Jean Plaidy's Stuart Saga, The Saga Breakdown

Jean Plaidy's Stuart Saga can be down right confusing and after much research I have broken the whole series down by isbn numbers, covers and even publication dates. What makes this series so complicated is the re-prints and the fact that all of Jean Plaidy's novels were released first in the U.K. then later in the US. There are numerous re-prints for each book because they have been very popular through out the past decades. The hardest part to figure out was the condensing of 3 books into one with a whole new title. I wrote this all out with the hope that someone else will be able to easily pick out which section of the House of Stuart they want to go to or which series of covers they want to start collecting.

I am proud to say I have read the whole saga from beginning to end and instantly fell in love with the "Stuart Charm". My favorite by far was the Charles the II's novels or as I read them combined into one "The Loves of Charles II". I hope that all my historical fiction lovers out there have the chance to read at least one of these richly portrayed Jean Plaidy novels because they are real historical fiction gems.

When I originally set out on the Jean Plaidy Stuart Saga endeavor I had had planned on adding every single cover art for every single novel in this saga. I found out the hard way that conflicting info and the overwhelming daunting task of making sure everything is correct, I have nixed the plan to include everything because the reality is that we are dealing with multiple releases in multiple formats spanning multiple countries. I decided to condense it down into my favorites the original releases then the three other publishers that reccently re-printed the series: Three Rivers Press, Crown Publishing, Arrow Books and Cornerstone Digital. I must note that I did not include the digital releases in publications list.

The original U.K. hardback releases of The Stuart Saga. Rare and usually expensive in good condition. Printed through out the 70's.

Three Rivers Press, beautiful novels to collect because the spine has a piece of the cover art and when you line them all up on a bookcase it shows all of the historical art. I would recommend collecting this set if you are also going to collect the other prints by Three Rivers like The Queen's of England series BUT....be for warned that if you do go with this set like I did many of these copies are very hard to get and if you order them on Amazon even though they show the Three Rivers Press version you WILL get Crown's version instead. I had a really hard time rounding all of these re-prints up especially "Murder Most Royal" but they are to die for on a bookcase. If you want to see mine all lined up check out this post on my Jean Plaidy collection. The Queens of England series is in this print and The Stuart Saga.

Crown Publishing, I have a mix of these ones I am missing the Mary Queen of Scots ones but I have "The Murder in the Tower" on to the end. I really do not like it that Crown chose to use the same cover art for "The Captive Queen of Scots" and "The Three Crowns". I really can not accept why they would do that but to me but it really throws a wrench in it for collectors because it is the most recent re-prints but it is like having a double copy. This set of re-prints really looks lovely on a shelf too like the Three Rivers prints because they made the spine very appealing. This publisher is also a good one for collecting The Tudors Series and the Lucreazia Borgia duo because they are the most recent re-prints

Arrow Books and Cornerstone Digital U.K. editions: this is where it gets complicated Arrow books published hard copies of "The Royal Road to Fotheringhay" and "The Captive Queen of Scots" but after that they stopped and Cornerstone Digital picked up the same style of cover art for the kindle aka digital versions of the rest of the series. I wish they would consider making hard copies of all of them but I doubt that will happen. Arrow books is really good to collect for other Plaidy series like

The Plantagenet Saga, Queen Victoria Quartet, Isabella and Ferdinand Trilogy, Catherine de Medici Trilogy.

Mary Stuart ~ Two Novels

• 1 "The Royal Road to Fotheringay" ~ ISBN 9780609810231, Originally Published 1955. Publications: 1968 hardback, 2004 paperback, 2007 paperback, 2010 paperback. Synopsis, Amazon, My Review

• 2 "The Captive Queen of Scots" ~ ISBN 9781400082513, Originally Published 1963. Publications: 1967 Hardback, 1967 paperback, 1965 hardback, 1969 "Fair Devil of Scotland", 1971 paperback, 1977 paperback, 2006 paperback, 2007 paperback. Synopsis, Amazon, My Review, Search my blog for more on Mary Queen of Scots

