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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
My god I enjoyed this book. I knew very little of Catherine Parr, other than mentions and on some tv shows, and it was so interesting to learn about how educated and scholarly she was. She was brace enough to stand up for reform and debate on it.
The various discussions on religion in this novel, whether in Catherine’s rooms or with the Privy Council and King, are great because you can see the basis of the religions both Edward and Elizabeth have during their reigns. You can also see how her influence shaped all three of Henry’s children during their reigns. Hearing the back and forth arguments between the reformers and the papists was like watching the basis of how Catholicism and the reform would transform later on, quite enjoyed that.
I also loved how Henry’s indecisiveness was highlighted in this book. We see it in the other novels with the other wives of course, but I felt like I understood him more through Catherine’s conversations with him, particularly one at the beginning where he explains how he sets two sides against each other.
The imagined scene where Catherine was humbled in order to win Henry’s forgiveness is also something that was intriguing to read about, since it highlighted, in such an intimate and private setting, just how abusive and cold he could be, as opposed to his public tormenting of his past wives.
Lastly, loved every scene with the huge family portrait. I had wondered why it was Jane in it, when she had died when Edward was a newborn - so great story behind it.
Overall, one of my favorite of Gregory’s work, along with the Other Boleyn Girl.
The various discussions on religion in this novel, whether in Catherine’s rooms or with the Privy Council and King, are great because you can see the basis of the religions both Edward and Elizabeth have during their reigns. You can also see how her influence shaped all three of Henry’s children during their reigns. Hearing the back and forth arguments between the reformers and the papists was like watching the basis of how Catholicism and the reform would transform later on, quite enjoyed that.
I also loved how Henry’s indecisiveness was highlighted in this book. We see it in the other novels with the other wives of course, but I felt like I understood him more through Catherine’s conversations with him, particularly one at the beginning where he explains how he sets two sides against each other.
The imagined scene where Catherine was humbled in order to win Henry’s forgiveness is also something that was intriguing to read about, since it highlighted, in such an intimate and private setting, just how abusive and cold he could be, as opposed to his public tormenting of his past wives.
Lastly, loved every scene with the huge family portrait. I had wondered why it was Jane in it, when she had died when Edward was a newborn - so great story behind it.
Overall, one of my favorite of Gregory’s work, along with the Other Boleyn Girl.
This is hard for me to rate - so it's more like a 3.5 star
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I know very little about Kateryn Parr and I was excited to read this whole book about her. I'll admit I didn't really like her at first - she seemed kind of weak willed, asking her sister to tell her what to think. But that quickly changed and I really admired her. She was put in an impossible circumstance, one full of danger. And she used her position to learn so much and to translate and write for herself. As the first English women to be published, especially during this fraught time and ESPECIALLY about religion is truly an accomplishment - and the author does a great job of setting up the story to exemplify that significance.
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I also appreciate how well the author depicted Henry VIII and his mindset during this time. He has always been a spoiled, boastful king, but at the end of his life he truly goes off the deep end. She shows his thinking - of always pitting people against each other so they cannot "plot against him" but also that's why no progress gets made and no one is ever safe.
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My biggest problem was that the middle of the story got slow and repetitive. Since religion was a huge issue and debate at the time, and especially a huge part of Kateryn's story as Queen, I appreciate how much detail was given explaining all the different views and opinions and players. However, some of these explanations and scenes and thoughts got a bit repetitive and the story stalled a bit.
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The ending got very dramatic and I was finally on the edge of my seat again. Even though I knew her fate, I still got so nervous of all the secret plots and everything that went on. It also did a good job setting up the mood of the court and country at the transition to Edward becoming king.
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I wish we got to learn more about her life AFTER Henry VIII. The note at the end gives a super quick overview of the rest of her life and it seems so interesting - her time as Queen is great, but not the only interesting part.
