latest love of her life. Nothing escapes Sarah-Jayne, and Deborah fears what shell make of her mum. Its good to be different, her mum often says; but not, Deborah knows, too different. So, Deborah changes tactics, keeping her friends close and her enemy closer, even stepping up for some of Sarah-Jaynes levitation sessions. Then shes invited to Sarah-Jaynes lovely house, where she meets her charming family and encounters Sarah-Jaynes big sisters fiance, Max, which is when she senses that all isnt quite as it seems.

A gripping novel of love, passion, betrayal and heartbreak. Katherine Parr survived Henry VIII to find true love with Thomas Seymour only to realise that her love was based on a lie.Clever, sensible and well-liked, Katherine Parr trod a knife edge of diplomacy and risk during her marriage to an ageing, cantankerous King Henry. When he died, she was in her late thirties and love, it seemed, had passed her by. Until, that is, the popular Thomas Seymour bold, handsome, witty and irresistible began a relentless courtship that won her heart. Kate fell passionately in love for the first time in her life and, also for the first time, threw caution to the wind with a marriage that shocked the worldly courtiers around her.But all too soon it becomes obvious that Thomas has plans beyond his marriage for the young, capricious, quick-witted heir to the throne Elizabeth and that in his quest for power, he might even be prepared to betray his now pregnant wifeKates whirlwind romance is witnessed and recounted by her closest friend, Catherine, Duchess of Suffolk, who lives through the tumultuous years after Henrys death at Kates side. A sharp and canny courtier in her own right, Cathy is keenly aware of the political realities of life at court and is, apparently, a loyal supporter of her friend. As her story weaves its way through that of Kate and Thomass heady passion and tragic denouement, however, it gradually becomes clear that Cathy has her own tale of betrayal and regret to tell

The new novel from the bestselling author of THE SIXTH WIFE. When 12-year-old Katherine Howard comes to live in the Duchess of Norfolks household, poor relation Cat Tilney is deeply suspicious. The two girls couldnt be more different: Cat, watchful and ambitious; Katherine, interested only in clothes and boys. Their companions are in thrall to Katherine, but its Cat in whom Katherine confides and, despite herself, Cat is drawn to her. Summoned to court at 17, Katherine leaves Cat in the company of her ex-lover, Francis, and the two begin their own, much more serious, love affair. Within months, the king has set aside his Dutch wife Anne for Katherine. The future seems assured for the new queen and her maid-in-waiting, although Cat would feel more confident if Katherine hadnt embarked on an affair with one of the kings favoured attendants, Thomas Culpeper. However, for a blissful year and a half, it seems that Katherine can have everything she wants. But then allegations are made about her girlhood love affairs. Desperately frightened, Katherine recounts a version of events which implicates Francis but which Cat knows to be a lie. With Francis in the Tower, Cat alone knows the whole truth of Queen Katherine Howard but if she tells, Katherine will die.

A queen brought low by love compromised and power abused the tragedy of Mary Tudor. These are desperate times for Mary Tudor. As Englands first ruling queen, her joy should be complete when she marries Philip, the dashing Prince of Spain. But despite her ardent devotion, hes making it painfully obvious that he cares little for his new wife and her struggle to produce an heir only makes him colder towards him. Lonely and depressed, Mary begins to vent her anguish on her people and England becomes a place of cruelty, persecution and fear. Marys terrible fall from grace is seen through the eyes of Rafael, a Spanish sundial maker who is part of the Princes flamboyant entourage. He becomes the one person that she trusts, but his life and new-found love will be caught in the chaos that follows

Sadie is in a tailspin: will anyone break her fall? Having had more than her share of misfortune, Sadie Summerfield seems to have finally ended up lucky. She has the perfect homelife. For the first time in a very long time, she has a future. So when another man, a cautious, subdued man, so very different from her own warm-hearted husband, drifts into Sadies life, she must ask herself the question: Is she ready to risk everything for the sake of love? And besides, shouldnt affairs begin with a shiver of danger, with the thrill of the chase, rather than this? In Commencing Our Descent Suzannah Dunn proves she has unrivalled access to the most hidden, most intimate workings of our lives and longings, our marriages and affairs, our secrets and lies. Wry, sharp and witty, this is her most astute and affecting novel yet. Suzannah here combines the sharpness and tautness of her short stories with the warmth and detail of her novels, and achieves perfect balance.

