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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
I usually enjoy books by Philippa Gregory, however this one was not one of my favorites. I did not enjoy the internal monologue of Katherine, she seems very arrogant and at times extremely interested in power above all else. Historically, I don't believe this was probably true. I have read another book "Katherine of Aragon" the True Queen by Alison Weir, in which Katherine is portrayed much differently. Both books are supposed to dramatized truth, but they are such polar opposites in their portrayals of Katherine it is hard to believe that this is the case. **Spoiler if you continue reading**
The hardest thing for me to wrap my head around was the portrayal of Arthur and Katherine. The book insists that the marriage between Arthur and Katherine was in fact a true marriage in every way- however there is historical proof that Arthur may not have been capable of making it a true marriage because of his poor health. In addition, I find it hard to believe that had they consummated their relationship, Arthur would want his wife to marry his brother and continue as nothing had happened. As religious as both Arthur and Katherine were, this would be an abomination in their eyes. However, if their marriage was not a 'true' marriage, you might be able to understand why Arthur may have encouraged this. We will never know for sure, but parts of this book seem very very far fetched, and reached farther than I am willing to go. Between the issue of Arthur and Katherine being truly married or not, and her internal monologue which is annoying at best, this was not my favorite of Philippa Gregory's work. She is a fantastic author, and I am disappointed to only be able to give this one three stars.
The hardest thing for me to wrap my head around was the portrayal of Arthur and Katherine. The book insists that the marriage between Arthur and Katherine was in fact a true marriage in every way- however there is historical proof that Arthur may not have been capable of making it a true marriage because of his poor health. In addition, I find it hard to believe that had they consummated their relationship, Arthur would want his wife to marry his brother and continue as nothing had happened. As religious as both Arthur and Katherine were, this would be an abomination in their eyes. However, if their marriage was not a 'true' marriage, you might be able to understand why Arthur may have encouraged this. We will never know for sure, but parts of this book seem very very far fetched, and reached farther than I am willing to go. Between the issue of Arthur and Katherine being truly married or not, and her internal monologue which is annoying at best, this was not my favorite of Philippa Gregory's work. She is a fantastic author, and I am disappointed to only be able to give this one three stars.
I loved all the descriptions of Grenada and how the Muslim world was during this time.
emotional
informative
sad
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:
Yes
The Constant Princess is one of my favorite from Miss Gregory. The story of Tudor dynasty is fascinate me. Especially Queen Mary. Her history and her family background is fascinating. I feel emphatic to the little girl who was forced to grow up so fast. Navigating the politic in such a young age.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've read many of Philippa Gregory's books and have long been a lover of her Tudor novels. The Constant Princess, however, was constantly boring. It did pick up near the end which is where I give it 3.5 stars, but otherwise seems to draw on, not unlike Catalina's predicament.
I actually ended up liking this more than I thought I would. Maybe I was biased against Katherine of Aragon because of her bloody parents and daughter, but Gregory gives her a more sympathetic portrayal. If the real thing is anything like this protagonist, she deserved better than she got.
The Constant Princess is the story of Princess Catalina of Spain, daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. The plot centers on the treaty arrangement between Spain and England, a promise to stand together against France in the exchange for Princess Catalina's marriage to Prince Arthur, son of Henry VII. I read this book following The White Queen & The Red Queen. It worked out perfectly. Though written prior to the Cousins' War books, chronologically the story falls just 15 years after the end of the stories told in both books. Philippa Gregory takes some license with the historical details, but mainly remains true to the historical facts that have been gathered. Without spoiling any of the plot, it is easiest to just say that she hypothesizes on things that were not wholly understood. This book was a great read and I read it fairly quickly. The only thing that I did not like was the way the book ended rather abruptly. The saving grace is that, having read other books by Ms. Gregory, I know that the story again picks up with the plot of The Other Boleyn Girl. I don't think I will ever be bored with her books.
Gregory is in top form in this book. I found the narrative style compelling, while others have found it jarring -- I enjoyed the shift from perspective to perspective.
I wouldn't necessarily say I learned a lot about Katherine of Aragon -- Gregory is still prone to play fast and loose with historical fact. But there is a lot we don't know about Katherine. Having just finished The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir, I thought the differences in motivations between the Katherine she documents and the Katherine imagined by Gregory very interesting.
Weir believes Katherine's marriage to Arthur truly was not consummated, as she asserted. Gregory, obviously, chose a different, perhaps more romantic, perspective. I consider it a possibility -- I can certainly see Katherine's potential motivation for declaring the marriage as unconsummated, as it left her available for another beneficial marriage where she would be Queen, whereas if she returned home a widow her prospects were not as likely to end with her as queen. She also had every reason to fight Henry regarding the end of the marriage. She was the daughter of Isabella, ruler in her own right, and I find it unlikely that she would have easily given up her daughter's right to the succession.
Historical quibbles aside, the book was a fun read, and the time I spent with it certainly wasn't wasted. As long as you don't ask Gregory to give you a history lesson, you can't go wrong with her books.
I wouldn't necessarily say I learned a lot about Katherine of Aragon -- Gregory is still prone to play fast and loose with historical fact. But there is a lot we don't know about Katherine. Having just finished The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir, I thought the differences in motivations between the Katherine she documents and the Katherine imagined by Gregory very interesting.
Weir believes Katherine's marriage to Arthur truly was not consummated, as she asserted. Gregory, obviously, chose a different, perhaps more romantic, perspective. I consider it a possibility -- I can certainly see Katherine's potential motivation for declaring the marriage as unconsummated, as it left her available for another beneficial marriage where she would be Queen, whereas if she returned home a widow her prospects were not as likely to end with her as queen. She also had every reason to fight Henry regarding the end of the marriage. She was the daughter of Isabella, ruler in her own right, and I find it unlikely that she would have easily given up her daughter's right to the succession.
Historical quibbles aside, the book was a fun read, and the time I spent with it certainly wasn't wasted. As long as you don't ask Gregory to give you a history lesson, you can't go wrong with her books.
I enjoyed the book, but found it a bit slow to start, and too abrupt in its ending. To leap from her budding pregnancy with Mary to her split with Henry was rather jarring. I know it had to end somewhere, but really... Most of us know Henry ditched her for Anne Boleyn and a string of others. Either end the story relying on the fact that we're aware of how her not-quite-fairytale ends, or get into some of the meat of that story from Katherine's perspective.