I am usually a big fan of historical fiction but this didn’t grasp me at all.
A promising blurb had me looking forward to the different points of view from the ladies-in-waiting but on reading this I felt that this was a detailed but boring character breakdown on four different women in a very closed setting.
This book is looking at a narrow time in Mary’s life/ imprisonment and I found it very slow paced.

I’m sorry to report that I gave up on this book at 44%. It was not holding my interest and the small cast made for a boring and repetitive narrative. Very claustrophobic atmosphere, not sure if that was good writing or a poor storyline. Also I think the page count in NetGalley is incorrect at 176. I should have finished the book hours ago if that is correct.

I loved this book. The schemes and the intrigues!

I loved that the book focussed almost entirely on the women. Mary Queen of Scots and her two chambermaids to begin with and later they were joined by Mary Seton. Which changed the dynamic entirely.

Beautifully written and a great take on one of my favourite periods of history.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is quite an intense piece of writing as it focuses on a specific time in Mary, Queen of Scots history. Although I enjoyed the writing and the historical setting, I found the very narrow time frame made the story quite slow for me.

Set in 1657 this a navel about the imprisonment of Mary, Queen of Scots in a tower which is on an island on Loch Leven and you really do get the feel of remoteness and danger that she is in. Mary who is in the early stages of pregnancy is accompanied by two maids and the author has given a voice to both Mary and other characters bringing this part of her life to feel very real and I think the author had done this very well.
The story was both claustrophobic and atmospheric my only main complaint was that it was quite slow at times and I did struggle with my attention span but then it would pick up and I was drawn back in the story. Because the characters were mostly real people it was interesting to read about this part of Mary’s history as only knew a little of the life she had. Overall I liked the book it was well crafted and you could tell a lot of thought had been put into the writing it was for though just a little too slow.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone, Hutchinson Heinemann for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Tower by Flora Care


Three women cross a loch. It is 1567, one of them is pregnant, two of them fretful. The boat takes them to Lochleven castle in the middle of the water. Awaiting them are courtiers braying for blood, hellbent on keeping one of them under lock and key: Mary Queen of Scots.I

I live in West Cumbria and it's known that when Mary fled to England see seeked sanctuary in the home of the Curwens and then see went to Cockermouth before being detained in Carlisle Castle.

Therefore it was fascinating to read what life may have been for her at Lochleven Castle which is opposite these places over the Solway Firth.
A brilliant book and a story told in such a way to keep us gripped til the last page.

Well put together and altogether enjoyable. Well crafted fictionalisation of part of Mary's imprisonment and escape. Characters well considered and loved how they were drawing together only to be pushed apart by the arrival of Mary Seton.

The Tower is an intense, claustrophobic historical novel imagining Mary Queen of Scots' imprisonment at Lochleven Castle.

Despite the tension of the subject matter and the streamlined plot, the cloying prose makes the story feel slow-paced. It's largely a character study of the four women in incarceration, and while there is some deft characterisation, I found them all too unlikeable to sympathise with.

Carr captures the stiffling confinement of the tower wonderfully, but unfortunately this doesn't make it a hugely enjoyable read.

Disappointing. Not knowing much about Mary Queen of Scots, I thought the book would provide more information about her. I should have realised that a book about 4 women imprisoned in a tower would not be interesting. The story is basically Carr's imaginations of how Mary and her 3 companions reacted with each other and the tittle tattle between them. Mary's husbands and the battle of Carberry Hill. are only briefly mentioned. More is made of the ride to Lochleven where she was imprisoned for nearly a year. The most interesting part was the Epilogue, which gave a brief summary of the ladies' future. I did check that I was not reading one part of a series. Unfortunately, despite being beautifully written, it was not for me.

I really enjoyed this historical fiction set during Mary Queen of Scots confinement at Lochleven Castle. It’s told from the view point of 2 of her Ladies in waiting. Will recommend.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6084977085

I'm all for stories of historical events from the perspective of the women involved but found this retelling of the story of Mary, Queen of Scots pretty hard going. It has a very narrow focus on a short period of Mary's life when she was held captive at Lochleven castle Scotland. As a result very little actually happens and the book is wholly concerned with the interior lives of her and her three female companions during that period. It assumes a lot of knowledge about the wider events of the time, and of Mary's life, which I had to look up as I went along, and I found myself wishing that more of the backdrop was in the book, as it would probably have been more exciting than the interminable internal musings of the four women. Of course it's great to shine a spotlight on people who have historically been forgotten about, but this just wasn't, to me, a particularly engaging way to do it.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

An insight into the England of the 16th Century and the life of Queen Mary.
An easy read and very interesting due to the historic subject matter. It was enlightening to read of the lifestyle she and her ladies in waiting may have led and as the story goes on, we are introduced to other characters from the Royal Court of that era.
I was particularly intrigued by the lady in waiting who appeared to be suffering with synaesthesia, a strange affliction where the senses become muddled. It seemed to bring the character to life.
For those interested in history, Mary’s fate is very well wrapped up in the Epilogue. This is definitely one to read. You won’t be disappointed I’m sure.

