I enjoyed the book but not one of my favorites. The book described itself as the story of Thomas More and his family - primarily his relationship with his favorite daughter Meg. I did enjoy "learning" about the members of his family and his extended family and I have always admired Thomas More for he was one of the very few who stood firm against King Henry VIII in what he believed in which ultimately cost him his life but it just lacked something for me which is why I didn't give it 5 stars which I usually do with a Jean Plaidy book. ( )

"St. Thomas's Eve" has some engaging scenes, along with a lot of bland scenes that should’ve been dramatized. Like with all Plaidy novels, this features a lot of repeated info and dry facts.

The main reason why her works are so dry is because there’s far too much *telling*, as opposed to *showing*. The reader is often told what happened in a few sentences, when the author could’ve dramatized scenes to show what happened.

An example of telling: >Margaret was his own child and he could never love any as he loved
her.tears began to flow silently down her cheeks. ( )

Any of the Plaidy books having to do with the British Royalty is very highly recommended! She brings the characters to life and puts you right into the middle of all the action. You will cry, laugh, gasp and go through a whole range of emotions during her page-turners. Hey, just do it. You won't be sorry and you will be all the wiser in the end. ( )

Even before I developed my obsession with Tudor England, I had a keen interest in Sir Thomas More. He’s always been a historical figure that stood out to me – someone that dared to openly defy King Henry VIII, fully knowing the consequences of doing so? That’s an admirable and curious man in my book. So when I realized that Plaidy, one of my favorite historical authors, wrote a book focusing on More’s life, I had to read it.

To read the rest of my review, please visit:
http://www.dorolerium.com/?p=1164 ( )

I was very excited for this book, since I love everything Tudor-related. However, I felt Plaidy undertook too much in this book, and as a result, we are left with a very superficial take on Thomas More's life.

Part of the problem stemmed from Plaidy's attempt to delve into the psyches of too many characters--Katherine, Thomas More, Queen Katherine, Jane, Alice, King Henry VIII, to name some. Such treatment leaves little room for character development, and I was never left with the impression of a fully developed character.

At times, the narrative seemed awkward. The style vacillated between very proper, "thou" and "thees" to more relaxed, improper style; there seemed to be no rhyme or reason between the vacillations.

Overall, I did not feel this book presented other viewpoints from the Tudor era. There are better written, more developed books over the Tudors out there. The idea of such a book from More's viewpoint is intruiging--but alas, we weren't given that with [The King's Confidante]. ( )