Reviews

Katherine by Anya Seton

emmule's review against another edition

5.0

excellent on every level; the detailed historical research, the characterization, the historical accuracy (where possible)…. john and katherine are portrayed so compellingly in this book, and even though their lives are not well documented, they will stick with me forever through this portrayal. even secondary characters are given their due and development, such as chaucer or some of the common folk like hawise. what a timeless epic! i will sorely miss reading this, definitely a new favorite of mine

veronian's review against another edition

challenging dark informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

hayleybeale's review against another edition

4.0

When I read this as a teen, I thought it was the height of swoony sophisticated romance. It's still a very enjoyable read, but didn't captivate me quite as much. I did enjoy the historical context though and it confirmed my view that reading historical novels is a great way to get knowledge of different eras embedded.

agnesperdita's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

louiseelizabeth's review against another edition

emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

krobart's review against another edition

3.0

See my review here:

https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2022/04/18/review-1838-1954-club-katherine/

natsavage19's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Historical fiction based on a prominent woman who gave birth to the House of Tudor and Lancaster, peppered with accurate references to 14th century European politics.

lauriestein's review against another edition

3.0

This is kind of hard for me to assess because I know almost nothing about the Plantagenets. The overt psychological interpretation of the characters' actions is definitely straight out of the 1950s and a little over the top. The author has a reputation for exhaustive research, though, so at least I probably learned something. Certainly I had no idea that Chaucer was so well-connected, although looking back it makes sense, I can't imagine just anyone got printed in the 1300s.

amerika282's review against another edition

5.0

Best historical fiction book I've had the pleasure of reading in a long time.

ifyouhappentoremember's review against another edition

5.0

People call this book the pinnacle of Historical Fiction and now I 100% understand why. It’s a mix of romance, coming of age and medieval politics which come together to tell a compelling story that only history could right.

I’m pleasantly surprised that despite being published in 1954, most of the information presented about Katherine Swynford is still correct. This really illustrates the amount of research that Seton did for this work and why it’s such a compelling story. Well worth the read if you love historical fiction (and if you’re still unsure on the genre, I’d still recommend it, although it will set impossibly high standards).