Karen Heenan's Songbird (the Tudor Court) is a refreshingly unique tale of Tudor England court from someone on the periphery, where politics and scandals take a backseat to a well-developed coming-of-age story during a difficult time, with a heaping dash of romance.
Henry the VIII declares that Bess sings like an angel and buys her from her father, a destitute man, broken by the death of his son. Bess grows up among the Tudor court, a place where a child must watch their back against jealous girls, and a young woman must watch her relations among men. Things change so much with the fickle king's moods, altering favorites, love, and politics, but Bess finds true constancy with her best friend Tom. But if Bess is not careful, the decadence of the court might consume her, and she could forever lose what she realizes she had always treasured most of all.
The characterization was well done. Although I was often frustrated with Bess, I had to remind myself of her age, her innocence, and the fact fallible characters are so much more rewarding to read about than Mary Sues. Throughout, I felt Bess did not deserve Tom's admiration, even after his blunders, for hers were much more excruciating because he was a more sensitive and loving soul than her. I found myself always on Tom's side, but this did not detract from Bess, and without spoilers all was fair in the end. Tom was adorably gush-worthy, and every character is well developed, even side characters only in the novel for a few pages. The characters make you feel which is a staple of a great novel.
The plot was paced well, although some lulls did occur. I felt they were necessary rather than trying to over aggrandize history with melodrama. These slower moments were full of character building or historical vignettes to place the reader in time. Themes were skillfully threaded through about the plight of the poor in this time period and the limitations they had, women and men, without being overtly didactic in nature.
The historical accuracy, to my knowledge, is on point throughout most of the novel. My only hangups were a few details about the Welsh that did not sit right with us, such as a reference to their homeland, the use of "gypsy," but mainly their overall ethnic descriptions were not the norm. I hesitated to nitpick, but...Welsh husband, Welsh relatives and friends, and I've been there twelve times, as well as extensive studies about their history, folklore, and culture. However, I do have to say is this is very minor in the scheme of things and more of a pride thing Celts bear about each of their representations. However, we did not think it was highly offensive or a big deal. It was just a tiny pothole for me as a reader in an otherwise perfect book, not noticeable unless you are Welsh or an expert on their country. Everything about Tudor England--more accessible in translations and artwork of the time than the Welsh--seemed 100% accurate as far as my studies have taken me.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed Songbird. I recommend it to anyone who loves history and romance, particularly those like me who tire of formulaic historical romance. This book is a unique breed of its own and is all the better for it.