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herbalmoon's review
3.0
Wow, the first factual error I catch (apx p19 in the epub edition) is actually where the author contradicts herself. That's a new one!
Margaret literally said two or three pages ago that it was her fiancé's father that was executed, and that she couldn't figure out what that had to do with breaking off her engagement.
In fact, a search for Francis Bigod (outside of wiki, which was vague) turns up Ralph's death year as being 1569, a good thirty-two years later. (Of course, my source said he both had a daughter and died without issue, so take that with a grain of salt.)
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ so far, primarily because when I started a book about Catherine Parr, I was expecting to read about Catherine Parr, not her stepdaughter Margaret.
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1544 (p 85, epub):
And now Judith is off inventing titles.
...the man who ordered the death of my betrothed.
Margaret literally said two or three pages ago that it was her fiancé's father that was executed, and that she couldn't figure out what that had to do with breaking off her engagement.
In fact, a search for Francis Bigod (outside of wiki, which was vague) turns up Ralph's death year as being 1569, a good thirty-two years later. (Of course, my source said he both had a daughter and died without issue, so take that with a grain of salt.)
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ so far, primarily because when I started a book about Catherine Parr, I was expecting to read about Catherine Parr, not her stepdaughter Margaret.
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1544 (p 85, epub):
But John is now a man grown and a soldier, gone to help the Duke of Hertford vent the king’s fury on the Scottish border.
And now Judith is off inventing titles.
halkid2's review
4.0
Four Voices Tell the Story of KIng Henry VIII's Final Wife
Queen Katherine Parr is usually portrayed as a keenly intelligent and dutiful wife. Married three times to much older men - including Henry VIII - she was known as a skilled caretaker and faithful companion. Her fourth, short-lived marriage - to Thomas Seymour, brother to former Queen Jane Seymour and uncle to Henry VIII's successor, King Edward VI - is usually portrayed as the major passion of Katherine's life. She and Thomas were involved before Henry VIII chose to make her queen.
What I like most about Arnopp's novel is its construction. There are four sections, each narrated by a different character.
- First, there is Katherine's step-daughter from the second marriage. From her we witness Katherine's loving and supportive presence and extreme kindness.
- Katherine herself narrates the second section of the book, describing her initial horror at being chosen to marry the King, followed by her dutiful commitment to being both a good wife and Queen.
- After Henry VIII's death, Thomas Seymour takes over as narrator -- and his character was the most interesting to me. Instead of his customary portrayal -- as someone deeply in love with Katherine Parr but having to step aside for a King -- Arnopp's Thomas is a scheming, ambitious egotist who cares primarily for pleasure and his own personal advancement. And that sets up to the story of Thomas's "flirtation" with Katherine's step-daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth I.
- Princess Elizabeth is the fourth narrator, lamenting the errors of her own relationships with both Katherine Parr and Thomas Seymour and using those experiences to formulate her own public demeanor.
The combination of these four voices paints a believable and very human portrait of Queen Katherine Parr, because it's based on a small group of historical figures who juggle the same conflicting emotions and responsibilities we all face -- ambition, duty, romantic passion, love, mistakes, and bad judgement.
Queen Katherine Parr is usually portrayed as a keenly intelligent and dutiful wife. Married three times to much older men - including Henry VIII - she was known as a skilled caretaker and faithful companion. Her fourth, short-lived marriage - to Thomas Seymour, brother to former Queen Jane Seymour and uncle to Henry VIII's successor, King Edward VI - is usually portrayed as the major passion of Katherine's life. She and Thomas were involved before Henry VIII chose to make her queen.
What I like most about Arnopp's novel is its construction. There are four sections, each narrated by a different character.
- First, there is Katherine's step-daughter from the second marriage. From her we witness Katherine's loving and supportive presence and extreme kindness.
- Katherine herself narrates the second section of the book, describing her initial horror at being chosen to marry the King, followed by her dutiful commitment to being both a good wife and Queen.
- After Henry VIII's death, Thomas Seymour takes over as narrator -- and his character was the most interesting to me. Instead of his customary portrayal -- as someone deeply in love with Katherine Parr but having to step aside for a King -- Arnopp's Thomas is a scheming, ambitious egotist who cares primarily for pleasure and his own personal advancement. And that sets up to the story of Thomas's "flirtation" with Katherine's step-daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth I.
- Princess Elizabeth is the fourth narrator, lamenting the errors of her own relationships with both Katherine Parr and Thomas Seymour and using those experiences to formulate her own public demeanor.
The combination of these four voices paints a believable and very human portrait of Queen Katherine Parr, because it's based on a small group of historical figures who juggle the same conflicting emotions and responsibilities we all face -- ambition, duty, romantic passion, love, mistakes, and bad judgement.
trejondunkley's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
shivvyslibrary's review
3.0
I absolutely love history and everything to do with the Tudors and when I saw a fictional novel about Katheryn Parr, I knew that I needed to read it. When first starting the book, I had very high expectations as I have read the author's other books and loved them. I did enjoy the book, but for me personally, there was something lacking and I cannot put my finger on it. I really enjoyed reading more about Katheryn before she was married to Henry VIII and seeing her love for her two stepchildren. It was also interesting getting Katheryn's point of view about her marriage to Henry and how she, at first, was horrified and hated what came with being Henry VIII's queen. However, as her marriage progressed, she came into her own and came to see Henry as a companion and knew how to keep Henry from losing his temper, especially knew what say and do after she was given her warrant for her arrest. She was a clever lady and Arnopp definitely shows this side to Henry VIII's last queen.
I loved how the book was split into different sections to tell Katheryn's story from the point of views of the people who knew and loved her; Margaret Neville (her stepdaughter), Katheryn (herself), Thomas Seymour (her husband after Henry VIII) and Princess Elizabeth (to be Elizabeth I, who was her stepdaughter when Katheryn married Henry VIII and Elizabeth lived under her care).
I must admit that I did feel uncomfortable when reading about Thomas Seymour and Elizabeth. I understand that maturity and childhood were seen differently in the Tudor period, but the author portrayed Elizabeth as a seducer of Thomas Seymour. However, I am able to understand that the author is trying to use historical events and turn it into drama for fictional purposes.
This was a dramatic and entertaining novel and I love all of the author's works and cannot wait to see what is produced next. However, as state before, there was something lacking but still enjoyed it!
I loved how the book was split into different sections to tell Katheryn's story from the point of views of the people who knew and loved her; Margaret Neville (her stepdaughter), Katheryn (herself), Thomas Seymour (her husband after Henry VIII) and Princess Elizabeth (to be Elizabeth I, who was her stepdaughter when Katheryn married Henry VIII and Elizabeth lived under her care).
I must admit that I did feel uncomfortable when reading about Thomas Seymour and Elizabeth. I understand that maturity and childhood were seen differently in the Tudor period, but the author portrayed Elizabeth as a seducer of Thomas Seymour. However, I am able to understand that the author is trying to use historical events and turn it into drama for fictional purposes.
This was a dramatic and entertaining novel and I love all of the author's works and cannot wait to see what is produced next. However, as state before, there was something lacking but still enjoyed it!
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