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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
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Loooooved it! I tried to make it last as long as possible but I finally finished this amazing book. So interesting to hear about Henry VIII's reign from the point of view of one of his "enemies". Philippa Gregory did it again!
The reign of Henry VIII, as told by his governess Margaret Pole (a wealthy Plantangent heir). A rich history filled with betrayal and tyranny. It was hard to read about all of Henry's actions without thinking about how mentally ill this man had to have been to behave the way he did. Once again Philippa Gregory brings history back to life and gives breath to the dead so we can visit them once again and feel what is was like to be in their presence in their time. Wonderfully written as always.
I've got such fond memories of when I first became aware of Philippa Gregory. A friend introduced me to her Wideacre trilogy consisting of the books Wideacre, The Favoured Child and Meridon all of which I adored and then my sister introduced me to her Tudor books and this is when I fell in love with her as an author. I haven't been reading her as prolifically as I once did as unfortunately I feel like her last few novels in the Cousins' War series haven't been as brilliant as I know she can write but I still hugely enjoy both her writing and her intense focus on the women that history hasn't given an adequate voice.
Margaret Pole is one of those women and The King's Curse tells her story. She is daughter of the Duke of Clarence, cousin to Elizabeth of York (Henry VIII's mother) and in this novel, becomes lady in waiting to Henry VIII's first wife, Katherine of Aragon and then warden to her first daughter, Princess Mary. You may all be aware of what happens to poor Queen Katherine so this story is a fascinating insight into Margaret's feelings and loyalties to both her King and to the woman she adores like a sister. Margaret comes across as a strong, sensible woman whose own family's safety and well-being is paramount in her mind but she also demonstrates a steadfast faith and respect for those that she binds herself to both in duty and in friendship. She doesn't have an easy life and her morals and values are tested in the worst ways imaginable but by the end, she remains true to herself and those close to her and earns the reader's instant respect and admiration.
As I mentioned before, I love how Philippa Gregory takes a forgotten woman of history and suggests how important they may actually have been in the grand scheme of things. I loved learning more about her and was especially intrigued by her fragile relationship with King Henry VIII as he views her and her family as an obvious threat to his throne. Even though Margaret is our main protagonist, we still hear a lot about what is happening at the Tudor court at that period of history i.e. the divorce of Henry and Katherine, the rule of Anne Boleyn and the dissolution of the Catholic church with Henry VIII attempting to replace the Pope as the supreme ruler in England. It's obvious the author has done some meticulous research as she forged this story and although parts of it have already been told before, for example in The Constant Princess and arguably her most famous novel, The Other Boleyn Girl, it never feels tired, old or re-hashed as we hear about events from a completely different point of view. I don't think I'll ever get weary of reading about the Tudor dynasty, a period of our past where the characters are just so incredibly effervescent and fascinating and I'm looking forward to getting to her next novel: The Taming Of The Queen.
For my full review and many more, please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
Margaret Pole is one of those women and The King's Curse tells her story. She is daughter of the Duke of Clarence, cousin to Elizabeth of York (Henry VIII's mother) and in this novel, becomes lady in waiting to Henry VIII's first wife, Katherine of Aragon and then warden to her first daughter, Princess Mary. You may all be aware of what happens to poor Queen Katherine so this story is a fascinating insight into Margaret's feelings and loyalties to both her King and to the woman she adores like a sister. Margaret comes across as a strong, sensible woman whose own family's safety and well-being is paramount in her mind but she also demonstrates a steadfast faith and respect for those that she binds herself to both in duty and in friendship. She doesn't have an easy life and her morals and values are tested in the worst ways imaginable but by the end, she remains true to herself and those close to her and earns the reader's instant respect and admiration.
As I mentioned before, I love how Philippa Gregory takes a forgotten woman of history and suggests how important they may actually have been in the grand scheme of things. I loved learning more about her and was especially intrigued by her fragile relationship with King Henry VIII as he views her and her family as an obvious threat to his throne. Even though Margaret is our main protagonist, we still hear a lot about what is happening at the Tudor court at that period of history i.e. the divorce of Henry and Katherine, the rule of Anne Boleyn and the dissolution of the Catholic church with Henry VIII attempting to replace the Pope as the supreme ruler in England. It's obvious the author has done some meticulous research as she forged this story and although parts of it have already been told before, for example in The Constant Princess and arguably her most famous novel, The Other Boleyn Girl, it never feels tired, old or re-hashed as we hear about events from a completely different point of view. I don't think I'll ever get weary of reading about the Tudor dynasty, a period of our past where the characters are just so incredibly effervescent and fascinating and I'm looking forward to getting to her next novel: The Taming Of The Queen.
