I enjoyed this book but while reading it so many times what ran through my mind was how many wars have been fought in the name of God. It seems Margaret Beaufort seemed to have a very chatty relationship with God with an attitude if I stay on my knees long enough God will tell me what to do even if it consists of treachery, treason, and even murder. Hmmm....not the God I know. Just shows how confused people of that age were. Anyway re the book. I did not like Margaret Beaufort but I don't think Phillipa Gregory wanted us to. As a young girl she was treated terrible but even then she had grandiose ideas of being some incredible servant of God along the lines of Joan of Arc. I preferred the White Queen but I think that is because I liked the Elizabeth W and that was truly a love story.I could hardly believe Margaret's involvement and actual instigation of the murder of the Princes in the Tower. I don't think this is factual as no one knows for sure who murdered those boys, it could have been Richard. But there certainly is enough circumstantial evidence to assume Margaret played a role. I agree with the other reviewer that I enjoyed that last three chapters the best. Parts of the book were a bit tedious but still it all weaved an incredible story that changed history. I thought the characters were well described and believable. I too would have liked to have learned more of when Henry Tudor became king but maybe I need to hit the history books for that, or wait for Philippa Gregory to tell us. Bottom line? I liked this book and would recommend it.

This is a good story for the most part. It is a story of a very young woman who lives in London and comes from a working class background but as circumstances evolve she meets an incredibly wealthy man who is the head of several newspapers and is very controlling in all areas of his life. She marries this man and it is all downhill from there. I found the ending a bit rushed and in parts not believable but still and all it was a farily good read. I thought the names of the characters were very comical and at first this annoyed me but then I realized this was woven into the fabric of the story and it adds to it. The heroin's name is Trilby which the only time I had ever heard it used was to name a hat, but by the end of the story I quite liked the name and I felt it certainly fit the personality of the character.

I am not a fan of this author but thought I would give this book a try. Like a lot of books it starts of interesting and could indeed have been great but sometimes authors tend to lose their way and I think this is the case here. The ending is quite sketchy and winds up quickly when the whole book has been building towards it. I felt a bit let down. It is an ok read and I found the characters "ok". It is the story of a young man found in a widow lady's guest shed and he has lost his memory. He seems to have taken on the persona of a person who lived in a nearby large country home about 200 years before. This sounds like the basis for a very good story but it left me flat.

Wives and Daughters was a pleasant surprise for me. I didn't know what to expect but I love BBC period drama so after having read the good reviews, I bought it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. One thing, because there were 3 discs in the set I kept thinking the story would be longer. When the second disc ended I realized the movie was over th the last disc being one on the making of the film, etc. I know, should have checked first. Anyway this is all to make the point that the series is excellent and you just seem to want more. I thought the acting good and the sets excellent. Perhaps the character of Molly is a bit toooo good. I'm not so sure I could have put up with the "evil" stepmother! Good thing I didn't live in the 1800's. I love Keeley Hawes but thought her acting a bit false but no doubt that was the character she was expected to portray. All round? Very good and I know I will watch this again and again.

I liked this book a lot and it certainly kept my attention. Having said that I did think there were certain holes in the storyline. Additionally I kept expecting more exciting things to happen when Eva was in the past. I also kept wondering why when she arrived back in time why everyone was so accepting of her. Well it is a story after all and time travel is a mythical thing so you just have to accept that when reading this book. I loved the fact it was based in Cornwall which is an area of England I love. It reminded me a bit of Daphne Du Maurier and Frenchman's Creek. Ironically when Kearsley is telling the story and describing the small village where the story takes place, I thought wow that sounds just like a place I visited called Polperro. At the end I read the author's note and sure enough she had written the story with Polperro in mind. I thought that was excellent writing to describe a place so well. I have read a few of Kearley's books and my favourite by far is Mariana. Up to now, this is my second favourite. It is a good interesting read and makes you wish you could experience time travel like that. One thing I love about Kearsly is she writes about time travel but there is no ghostly occult connotations to it. The stories are not spooky but they are interesting. This type of story is hard to find in a time travel type novel. I recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this book. I have read most of Philippa Gregory's books and some of them I did not like .I wasn't sure how I would feel about this one. I was pleasantly surprised. It is a good read and historically well written. Not sure I liked the connection of Elizabeth Woodinville and her so called mystical side but after doing some research there might be some validity to it. I liked the view Gregory puts forward regarding the Princes in the Tower and that one of theme actually survived. I had not heard of that possiblity. I learned a lot reading this book and I would recommend it. Sometimes it was a bit difficult to keep track of all the characters and all the battles. It made me realize just how many wars/battles were fought at that time and how no one was loyal to anyone, not family or friend or king and no matter who you were, you could change sides as quick as changing your boots. I thought the book ended abruptly but no doubt that is to encourage the reader to follow up with the next book The Red Queen, which I certainly will do.

I fully expected to enjoy this book more than I did. It was informative and the way real historical characters were intertwined with fictional was good. Sometimes it seemed like I was reading the diary of a 14 year old girl and some ways the reader is. None of it seemed very real to me but it was a good story and easy to read. I also am a "FIV", Frequent Island Visitor so some of the things mentioned in the book didn't ring true to me but then obviously I was not there at the turn of the century and in the 20's and 30's. I think Mr. Brennert really researched the book and I was especially interested in the huge case regarding Mrs. Massie and Joseph Kahahawai which I had never heard of. It is a good thing Hawaii has come a long way from those early racially tense days.

This is a good story and hard to believe that it is based on truth. Acting is good and if you like period drama I would recommend it. It's odd that The Duchess was directly related to Princess Diana and to see the similararities of their lives.

The quality of this dvd is not that great. I thought it would be amazing on blue ray but I was disappointed. Also it covers more of the Glacier National Park than the others by far. The entire dvd seemed a bit dated.

If you like period drama this is for you. I watched this on PBS and then immediately bought the dvds and now have watched it a total of three times. Each time I pick up something I previously missed. The acting is superb which is no doubt because of amazing casting. Each cast member actually becomes the character. Maggie Smith, as always, is incredible. I can't imagine anyone else in any of the roles.Hugh Bonneville is perfect for the part as the stallwart unbendable stubborn but sympathetic Englishman of the early 20th Century. I understand a second season is in production and I can't wait to see it. Everything is great in this series, an unexpected story line, love, intrigue, shame and tradition. This is a 2011 version of an Upstairs/Downstairs series. I highly recommend it!!!