Mary, Queen of Scots, is imprisoned, waiting interminably for the wind and her fortunes to change. Alone but for her female servants, her existence is tied to a string that leads straight to another young royal - Elizabeth I. Confined to a tower, Mary ekes out an existence for herself and her companions as she hopes, and plans, to one day escape and be reunited with her son, her husband, her throne.

I galloped through this. Carr's sentences are tight, almost terse, and she plunges her hands into the gritty, unappealing aspects of the story with both hands, conveying the soil, the stink, the unglamorous and lowly reality of Mary's life. Yet conversely, she manages to describe Mary's aura and presence as such a glowing and powerful force that you can almost feel the heat and the magnetism. Mary is the sun that these women orbit around and it is made clear, again and again. Many people and writers, fiction or otherwise, have drawn connections between royalty and kingship and the sun, I liked that Carr played upon this rich history in her descriptions of Mary.

Jane, Cuckoo and Seton were all compelling and sympathetic characters in their own right and I enjoyed exploring each of their responses to their imprisonment and their relationships in turn with Mary as a woman and their queen. I felt the themes of female friendship and solidarity as well as lesbian attraction and love were all explored in really tender and sympathetic ways. This novel zoomed in on a small period of Mary's life in the relative scheme but I felt that this more microscopic gaze worked really well in its simplicity. I love historical fiction like this - the best way I can think to describe it is to compare it to films like Mary, Queen of Scots, or The King, that seem to get at the heart of real human feeling and emotion, love, violence, betrayal, power politics at the core of these historical stories. I will be on the lookout for Carr's future work.

Four women, including Mary Queen of Scots, sequestered in a tower for more than a year. Loyalty, jealousy, intimacy and sisterhood all take their turn in this ‘imagining’ of life in those claustrophobic, turbulent days.

The characters are well-drawn, the prose well-crafted and the story engaging, piquing my interest to the point where I researched some of the protagonists and the true events of the times as I read.

There is not a dual timeline as such but interactions that happen in ‘the now’ are used to foreshadow events of the future which generally works well. Conversely, there were a few occasions where I felt I was being given a bit of a history lesson and those moments were less successful

I was most definitely rooting for our protagonists and applaud the fact that women took centre stage in the novel at a time when mostly, apart from the monarchs, males held power.

Women in captivity : Mary Queen of Scots in Lochleven Castle 3

Inevitably, this was a claustrophobic and oppressive read, and one which did not fully engage me, despite some believable characterisation (from what seems to have been known of the major historical figures) and certain historical records.

However…………..what has pulled me back from a higher rating is an inevitable ‘modernised perspective’ which almost always seems to result in visiting sexual encounters between characters, where, of course there is no objective record. I wouldn’t really care if completely fictitious characters were used, but always find use of real people somewhat suspect, particularly where it seems laudable modern sensibilities are being bolted on to people from the past.

My cynical imagination always suspects ‘sex sells’ and a twentyfirst century viewpoint determined to happen

No doubt that this is beautifully written and every detail of incarceration comes across really well. I did find it very dreary and their life very depressing, but I put that down to the skill of the writing. Maybe it's not completely historically accurate, but it's not supposed to be a history lesson, but an exploration of the effect of incarceration.

"The Tower" reimagines Mary, Queen of Scots' imprisonment in Lochleven Castle in 1567. The plot revolves around a pregnant Mary, and her companions who are held captive in the isolated castle, surrounded by a vast lake.

The story unfolds as the women plot a daring escape to reclaim Mary's freedom and her country.

Although it’s not an accurate retelling of history, it’s a great read!!

A period of history I know nothing about, so happy to just accept what the author is telling me.
I enjoyed the story of the women, and how they came to be imprisoned, their roles in court, and all those who worked with them or against them.
Harsh at times, but just what you would expect of the treatment of women.
Came away hoping I'd learnt a thing or two.

Set during the time of Mary, Queen of Scots incarceration in Lochleven Castle, this is an interesting take on her story. There is lots of detail to make it come to life and I enjoyed reading it. As with all historical fiction I found myself questioning its accuracy and there were certain elements which didn't quite ring true, I won't go into detail on these as it risks spoilers.. Although I enjoyed it, I wasn't gripped by it, Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The story of Mary Queen of Scots and her two chambermaids Jane and Cuckoo and later her trusty companion Seton, Lady Mary Seton! The four of them are incarcerated in The Tower of Lochleven Castle surrounded by the Loch itself and we learn of their history and of their shared devotion to Mary! The writing is such that I was there with them sharing their frustrations, the bitter cold, the sleepless nights, their despair and their jealousies! Despite knowing the tragic outcome I found it difficult to put down yet not wanting to reach the end! If you like historical fiction it doesn’t get much better than this! My only moan is that I wanted to know the rest of the story! I felt a little cheated at the conclusion!