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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory was definitely a compelling and addictive read. Gregory wrote from many different perspectives flawlessly and made sure the plot grew smoothly. The book was a bit slow at the beginning considering that I didn't know much about medieval Spain, however, once set in England, the story line made a lot more sense and therefore quickened the pace. Many people who have read this book have written saying that they thought the book ended suddenly and Gregory skipped the second half of Katherine's life as queen. Having read the Other Boleyn Girl prior to this book I didn't mind that so much as I already knew what happened (but from a different perspective), however, I could understand how it might seem abrupt and confusing for those of you who a) don't know much about the Tudor era and b) didn't read the Other Boleyn Girl beforehand. Acknowledging that this is the first book chronologically, Gregory was being a bit slack. But nevertheless, I loved this book and I would definitely give it more stars than five if I could.
Gregory has written Catalina's voice with a repetitive, determined quality. While the determination fits her utterly, the repetition can, on occassion, make tedious reading. However the background provided on the life of Katherine of Aragon sheds light on one of the most betrayed women in history.
Gregory is such an amazing writer - she made these 500-ish pages just fly by! I loved The Other Boleyn Girl and decided to pick up this prequel for a beach trip. This one covers Katherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife.
The story between her and Arthur was lovely, and her initial reactions to Henry were amusing. In TOBG, I felt like Katherine was very stilted and formal, so seeing this new side of her was refreshing and made her a much more sympathetic character. Will definitely be picking up the next book in this series!
The story between her and Arthur was lovely, and her initial reactions to Henry were amusing. In TOBG, I felt like Katherine was very stilted and formal, so seeing this new side of her was refreshing and made her a much more sympathetic character. Will definitely be picking up the next book in this series!
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Really great to get to know Katherine before she became queen. Beautiful read.
Weaker than the previous installments in the series.
Gregory distances herself from what made the Cousins' War series so successful: following one female character's point of view throughout, and then seeing the same events through an other woman's eyes. This is a multi viewpoint novel which includes the male gaze.
Moreover, some elements contradict The White Princess, in which Margaret Beaufort had always lived in the queen's rooms while her son was king. Elizabeth Woodville is also magically resurrected as Arthur Tudor seems to forget she is dead.
Would not recommend.
Gregory distances herself from what made the Cousins' War series so successful: following one female character's point of view throughout, and then seeing the same events through an other woman's eyes. This is a multi viewpoint novel which includes the male gaze.
Moreover, some elements contradict The White Princess, in which Margaret Beaufort had always lived in the queen's rooms while her son was king. Elizabeth Woodville is also magically resurrected as Arthur Tudor seems to forget she is dead.
Would not recommend.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Loved this new perspective on Catherine of Aragon, who isn't usually a favorite of mine in terms of historical fiction. This book goes beyond the usual vision of her we have as pious and stubbornly attached to her husband. Instead, it focuses entirely on a younger Catherine and starts off with the idea that maybe Catherine fell deeply in love with Arthur, and all that came after was due to her promise to him on his deathbed. That Catherine never madly loved Henry, and that Catherine lied.
Half of the book focuses on Catherine and Arthur meeting and falling in love, exploring Catherine's childhood and Arthur's parentage through stories they tell each other. The second half covers the long wait of Catherine's widowhood, and then the first few years of her marriage to Henry.
If you want historical context: the book ends after the battle against the scots that Catherine led while Henry was in France, and then you get one chapter 20 years later.
I found this vision of Catherine much more rich and interesting, and I love how Philippa Gregory made me fall entirely in love with this depiction of hers. Catherine is much less of a religious zealot here, and she is a lot smarter and cunning. Her chapters with Arthur were incredibly romantic and sad, because I knew the inevitable.
The book switches between two POVs
- Catherine in first-person, talking to herself, to Arthur and so on, providing very emotional and intimate moments.
- Sort of omniscient third person POVs that allow you inside the head of other characters around Catherine.
I will say the one thing that felt a bit off and is sadly the product of historical fiction in the 2000s, even if written by a woman: the completely horrendous choice to use the rumor that Henry's father contemplated marrying his first son's widow (while it WAS a rumor, it was never substantiated - but Gregory has a tendency to pick outlandish rumors about the Tudors to inject some drama, I just think in this case it was entirely unnecessary). In the third person POV chapters at the beginning, Henry's father has some seriously deranged thoughts about a 14 year old girl, and some of the language he uses ("sexy") was really not needed. There is also a kissing scene where a grown 50 year old man kisses a 15 year old widow, which, yikes. The worst parts really were his thoughts about her, and I really didn't get what the point was, other than to make some odd parallels with his son, especially about his ideas of chivalrous love and so on.
Thankfully these bits are very very rare and quickly over with, so they do not taint the rest of the book.
Half of the book focuses on Catherine and Arthur meeting and falling in love, exploring Catherine's childhood and Arthur's parentage through stories they tell each other. The second half covers the long wait of Catherine's widowhood, and then the first few years of her marriage to Henry.
If you want historical context: the book ends after the battle against the scots that Catherine led while Henry was in France, and then you get one chapter 20 years later.
I found this vision of Catherine much more rich and interesting, and I love how Philippa Gregory made me fall entirely in love with this depiction of hers. Catherine is much less of a religious zealot here, and she is a lot smarter and cunning. Her chapters with Arthur were incredibly romantic and sad, because I knew the inevitable.
The book switches between two POVs
- Catherine in first-person, talking to herself, to Arthur and so on, providing very emotional and intimate moments.
- Sort of omniscient third person POVs that allow you inside the head of other characters around Catherine.
I will say the one thing that felt a bit off and is sadly the product of historical fiction in the 2000s, even if written by a woman: the completely horrendous choice to use the rumor that Henry's father contemplated marrying his first son's widow (while it WAS a rumor, it was never substantiated - but Gregory has a tendency to pick outlandish rumors about the Tudors to inject some drama, I just think in this case it was entirely unnecessary). In the third person POV chapters at the beginning, Henry's father has some seriously deranged thoughts about a 14 year old girl, and some of the language he uses ("sexy") was really not needed. There is also a kissing scene where a grown 50 year old man kisses a 15 year old widow, which, yikes. The worst parts really were his thoughts about her, and I really didn't get what the point was, other than to make some odd parallels with his son, especially about his ideas of chivalrous love and so on.
Thankfully these bits are very very rare and quickly over with, so they do not taint the rest of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Infertility, Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity
I did enjoy the story of this book (as much of it is based upon historical fact it made for an interesting take on Katherine of Aragon). However I don't see what the passages written in first person added to the book. Much obit was written in third person prose, but the passages in first person added nothing for me and I did find them unfortunately eater tedious. Not a patch on The Other Boleyn Girl or The Queens Fool I'm afraid, though it wasn't a bad book by any stretch.
Really uneven, and the pacing was a mess. Doubly disappointing, because this book should have been awesome.