James I ~ One Novel

• 3 "The Murder in the Tower: The Story of Frances, Countess of Essex" ~ ISBN 9780307346216, Originally Published 1964. Publications: 1964 hardcover, 1971 paperback, and 1974 hardcover, 2010 paperback. Synopsis, Amazon, My Review Search my blog for more on James I

Charles II ~ Three Novels or One Combined Version

• 4 "The Wandering Prince" ISBN 9780330022415, Originally Published 1956. Publications: 1956 hardcover, 1969 paperback, 1971 hardcover, and 1972 paperback. Synopsis, Amazon, My Review

• 5 "Health Unto His Majesty" ISBN 9780330022835, Originally Published 1956. Publications: 1969 hardcover, 1969 paperback, 1972 hardcover, 1973 paperback, and 1992 hardcover. Synopsis, Amazon, My Review

• 6 "Here Lies our Sovereign Lord" ISBN 9780449232569, Originally Published 1957. Publications: 1969 paperback, 1973 hardcover, 1975 paperback. Synopsis, Amazon, My Review

• 4,5,6 Combined "The Loves of Charles II" ISBN 9781400082483, Originally published in 1972 Published as a combined re-print in 2005, The one volume version of "The Wandering Prince", "Health Unto His Majesty", and "Here Lies our Sovereign Lord". Publications: 2005 paperback, 2005 paperback. Synopsis, Amazon, Search my blog for more on Charles II

Mary II and Anne Queen of Great Britain ~ Three Novels or One Combined Version

• 7 The Three Crowns: The Story of William and Mary" ISBN 9780307346247, Originally Published 1965. Publications: 1973 paperback, 1977 hardcover, 2010 paperback. Synopsis, Amazon, My Review,

• 8 "The Haunted Sisters" ISBN 9780307719522, Originally Published 1966, "Haunted sisters" was retitled "Royal Sisters: The Story of the Daughters of James II" for the most recent re-print 2011. Publications: 1977 paperback, 2011 paperback

• 9 "The Queen's Favorites" ISBN 9780307719515, Originally Published 1966, "The Queen's Favorites" was retitled "Courting Her Highness" for the most recent reprint 2011. Publications: 1978 hardcover, 2011 paperback. Synopsis, Amazon, My Review,

• 7,8,9 Combined "The Last of the Stuarts" ISBN 9780709161974, Originally Published 1965,  The one volume version of "The Three Crowns", "The Haunted Sisters", and "The Queen's Favorites". Publications: Published 1977 Hardcover. Synopsis, Amazon, Search my blog for more on Mary II, and Anne Queen of Great Britain

~Lizzie~

Book Review: ROYAL SISTERS by Jean Plaidy

Revolution was in the air, and the new King James II was about to be the victim of his own ignorance. England made a call for “no popery” yet James refused to hear the wishes of the people of England.  James was firm in his Catholic beliefs, and he would bring about his own destruction. England demanded a Protestant ruler, and they cried for James' Protestant daughter Mary. Mary and her husband the “Protestant usurper” William of Orange was invited by the people of England to rule in place of her father. William greedily accepted but only after he made one condition on his wife. William would be co ruler with Mary because his ego would never let him tolerate being merely a royal consort.

James daughters betrayed him for the crown, and he was forced to flee with a broken heart. James was a good father. He loved his girls even in a time when male children were favored. He doted on his girls particularly Mary. Upon Mary’s coronation, she received a scathing letter from her father cursing her for taking the crown from him.  Mary still went on with the coronation, and since she was never blessed with a child her sister Anne was proclaimed heir. William and Mary’s reign began with turbulence, and their reign was not a free loving one like her uncle Charles II. England hated William; he was cold and never did anything fun. Worse yet he was severe to not only Mary but also everyone else around him. Just like in the previous novel, William continued to ill-treat Mary with his cruel uses.

