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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
We follow Catalina, Henry VIII's future first wife Catherine of Aragon, destined to marry his brother Arthur. Daughter of the Spanish power couple, Isabella and Ferdinand, she fights her way into the English court after Arthur dies.
It's a highly fictionalised story, but it was a nice read. The only thing I thought a bit confusing was the pace. Ecpecially towards the end of the book Gregory raced through soms parts of the story
It's a highly fictionalised story, but it was a nice read. The only thing I thought a bit confusing was the pace. Ecpecially towards the end of the book Gregory raced through soms parts of the story
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
As a history teacher in Scotland we don’t cover really any of the Tudor period and I was blown away by this book about Henry VIII’s first wife Katherine of Aragon.
I have read a few of Philippa Gregory’s books from the Plantagenets series and enjoyed them but I had such a great time with this one. Katherine is portrayed as such a strong and determined woman and her drive to become a good queen and wife was such an inspiring read. I loved her character in this one.
This book put me through a raft of emotions, I was teary of the death of her first husband and as the story moved on I became more and more sympathetic to Katherine’s position. As for Henry, I was not a fan but I learned so much about a period in history I don’t really know that much about. It really gave such an insight into the power of the court and the goings on.
I’ve already finished the next book on Anne Boleyn and again really enjoyed it and I am off down a rabbit hole of Tudor England. Once I’ve completed this series I’m going to go to Alison Weir and her six queens series for some comparison. I’m also reading Wolf Hall so I’m truly cemented back in the 16th century.
I would recommend the audio book for this, it totally brought Katherine and the time to life.
Historical fiction fans would love this and it was my favourite book of January.
I have read a few of Philippa Gregory’s books from the Plantagenets series and enjoyed them but I had such a great time with this one. Katherine is portrayed as such a strong and determined woman and her drive to become a good queen and wife was such an inspiring read. I loved her character in this one.
This book put me through a raft of emotions, I was teary of the death of her first husband and as the story moved on I became more and more sympathetic to Katherine’s position. As for Henry, I was not a fan but I learned so much about a period in history I don’t really know that much about. It really gave such an insight into the power of the court and the goings on.
I’ve already finished the next book on Anne Boleyn and again really enjoyed it and I am off down a rabbit hole of Tudor England. Once I’ve completed this series I’m going to go to Alison Weir and her six queens series for some comparison. I’m also reading Wolf Hall so I’m truly cemented back in the 16th century.
I would recommend the audio book for this, it totally brought Katherine and the time to life.
Historical fiction fans would love this and it was my favourite book of January.
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I loved this book. I am seeing Catherine of Aragon in a COMPLETELY new/different light. Philippa Gregory made history jump off the page. I realized after I started reading this that it's part of a series so I am going to start at the beginning and read them all. I listened to this book on Audible and enjoyed the author's remarks at the end of the audio book.
I liked this book better than others by Gregory. What really bothers me is her impulse to tell rather than show and the sheer amount of repetition in her books, this one included. For an historian, she has small inaccuracies that are distracting. For example, Katherine would never have used the words 'sherbet' or 'ninny,' as these words didn't come into use until the early 17th c. and late 16th c., respectively. Also, Katherine would be unlikely to say 'Roman' Catholic Church, a phrase not used until the early 17th c. I find these discrepancies insulting. This doesn't even take into account the grammatical errors, such as the use of 'I' when the word should have been 'me.' Where was the proofreader on this one? *sigh*
"I shall not give myself to heartbreak, I shall give myself to England. I shall keep my promise. I shall be constant to my husband and to my destiny. And I shall plan and plot and consider how I shall conquer this misfortune and be what I was born to be. How I shall be the pretender who becomes the queen."
I started this book then sat it down halfway through and didn't pick it up again for months. The truth is, I didn't enjoy this book very much. It started off good but I lost interest. I will always be a fan of Philippa Gregory and her beautiful, rich writing, but I feel like this book could be 100 pages shorter and it would be much better.
However it was an interesting take on a story we have all heard/read about many times. I enjoyed seeing Henry VIII and his brother, Arthur as children, along with a young and uncertain Queen Katherine.
I started this book then sat it down halfway through and didn't pick it up again for months. The truth is, I didn't enjoy this book very much. It started off good but I lost interest. I will always be a fan of Philippa Gregory and her beautiful, rich writing, but I feel like this book could be 100 pages shorter and it would be much better.
However it was an interesting take on a story we have all heard/read about many times. I enjoyed seeing Henry VIII and his brother, Arthur as children, along with a young and uncertain Queen Katherine.