Catherine Parr was the 6th wife of Henry VIII. This book particularly appealed to me since she has always been one of my favorite wives and I have visited her grave at Sudley twice. I was not disappointed with this rendition of her.
The story of Henry and his wives is pretty well known by everyone so one would imagine that Ms. Gregory would not be breaking any new ground here. You would be wrong, in her usual manner by creating a dialogue between the main players she will open your mind to what it was really like to be at the court of Henry VIII and the sort of quicksand that his wives were always walking on.
Henry came to the throne at the age of 17 having lost his mother when he was 12. His father had kept him very close since he was the only heir after his brother Arthur died. He was delighted to throw off this yoke and chart his own path. Unfortunately for everyone involved, he had never really been trained to be king and as a younger son had been greatly indulged and he never knew what it meant to not get exactly what he wanted.
When you realize this, some of his future actions make more sense. He wanted a son, Katherine of Aragon couldn't give him a son who survived more than a few weeks, therefore it was her fault not his and she lost his love. And much as with Mr. Darcy "My good opinion once lost, is lost forever". This theme runs through this look.
Jane Seymour was the perfect wife she gave Henry a son and then had the good sense to died before he tired of her. By the time Henry was looking for his sixth wife, he had killed two, divorced two and Jane had died. Catherine Parr had been married and widowed twice and Henry wanted her, it was really as simple as that. She had no say in the matter.
The fact that after being married twice to please her family she preferred to marry someone of her own choosing was not taken into account. Marry the king she must.
If you don't enjoy rather graphic sexual descriptions, then there are parts of this book that will offend. Leave it to your imagination how this grossly overweight man who had to be assisted to even walk could consummate his marriage to a woman half his age. Imagine a young woman having to submit, enough said.
This was a book hard to put down once I started reading it. I already knew the story and the ending and even the high points but they were presented in such a captivating way that I just had to keep reading.
If you don't know the story, you will find yourself rooting for the charming, pretty, bright woman who actually was the first woman to author a book in the English language. She was a woman who deserved so much more and we all hope eventually she finds it.
Like with all of Philippa Gregory's books, this is historical fiction within a historic and well-researched background. It will leave you wanting to learn more about some of the figures you will meet like Anne Askew.
Elizabeth of York was the mother of King Henry VIII and if you are a fan of fiction, "The White Princess". In this wonderful biography by Alison Weir, we meet the real Elizabeth, not the fictionalized one. While it is not as entertaining, the facts are presented in an easy to read way and I had a hard time putting this book down even though I knew most of the facts.
Elizabeth was the first child born to one of the most handsome Kings to ever grace the throne of England, Edward IV and his equally handsome wife, Elizabeth Wydeville (Woodville). Not surprisingly, she was a very pretty girl who grew into a beautiful woman.
She lived through one of the most tumultuous periods of England's history. She saw her father lose his throne and regain it, she was in sanctuary with her mother during part of the reign of her uncle Richard III, during this time her two brothers disappeared in the Tower of London and were never heard from again. She became a pawn in the struggle for power that culminated in the Battle of Bosworth and she was married to the winner, Henry Tudor.
She has been overshadowed by the six wives of her son, Henry VIII and yet she was a much more success queen than any of them. In this book, we learn the facts of her life and we get a glimpse of the woman she was. Of course, she didn't keep a diary and we don't know her inner thoughts but we do see what her life was like and how she coped with the many trials and joys that came her way.
Alison Weir writes what is termed popular history. She does not claim to be a historian but her works are extensively researched. She presents some possible suggestions for events that are clear-cut, like the death of the princes in the Tower but sticks pretty close to what is known and not what we would like to have the truth be.
If you enjoyed the White Princess, you can't help but compare it to this work and if you like your history to be historical, there is really no comparison, the history is much better in this book.
Even though The Red Queen was published second in the series The Cousins War it should be read third after The Lady of the Rivers and The White Queen. The story is told to us by Margaret Beaufort one of the major female players in the War of the Roses.
Margaret tells us her story from the time she is a child through the victory of her son Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth. First let me say, Margaret, is not a sympathetic figure, while we may feel for her at times, throughout the book she is obsessed with her place in the world and her lack of recognition. She is jealous, overly religious but not in a good way and lets absolutely nothing and no one stand in the way of her ambition for her son Henry.
In order to understand her a little better, you need to understand where she came from. She is the daughter of John Beaufort, first Earl of Somerset and his wife Margaret Beauchamp. John is the grandson of King Edward III. His father is John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster and Katherine Swynford his mistress and then 3rd wife. He was born illegitimate thus baring him from the throne but was legitimized by King Richard II.
John Beaufort took his own life and that was a great embarrassment to his daughter Margaret. Margaret Beaufort and her mother did not have a warm relationship and she was engaged and then married to Edmund Tudor when she was only 12 years old. Edmund was the son of Owen Tudor and Catherine Valois who was the former Queen of England, thus making him the half-brother of King Henry VI.
Margaret gave birth to her only son Henry Tudor when she was either still 12 or barely 13. She was a widow within the year. Women had little power in this day and age and her mother arranged for a second marriage for her which meant she had to leave her son to be raised by Jasper Tudor.
Her story is not really a happy one. She didn't love any of her husbands and other than God and her son, she seems to have cared very little for anyone else. The book brings this powerful and virtually unknown woman to life and while I never find myself rooting for her, one has to admire her single-minded devotion to her son and his cause.
Again, this is historical fiction, while the outline is based in fact a lot of liberty has been taken with the details but it is as are all Phillipa Gregory's book an interesting read and a book that is hard to put down.