I didnt stand a chance: looking back over thirteen years, thats what I see. In the very first instant, I was won over, and of course I was: I was fifteen and had been nowhere and done nothing, whereas Katherine was twenty-one and yellow-silk-clad and just married to the golden boy...Jane Seymour is a shy, dutiful fifteen-year-old when her eldest brother, Edward, brings his bride home to Wolf Hall. Katherine Filliol is the perfect match for Edward, as well as being a breath of fresh air for the Seymour family, and Jane is captivated by the older girl. Over the course of a long, hot country summer, the two become close friends and allies, while Edward is busy building alliances at court and advancing his career.However, only two years later, the family is torn apart by a dreadful allegation made by Edward against his wife. The repercussions for all the Seymours are incalculable, not least for Katherine herself. When Jane is sent away, to serve Katharine of Aragon, she is forced to witness another wife being put aside, with terrible consequences. Changed forever by what happened to Katherine Filliol, Jane comes to understand that in a world where power is held entirely by men, there is a way in which she can still hold true to herself.

A tremendously vivid, page-turning and plausible novel that depicts the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn, the most spirited, independent and courageous of Henrys queens, as viewed from both the bedrooms and the kitchens of the Tudor court. Everyone knows the story of Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII divorced his longstanding, long-suffering, older, Spanish wife for a young, black-eyed English beauty, and, in doing so, severed England from Rome and indeed from the rest of the western world. Then, when Henry had what he wanted, he managed a mere three years of marriage before beheading his wife for alleged adultery with several men, among them his own best friend and her own brother. This is the context for Suzannah Dunns wonderful new novel, which is about and told by two women: Anne Boleyn, kings mistress and fated queen; and Lucy Cornwallis, the kings confectioner, an employee of the very highest status, who made the centrepiece of each of the feasts to mark the important occasions in Annes ascent. Theres another link between them, though: the lovely Mark Smeaton, wunderkind musician, the innocent on whom, ultimately, Annes downfall hinged Suzannah Dunn has all the equipment needed for literary-commercial success: wit, a mastery of dialogue, brilliant characterization, lack of pretence, and good humour. The Queen of Subtleties adds to that mix a wonderfully balanced, strong story; Dunn has plumped for a fascinating retelling of one of the most often-told, most compelling stories of our islands history. In doing so, shes turning from contemporary stories to historical fiction. The result is sensational.

The best book yet from this witty writer In these ten stories, Suzannah Dunn shows her considerable talent for writing short fiction Wonderfully funny, clever observations of womens lives: Auntie Fay comes to Spain for the summer, survives on insulin injections, tans to the hue of a blood blister and routinely saves the skins of Renee and her unfortunate family; the sixth form do Pembrokeshire, on a field trip of stale cigarettes, smuggled scotch, and finally, mutiny; a young woman remembers her first real love for the ghost of her aunts boyfriend Dunn is poised to win a major prize -Venus Flaring was called in by the Booker judges

I saw her file it away: a good Catholic girl come to supervise her in her detention. Every girl in England, now, under the circumstances, made sure to be a good Catholic girl. Except her, of course. And, if only she knew it, me.Escorting nine days queen Lady Jane Grey across the Tower of London from throne room into imprisonment is Elizabeth Tilney, who surprised even herself by volunteering for the job. All Elizabeth knows is shes keen to be away from home, she could do with some breathing space. And anyway, it wont be for long: everyone knows Jane will go free as soon as the victorious new queen is crowned. Which is a good thing because the two sixteen-year-olds, cooped up together in a room in the Gentleman Gaolers house, couldnt be less compatible. Protestant Jane is an icily self-composed idealist, and catholic Elizabeth is... well, anything but. They are united though by their disdain for the seventeen-year-old to whom Jane has recently been married off: petulant, noisily-aggrieved Guildford Dudley, held prisoner in a neighbouring tower and keen to pursue his prerogative of a daily walk with his wife.As Janes captivity extends into the increasingly turbulent last months of 1553, the two girls learn to live with each other, but Elizabeth finds herself drawn into the difficult relationship between the newlyweds. And when, at the turn of the year, events take an unexpected and dangerous direction, her newfound loyalties are put to the test.