Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
I'm a big fan of Philippa Gregory's novels, but it seems she's writing them too quickly. This one's subject -- Katherine of Aragon's girlhood and marriages to Prince Arthur and Henry VIII -- is potentially fascinating, as is the underestimated Katherine, or Catalina as she is known here. And without spoiling the novel's secret, it is bold of Gregory to make certain assumptions about Katherine's marriages. However, none of the characters is as well developed as in her better novels, such as Earthly Joys and Virgin Earth. The historical events are also presented superficially, with no real sense of the complexity of court intrigue at this time. Henry VII is sketched as a mere dirty old man lusting after his son's fiancee, and Henry as a spoiled adolescent. This novel also lacks the subtle supernatural touches that enliven Wise Woman, the Wideacre trilogy, and The Queen's Fool.
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I like hearing the story of Queen Katherine. It was interesting to hear what she had to go through to get where she did
adventurous
informative
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:
No
Catherine of Aragon is definitely one of the more interesting and attracting royals I have read about. I love her sense of power and conviction and holding her own in a male dominated culture.
This plodded along and it took awhile to finish, but I was very intrigued by Catalina's strength, which was sorely lacking from Elizabeth of York (White Princess)
If I could rate this book 1/2 a star or none at all, I would. My complaints began when the book deviated from the author's normal writing style to include point of view shifts that were shown by pages upon pages of italics. I might have been able to enjoy this actual story if the formatting had not been so bothersome.
I know that this book was supposed to portray Katherine of Aragon as a young princess, but I was bothered by some of the language she used and just how young she acted.
The glossing over of the 7 years she was the Dowager Princess of Wales, also bothered me.
All in all, I did not find the story compelling and the style choices were odd and jarring. If this is how the rest of the Tudor chronicle is written I will be extremely disappointed, as I enjoyed the Cousin's War series (for the most part).
I know that this book was supposed to portray Katherine of Aragon as a young princess, but I was bothered by some of the language she used and just how young she acted.
The glossing over of the 7 years she was the Dowager Princess of Wales, also bothered me.
All in all, I did not find the story compelling and the style choices were odd and jarring. If this is how the rest of the Tudor chronicle is written I will be extremely disappointed, as I enjoyed the Cousin's War series (for the most part).
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not my favourite of her books, written very differently
I decided to read this after becoming obsessed with The Spanish Princess (which is based on this) and then The Tudors and then that era more generally. I really enjoy Katherine’s story and I was very excited to read this!
It’s very different from the show but it was still enjoyable. The book placed much more emphasis on Katherine’s relationship with Arthur while the show was more focused on Henry.
I also enjoyed the parts about Spain because I’m studying Spanish (language + history and culture) at uni, and I thought it was an interesting take on her life.
One of my only issues was that it kept switching from third-person to first-person in italics. At first I thought it was useful as we could learn Katherine’s thoughts but later it appeared so often, even including conversations, when it could have just been in third-person, and I didn’t enjoy reading the italics.
It also ended rather abruptly and then skipped forward years to the trial on the King’s Great Matter. I guess it made sense for the story but if I didn’t know the story I would have been a bit confused. I’m hoping the other books allow me to see more of Katherine’s story, particularly the birth of Mary, her miscarriages and the dissolution of her marriage. However, the order is kinda confusing? My copy goes onto The Other Boleyn Girl next but apparently there are two between them? I think the others are maybe Plantagenet novels which I’m not super interested in.
It’s very different from the show but it was still enjoyable. The book placed much more emphasis on Katherine’s relationship with Arthur while the show was more focused on Henry.
I also enjoyed the parts about Spain because I’m studying Spanish (language + history and culture) at uni, and I thought it was an interesting take on her life.
One of my only issues was that it kept switching from third-person to first-person in italics. At first I thought it was useful as we could learn Katherine’s thoughts but later it appeared so often, even including conversations, when it could have just been in third-person, and I didn’t enjoy reading the italics.
It also ended rather abruptly and then skipped forward years to the trial on the King’s Great Matter. I guess it made sense for the story but if I didn’t know the story I would have been a bit confused. I’m hoping the other books allow me to see more of Katherine’s story, particularly the birth of Mary, her miscarriages and the dissolution of her marriage. However, the order is kinda confusing? My copy goes onto The Other Boleyn Girl next but apparently there are two between them? I think the others are maybe Plantagenet novels which I’m not super interested in.