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Overall I enjoyed this book. I love Philippa Gregory's writing and the flare for the dramatic. Also some wonderful romance and danger. But there were some parts that lagged and I had to force myself to keep reading through.
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I know very little about Kateryn Parr and I was excited to read this whole book about her. I'll admit I didn't really like her at first - she seemed kind of weak willed, asking her sister to tell her what to think. But that quickly changed and I really admired her. She was put in an impossible circumstance, one full of danger. And she used her position to learn so much and to translate and write for herself. As the first English women to be published, especially during this fraught time and ESPECIALLY about religion is truly an accomplishment - and the author does a great job of setting up the story to exemplify that significance.
_
I also appreciate how well the author depicted Henry VIII and his mindset during this time. He has always been a spoiled, boastful king, but at the end of his life he truly goes off the deep end. She shows his thinking - of always pitting people against each other so they cannot "plot against him" but also that's why no progress gets made and no one is ever safe.
_
My biggest problem was that the middle of the story got slow and repetitive. Since religion was a huge issue and debate at the time, and especially a huge part of Kateryn's story as Queen, I appreciate how much detail was given explaining all the different views and opinions and players. However, some of these explanations and scenes and thoughts got a bit repetitive and the story stalled a bit.
_
The ending got very dramatic and I was finally on the edge of my seat again. Even though I knew her fate, I still got so nervous of all the secret plots and everything that went on. It also did a good job setting up the mood of the court and country at the transition to Edward becoming king.
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I wish we got to learn more about her life AFTER Henry VIII. The note at the end gives a super quick overview of the rest of her life and it seems so interesting - her time as Queen is great, but not the only interesting part.
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Overall I enjoyed this book. I love Philippa Gregory's writing and the flare for the dramatic. Also some wonderful romance and danger. But there were some parts that lagged and I had to force myself to keep reading through.
This was fine, another Tudor novel from Gregory. An interesting main character, but nothing really new. Could have done with a bit less fat shaming.
Unlike some of the other Tudor-era women, I don't think I've ever read an book from the perspective of Katherine Parr rather than having her be a secondary character. I was fascinated to learn that she was the first woman to publish works written in English under her own name and the depth to which she was involved in pushing forward the protestant reformation.
This was a pretty okay read. It wasn't the most exciting, but I know the least amount about Kateryn Parr so it was interesting to get an idea about her time at court. I found the pacing to be fairly quick but the story itself seemed stalled on one specific plot point that went on for 300+ pages. It kind of just felt like a countdown to Henry's death - because you know it's coming. Also, there were so many descriptions about how bad Henry smelled and like...I caught on the first time. I didnt really need the visual every 5 minutes.
Rating: Very Good
Genre: Historical Fiction
The Taming of the Queen is the eleventh book in The Plantagenet and Tudor novels. This is the story of King Henry VIII’s last queen, Kateryn Parr. Like all the previous Philippa Gregory’s historical royal books this one too is narrated from the perspective of the main protagonist. This book doesn’t change my initial opinion about King Henry and his cruelty. It actually enforces that even more than before. Kateryn Parr was a woman with a strong power of will. She held herself very well and with lots of dignity against the King’s insanity and cruelty. She has brought all Henry’s children together and indirectly made their father acknowledge them as his legitimate heirs.
“I believe that to be a free woman is to be both passionate and intelligent; and I am a free woman at last.”
I have noticed that her first name is written with different spellings, Kateryn, Katherine, or Catherine. Gregory has her as Kateryn in her book. The story covers the protagonist’s life from the time when she was a widow for the second time until her rise to be the new sixth Queen of England and King Henry’s eventual death. I understand that these stories are more about Tudor’s court but still I wished if the author continued the story until the character’s death. It is known that after becoming a Queen dowager she retired from court and secretly married her lover Thomas Seymour. When this marriage was known to the public it was quite a scandal. I really hoped that this would be covered in the story.
