The House of Dudley

Exciting and immersive. An immensely entertaining history, capturing in full Tudor brilliance the cut-throat glamour of the English throne and the most audacious family to play its game * Sunday Times * House of Dudley is a full-blooded affair, as good on the horrors of war as it is on the soft power of the Dudley women, and written in a lively, episodic style that presents each Dudley as a foil to the monarch they served -- Jessie Childs Breathes new life into an old and familiar Tudor story. [She] negotiates the labyrinth of Tudor politics with skill, producing a book much more comprehensible and illuminating than others I've read . . . It's delightful, a joy to read * The Times, BOOK OF THE WEEK * This is riveting stuff: death, desire, power and scandal. Paul has made the most of it, producing a well written and historically grounded page-turner . . . Game of Thrones looks tame compared with the real-life machinations of the Dudleys and the Tudors * Spectator * Joanne Paul's account of this family is rich and compelling. She manages to hit that sweet spot where scholarly history overlaps with dramatic storytelling; she conjures up the look and feel of Tudor life, down to the clothes, the medicines and the furniture, while also being a skilful filler-in of political background . . . Whether or not you have ever succumbed to Mantelmania, you will find yourself drawn in, fascinated, and richly informed * Telegraph * Brimming with power struggles, ambition and intrigue, this is the untold story of one of the most notorious families of the Tudor era. A spectacular achievement -- Nicola Tallis, critically-acclaimed author of 'Uncrowned Queen: The Fateful Life of Margaret Beaufort, Tudor Matriarch' Absorbing, meticulously researched and expertly executed. A tale of intrigue and manipulation that will lead you through the very dark corridors of Tudor history -- Lindsey Fitzharris, acclaimed author of 'The Butchering Art' Praise for Joanne Paul -- - Brilliant and lucid. This is an original and illuminating work that should be compulsory -- Suzannah Lipscomb