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bec_wheels's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I personally feel that Katharine Parr is rather underrated as both a Queen and a woman. I think that she was one of Henry's most successful Queen's as she was able to repair the relationship between Henry and his daughters, getting them restored to the succession, avoided a plot to remove her, became the first published Queen and acted as regent in her own right which probably provided Elizabeth 1 with her model for queenship. This book is informative and emphasises how much of a strong and independent woman Katharine was as well as surprisingly highlighting how these woman were able to fall in love with Henry as he is portrayed as dangerous but gentle and kind at the same time.
ali2444's review against another edition
informative
relaxing
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review
4.0
Alison Weir winds up her fictional study of Henry VIII's six wives with "Katharine Parr, the Sixth Wife." It's fictional because this is a novel, and because like so many women in the period, we only know the bare outlines of their lives. More is known about Katharine Parr than Kathryn Howard (whose birthdate is unknown) but there is still lot for a historian/novelist like Weir to fill in.
Katharine is different from the other wives in that there are fewer connivers around her, she was older, and she was more educated. By the time she met Henry, she had been widowed twice and was just about to announce her engagement to Thomas Seymour, a man with whom she had truly fallen in love. But when the King takes an interest, a woman cannot say no. Knowing that Henry was ill and did not have a long life ahead, they put their plans off.
The marriage of Katharine and Henry was a happy one. They liked each other, she did a lot of work to give his children a mother (although Mary was already 29) and create a warm household. Henry could discuss matters of religion with her, as long as she always conceded to his kingly knowledge. She took his New Religion to heart and even a step forward, believing that everyone had the right to read the Bible in their own language. This brought her closer to Lutheranism, and her enemies were listening at the keyhole.
Henry's other wives fell because of their passions, but Katharine approached the brink because of her intellect. There were many in Henry's court who wanted to return to Catholicism and kept sharp eyes out for people who got too close to the teaching to Martin Luther. Katharine and a number of her ladies gathered to read forbidden texts. With Henry's power waning, she came oh, so close, to being arrested and burned.
But she wasn't. After Henry's death, she secretly marries Tom Seymour before her mourning period is out. And, after being married to three other men with no issue, she becomes pregnant. If you need another sad Tudor story, look into what happened to their little girl, Mary, after Katharine dies in childbed and Seymour is executed for treason.
Alison Weir, what historical period will you take on next to weave into novels? I've enjoyed every book in this series and am excited to find out!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this excellent series.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
Katharine is different from the other wives in that there are fewer connivers around her, she was older, and she was more educated. By the time she met Henry, she had been widowed twice and was just about to announce her engagement to Thomas Seymour, a man with whom she had truly fallen in love. But when the King takes an interest, a woman cannot say no. Knowing that Henry was ill and did not have a long life ahead, they put their plans off.
The marriage of Katharine and Henry was a happy one. They liked each other, she did a lot of work to give his children a mother (although Mary was already 29) and create a warm household. Henry could discuss matters of religion with her, as long as she always conceded to his kingly knowledge. She took his New Religion to heart and even a step forward, believing that everyone had the right to read the Bible in their own language. This brought her closer to Lutheranism, and her enemies were listening at the keyhole.
Henry's other wives fell because of their passions, but Katharine approached the brink because of her intellect. There were many in Henry's court who wanted to return to Catholicism and kept sharp eyes out for people who got too close to the teaching to Martin Luther. Katharine and a number of her ladies gathered to read forbidden texts. With Henry's power waning, she came oh, so close, to being arrested and burned.
But she wasn't. After Henry's death, she secretly marries Tom Seymour before her mourning period is out. And, after being married to three other men with no issue, she becomes pregnant. If you need another sad Tudor story, look into what happened to their little girl, Mary, after Katharine dies in childbed and Seymour is executed for treason.
Alison Weir, what historical period will you take on next to weave into novels? I've enjoyed every book in this series and am excited to find out!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this excellent series.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
underwaterlily's review
4.0
I’m reading Alison Weir’s Tudor Queens series out of order. (I started with Katheryn Howard, The Scandalous Queen.) Katharine Parr, the Sixth Wife was published in 2020; as a result, I see parallels between depicted outbreaks of sweating sickness and the COVID-19 pandemic. Katharine’s story is a sad one, losing her father early on to the sweat. She then loses two husbands, her mother, and a beloved stepdaughter, all to various sixteenth century illnesses. Katharine mourns the children she fears she’ll never have, along with her first real love, the rakish Thomas Seymour, whom she gives up in order to marry Henry VIII. The tyrant-king is surprisingly kind to Katharine, and she grows fond of him, though she's aware he could execute her at any moment—for her past romance, for her secret Protestant faith, or because it's Tuesday. She has enemies at court, including a powerful Catholic bishop, Stephen Gardiner. When Henry VIII dies, Katharine isn't informed for several days. She realizes she's lost the opportunity to take charge of young King Edward's education, but she delights in the freedom to finally marry her great love. Alas, Katharine gains even more enemies (including the Princess Mary) for remarrying so soon after Henry VIII's death. Thomas Seymour cheats on her, of course (with Princess Elizabeth, no less), and Katharine ultimately dies giving birth to her longed-for first child, a daughter, Mary, now lost to history. My heart aches for this long-dead queen.
centurylore's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sparker94's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
hannahleebibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
Alison Weir does it again - and by “it,” I mean she successfully employs her extensive knowledge of the social, political, and deeply personal aspects of British history and uses it to combine the facts with educated guesses to fill in the remaining blanks. This book, the last in Weir’s series of historical novels on each of Henry VIII’s six wives, respectively, of course features the famous “survived” Katharine Parr. If you’re reading this book, you almost certainly know the story already, so I won’t rehash. But I will say that this piece is - among works of fiction, at least - the best example I’ve read of Weir’s uncanny ability to personalize larger-than-life, (in)famous historical figures and make them come alive for readers. I so wholeheartedly recommend this book, particularly for Tudor history nerds, that I wish there were more than five stars to grant it!
andrea_author's review
5.0
This biography of Katharine Parr is told not like a scholarly work but like a story. It takes a few liberties to provide an immersive experience, but it's worth the tradeoff. It provides a strong flavor of the turmoil during the reign of Henry VIII, especially the reform of the Anglican Church. It was a frightening time to be alive and especially frightening for anyone associated with the court.
It's easy to feel like Katharine Parr was the least interesting of Henry VIII's wives, because the marriage was relatively uneventful compared to the previous ones. But in fact, Katharine may have played a large role in restoring the princesses Mary and Elizabeth to the succession, which had an enormous impact on history. It was also interesting learning about Katharine's life before she became queen.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
It's easy to feel like Katharine Parr was the least interesting of Henry VIII's wives, because the marriage was relatively uneventful compared to the previous ones. But in fact, Katharine may have played a large role in restoring the princesses Mary and Elizabeth to the succession, which had an enormous impact on history. It was also interesting learning about Katharine's life before she became queen.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.