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  • The House of Dudley

  • A New History of Tudor England
  • By: Dr Joanne Paul
  • Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
  • Length: 17 hrs and 13 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (114 ratings)
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The House of Dudley cover art

The House of Dudley

By: Dr Joanne Paul
Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Told for the very first time is the true story of the secret royal family.

Each Tudor monarch made their name with a Dudley by their side - or by crushing one beneath their feet. The Dudleys thrived at the court of Henry VII but were sacrificed to the popularity of Henry VIII. Rising to prominence in the reign of Edward VI, the Dudleys lost it all by advancing Jane Grey to the throne over Mary I. Under Elizabeth I, the family were once again at the centre of power and would do anything to remain there....

With three generations of felled favourites, what was it that caused this family to keep rising so high and falling so low? Here, for the first time, is the story of England's Borgias, a noble house competing for proximity to the throne through cunning, adultery and sheer audacity, revealing some of the period's most talented, intelligent and cunning individuals.

©2022 Joanne Paul (P)2022 Penguin Audio

What listeners say about The House of Dudley

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining book.

Dr Paul’s book focuses on three generations of the Dudley family, who were first hand witnesses and participants in one of the most tumultuous (and dangerous for those close to the throne) periods of British history - the Tudor dynasty. Rarely has there been so much intrigue, so many falls from grace and the resultant visit to the executioner’s block.
The book is intricately detailed, setting a visual picture of the physical environment and providing a rich backdrop of information to a fascinating period of history. The Dudleys saw it all, and occasionally were victims of it.
I also like that Dr Paul does not simply focus on the men, but provides ample narration and investigation as to the roles, critical as it turns out, made by the women in the Dudley family. These powerful and determined women were instrumental in the protection of the family and ensured that it endured until the end of the Elizabethan period.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Book

Considering this is an academic piece it is extraordinarily accessible.. the narrator is simply superb and the content very interesting for lovers of the Tudor era. Would highly recommend

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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The House of Dudley

Gripping rendering of Tudor history from an unusual angle. Some history books are hard to get through even when on interesting subjects but this was hard to put down.

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3 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

A bloated story, archly narrated and padded out with interminable lists and poetry extracts.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful book

I loved this book. It's writing style and narrative adoption was so far from the crusty old reference books of my education. If more historical accounts were written in this style I'm sure more would become interested and invested in historical studies. I learned and understood so much about my favourite period of English history.

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

tedious narration

some interesting material but irritating unnecessary suppositions here and there, narration started off well but gradually fell into a very monotonous flat tone

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A Time Traveller Tudor Experience.

Such a wealth of information about the Dudley Family and their rise and fall. So many intriguing facts to absorb and research afterwards.And I loved the fact that the Dudley women took active parts in the family survival.The Narrator was very good.She brought the Elizabethan Court to life.I would thoroughly recommend this audible for history lovers.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Inside the Tudor Court

I’ve not read a book that gives such a sense of how easy it was to rise and fall under the Tudors. This book does such a good job of covering the Tudor period but shifting that focus to the Dudley family lends it a more unpredictable air. You know what will happen to the monarchs but how their reigns will impact the Dudleys is not as well known, so the death of a monarch is suddenly a point of tension. Beautiful read as well.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great story - a must for Tudor fans

A well written (and read) story of the rises & falls of the Dudley family. I enjoyed how it intertwined their story with the better known Tudor royal history….seeing the Dudleys always there, often pulling the stings was fascinating.

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1 person found this helpful

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An excellent read

It caught the atmosphere of what it must have been like to tread carefully at the Tudor court. I liked the respect paid to the reader of having either some knowledge, or sufficiently interested to find out for themselves.

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1 person found this helpful