Sadly the sisters had a falling out not long into Mary’s reign. Childhood friend Sarah Churchill was the source of this falling out. Mary did not like Sarah, and she also was clever enough to see that Sarah Churchill directed the Princess Anne in all things. Mary became determined not to let Sarah Churchill arise any farther than she already had. Anne was determined not to lose her long time best friend and moved from the palace cutting off all communication with her queenly sister. At that point, the only thing the two sisters shared was the love of Anne’s only surviving child, the little Duke of Gloucester.

The “little Duke” was the little treasure of the family and oh how he twinkled. The whole family doted on the boy and were in perpetual worry about his health because his “head was abnormally large”. It was said that he had water on the brain, and he hardly walked without the aid of others. As the little Duke grew he became a “serious soldier”. The Princess gave her son his own “soldiers”; imagine ninety little nine-year-old boys in uniform under the little Duke’s command. These good times for the royal family were eventually marred by the bad, and it seemed there would be no peace for any of the Stuart's unless it was in the grave.

4/5 I enjoyed this one, but there were too many people to hate in it. William of Orange I have already established my dislike for him, but the overwhelming Sarah Churchill reared her ugly head. She has taken William’s place as my most hated person during this period. I unquestionably loved the little Duke and his “army of men” they were so bad and funny all at the same time. I even found myself laughing out loud at his antics. Jean Plaidy is highly recommended here. This novel is one you have to read just to read about Gloucester because he made this novel great.

FTC-this novel is from my personal collection

PG-13 some violence

Amazon
"Royal Sisters" by Jean Plaidy
The Stuart Saga by Jean Plaidy
~LIZZIE~

Book Review: THE THREE CROWNS by Jean Plaidy

In Post-Restoration England Princess Mary was the favorite niece of King Charles II. Her father James the Duke of York heir apparent doted on his favorite daughter. Her uncle Charles sadly had no legitimate male heirs making Mary’s father next in line for the throne and her second if her father had no male heirs. Mary’s parents married for love and besides her fathers affairs with numerous mistresses her childhood was a happy one. Mary’s younger sister Anne and her grew up in a close family. Both girls had it all, beauty, titles, wealth, family, education, and good health except for bad eyes, they were all very happy together. Mary was a daydreamer and she knew she had an ideal life; she was a beauty at court that was petted and loved by her father, uncle, and handsome illegitimate cousin Duke of Monmouth. She could have gone on living that way forever and been happy. She had never really given any thought to marriage or the fact that princesses were normally married off for the political gain of their country. Princesses were political bargaining chips and all of that went completely over Mary’s head. She never thought she would be subject to the same fate as most before her.

When Mary was 15 Charles decided it was time for Mary to be married and it had to be a Protestant bridegroom for Mary. Mary and her sister had been raised in the Church of England and since her father had converted to being a Catholic and re-married a Catholic woman; Charles concluded Mary had to marry a protestant for a few reasons. One reason was to please the people of England because there was unrest all over England about the heir apparent being Catholic. The second reason was King Charles needed Holland on his side and the prince of Orange (his nephew) had already met Mary and wanted her for his wife. The deal was sealed even though her father was forced to submit to the marriage he never wanted for his daughter.

Poor Mary her whole life fell apart the moment she was told she was to marry the Prince of Orange. William was ugly, rude, reserved, and could not be more opposite from Mary’s sunny disposition. She sobbed all the way to the wedding vows and William would never forgive her rejection of him. William was emotionally abusive and over the years he degraded her yet he constantly kept his eye on his one true ambition, the three crowns of England. The only thing in William’s way was James Duke of York his own father in-law. Pit between father and husband Mary must choose between the love of a father or the love and approval of her husband.

4/5 I liked this one but it really got old that William just heaped abuse upon abuse on Mary. I wanted to kill him yet I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book “Royal Sisters” because it really cut off at the ending.

PG 13 for slight sexual reference.
FTC this novel is from my personal collection.
Amazon
"The Three Crowns" by Jean Plaidy
The Stuart Saga by Jean Plaidy
~Lizzie~