“Nowhere in the Bible does it say that marriage is a sacrament,” Anne replies. “It was not God who joined us together. The priest says it was; but this is not true. This is the word of the church, not the Bible. Our wedding, like every wedding, was an act of man, not of God. It was not a holy sacrament. My father forced me into an agreement with Thomas, and when I was old enough and had understanding enough I revoked that agreement. I claim the right to be a free woman, with a soul equal to any man under God.”
There are many parts that I enjoyed reading in the book like the family portrait and how shocking it was for the protagonist when it was revealed to her the first time. Another important thing is how the protagonist is considered one of the pioneers when it comes to a female publishing a book in England. She was the first indeed. This book in the series concentrates more heavily than the previous ones on religion and the two fighting camps of the old way and the reformed one. Of course, Henry being the insane king kept changing things according to his own likings. Sometimes that was slowing down the drama but overall this was a fun read and educational at the same time when it comes to the major historical events.
“God speaks to us individually, each and every one of us, that we need neither pope nor priest, nor bleeding statue, to find our way to faith. God is calling and we only have to listen. There are no clever tricks to forgiveness. There is only one way and there is only one Bible, and a woman can study it as well as a man.”
Genre: Historical Fiction
The Taming of the Queen is the eleventh book in The Plantagenet and Tudor novels. This is the story of King Henry VIII’s last queen, Kateryn Parr. Like all the previous Philippa Gregory’s historical royal books this one too is narrated from the perspective of the main protagonist. This book doesn’t change my initial opinion about King Henry and his cruelty. It actually enforces that even more than before. Kateryn Parr was a woman with a strong power of will. She held herself very well and with lots of dignity against the King’s insanity and cruelty. She has brought all Henry’s children together and indirectly made their father acknowledge them as his legitimate heirs.
“I believe that to be a free woman is to be both passionate and intelligent; and I am a free woman at last.”
I have noticed that her first name is written with different spellings, Kateryn, Katherine, or Catherine. Gregory has her as Kateryn in her book. The story covers the protagonist’s life from the time when she was a widow for the second time until her rise to be the new sixth Queen of England and King Henry’s eventual death. I understand that these stories are more about Tudor’s court but still I wished if the author continued the story until the character’s death. It is known that after becoming a Queen dowager she retired from court and secretly married her lover Thomas Seymour. When this marriage was known to the public it was quite a scandal. I really hoped that this would be covered in the story.
“Nowhere in the Bible does it say that marriage is a sacrament,” Anne replies. “It was not God who joined us together. The priest says it was; but this is not true. This is the word of the church, not the Bible. Our wedding, like every wedding, was an act of man, not of God. It was not a holy sacrament. My father forced me into an agreement with Thomas, and when I was old enough and had understanding enough I revoked that agreement. I claim the right to be a free woman, with a soul equal to any man under God.”
There are many parts that I enjoyed reading in the book like the family portrait and how shocking it was for the protagonist when it was revealed to her the first time. Another important thing is how the protagonist is considered one of the pioneers when it comes to a female publishing a book in England. She was the first indeed. This book in the series concentrates more heavily than the previous ones on religion and the two fighting camps of the old way and the reformed one. Of course, Henry being the insane king kept changing things according to his own likings. Sometimes that was slowing down the drama but overall this was a fun read and educational at the same time when it comes to the major historical events.
“God speaks to us individually, each and every one of us, that we need neither pope nor priest, nor bleeding statue, to find our way to faith. God is calling and we only have to listen. There are no clever tricks to forgiveness. There is only one way and there is only one Bible, and a woman can study it as well as a man.”
Not one of my favorites, though I did learn a little more about KP than I knew before.
Haven't read Philippa Gregory in probably 10 years. Picked one up because I know they're great for escapism. It wasn't my favorite (it was a bit slow in the middle) but it was interesting to see Henry at the end of his life.
Another Brilliant read, I love the stories Philippa Gregory concocts, although not everything is truth it defo tells a great tale in Tudor times.