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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
A really good read- never thought I’d read a book like this but was inspired by Six!!
I'm enjoying watching the ShowTime series, "The Tudors" -- and it has sparked an interest in rereading Antonia Fraser's book. I read it with my book group about 15-20 years ago, and I remember it as being excellent.
It IS excellent, but as I only saw THE TUDORS to the courtship of Katherine Howard, the last wife + epilogue weren't nearly as fun to read. Still, I'm glad I re-read this tome.
It IS excellent, but as I only saw THE TUDORS to the courtship of Katherine Howard, the last wife + epilogue weren't nearly as fun to read. Still, I'm glad I re-read this tome.
I’ve been fully back in my Tudor era since seeing Six in March and this book just added even more context. I appreciate that Fraser tried to give each woman the individual attention she deserves. Catherine of Aragon did get a disproportionately long section but I imagine more is known about her and her marriage was significantly longer than the others. I thought her treatment of Anne Boleyn was more fair than other historians have been. I was fascinated by Anne of Cleves and Catherine Parr. I had no idea what happened to those women post-Henry and they both had interesting lives outside of him. My heart breaks for Katherine Howard always and I do think Fraser could have extended her more sympathy. This was a nice companion piece to the final book in Hilary Mantel’s trilogy as well so I’m glad my reading of them overlapped.
Although Philippa Gregory's books are entertaining, they aren't always factual. She has to do a lot of guesswork. Fraser, however, goes only by the facts, and her guesswork shows all possibilities. This is a great book for anyone interested in Henry's wives, particularly if they want something more than Gregory's books. It can be a little bit dry at parts, but never dry enough to disenchant the reader.
funny
informative
slow-paced
dark
informative
sad
tense
informative
slow-paced
For such a lengthy and involved book, this is immensely readable. There's a large number of books on Henry's wives, both fiction and nonfiction, and admittedly I've only read a handful of them, but the basic story is of course familiar to me. It's no real surprise that the wives have penetrated into pop culture as far as they have - I've spent several happy months listening to the Six soundtrack, for instance - because as a story it's got everything, hasn't it. Murder, treachery, lust, and all the women are so different to each other. It's hard not to have sympathy for them all, despite their flaws, though I admit to having none whatsoever for Henry. Fraser makes an attempt at being fair towards him, but even she can't hide the fact that he was a miserable human being.
It gives me great pleasure to picture his reaction if, in another world (or another genre) he was able to look forward in time and see how he's remembered. No doubt there would be tantrums and self-pity, but maybe his wives would feel a little vindicated. At least dead they don't have to put up with him.
It gives me great pleasure to picture his reaction if, in another world (or another genre) he was able to look forward in time and see how he's remembered. No doubt there would be tantrums and self-pity, but maybe his wives would feel a little vindicated. At least dead they don't have to put up with him.
I really liked it. Fraser was relatively unbiased, and it was a very impartial look at each of his wives. Henry is rarely mentioned, and it's a great look at each of his wives, with their own identity and personality. It gives you a good overview of their lives and who they were as people. I really appreciate the fact that it was more about the women as individuals as opposed to the men surrounding them.
But in all honesty, I had some trouble sitting down and reading it. It's nothing against the book or Antonia Fraser, but this is the 3rd different book I've read about Henry's wives, so at times, it was pretty repetitive. However, it is the most readable of the 3 I've read, so I'm not sure if I could pick between Fraser's book and Alison Weir's book.
Fraser attempted to break down the stereotypes and myths of each woman, which I thought was an interesting take on them. It worked okay, and for the most part, her telling seemed to be pretty standard.
The narrative itself flowed pretty well, and it was also organized fairly well. Some of the chapter divides were somewhat strange, and things included in one chapter (or section in some cases) were better suited being in the previous one.
Overall, it gets a 4 out of 5. It's well-researched and pretty unbiased.
But in all honesty, I had some trouble sitting down and reading it. It's nothing against the book or Antonia Fraser, but this is the 3rd different book I've read about Henry's wives, so at times, it was pretty repetitive. However, it is the most readable of the 3 I've read, so I'm not sure if I could pick between Fraser's book and Alison Weir's book.
Fraser attempted to break down the stereotypes and myths of each woman, which I thought was an interesting take on them. It worked okay, and for the most part, her telling seemed to be pretty standard.
The narrative itself flowed pretty well, and it was also organized fairly well. Some of the chapter divides were somewhat strange, and things included in one chapter (or section in some cases) were better suited being in the previous one.
Overall, it gets a 4 out of 5. It's well-researched and pretty unbiased.
Really smart, thorough, humanizing portrayal of Henry VIII's six unfortunate wives. Fraser is unparalleled when it comes to her balance of laying out complicated timelines and connections while highlighting people as characters and keeping it all straight. I rarely felt confused, which is saying a lot given like 17 people mentioned in this book we're each named Catherine or Charles or something. Fraser has sparked my interest in several new events and figures that I'd never have cared about before reading this, which in my mind is a mark of a successful historian - to reel you into more branches of the past. Looking forward to reading more both from the author and on the subject.
This is an incredible account of the wives of King Henry VIII!
Antonia Fraser writes with an innate ability to remain unbiased while writing about this time in history.
What I found most refreshing was the fact that she addressed the plethora of rumors that surround each wife of this time.
Antonia Fraser writes with an innate ability to remain unbiased while writing about this time in history.
What I found most refreshing was the fact that she addressed the plethora of rumors that surround each wife of this time.