For my full review and many more, please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
This was a really long book that i didn't find to be very interesting - mostly. because the first half just retells stories philippa gregory has already told(i.e.in the constant princess and the other boleyn girl without a significant difference in tone or details, in my opinion). But Margaret Pole is a fantastic main character and i love her growth and strength as a character and with all her flaws - of keeping her youngest son a little too close, her pride in her family history - she's a very well written and real character. one thing i hated is how quickly they show henry 8'ths character develop into someone that will not be disobeyed or displeased by the nobility.
her narrative of the pilgrimage of grace was really good and i also loved the character's of the sons as adults.
the death scene was perfect and most of all i really appreciated the author's note at the end of the book giving a background to the curse and suggesting it could be hereditary back to an ancestor (although again this is the story of the lady of the rivers if i recall correctly).
her narrative of the pilgrimage of grace was really good and i also loved the character's of the sons as adults.
the death scene was perfect and most of all i really appreciated the author's note at the end of the book giving a background to the curse and suggesting it could be hereditary back to an ancestor (although again this is the story of the lady of the rivers if i recall correctly).
Not her best but an interesting take as always. It's hard to really get behind a character who wants to stay alive no matter how much groveling she has to do. Realistic, but not terribly inspiring.
Review originally posted on http://eatreadexplore.wordpress.com
It’s hard to believe that this is already the 6th and last book of the Cousins’ War series, because it doesn’t feel like all that long ago when I bought and read The White Queen, the first book in the series. And once again Gregory has delivered a stunning book. It’s a captivating read, well researched, and I love how it neatly wraps up the Cousins’ War series, as well as establishes the final connections to her Tudor Court novels. I do think that it was wise to leave it at 6 novels, because Gregory does start to get in danger of repeating herself. Each of the novels is told from a different perspective, and they span the period from the reign of Edward IV up until Henry VIII, which is a relatively long and turbulent period. Yet throughout the 6 novels there are quite a number of recurring characters, and some key events are therefore told several times but seen through the eyes of different people. Initially this was very interesting, but I did feel in this last novel that a lot of old plot lines were being rehashed, and I was frankly starting to get a bit bored of it. This bears no reflection on Gregory’s ability to write or tell a story, but it’s just that the events of the time have been discussed at great length and I think by the end of the last novel she was definitely done telling the story.
Having said this, I enjoyed reading about the period through the eyes of Margaret Pole, daughter of Isabelle Neville and George, Duke of Clarence. As the last Plantagenet and rightful heir to the throne of England, she would always be a threat to the Tudor monarchs, and was therefore married off into relative obscurity, while her brother Edward spent most of his younger years in the Tower before finally being beheaded. You follow the rise and fall of Margaret Pole, and see how her change of fortune is tied to the whims of Henry VIII and his increasing paranoia as he grows older. What is most important to Margaret is to ensure that her children are safe and are successful in life, and for a while everything seems to run relatively smoothly. But in the end her luck runs out, and her biggest fears that have haunted her all her life unfortunately come true at last.
I would definitely recommend this novel, especially to those who have been following the series since the beginning. Since it’s historical fiction you could read it as standalone as well, though I think readers would enjoy it more with some knowledge of what has gone before. I’m looking forward to see what Gregory will bring us next, and which period she will focus her writing on.
It’s hard to believe that this is already the 6th and last book of the Cousins’ War series, because it doesn’t feel like all that long ago when I bought and read The White Queen, the first book in the series. And once again Gregory has delivered a stunning book. It’s a captivating read, well researched, and I love how it neatly wraps up the Cousins’ War series, as well as establishes the final connections to her Tudor Court novels. I do think that it was wise to leave it at 6 novels, because Gregory does start to get in danger of repeating herself. Each of the novels is told from a different perspective, and they span the period from the reign of Edward IV up until Henry VIII, which is a relatively long and turbulent period. Yet throughout the 6 novels there are quite a number of recurring characters, and some key events are therefore told several times but seen through the eyes of different people. Initially this was very interesting, but I did feel in this last novel that a lot of old plot lines were being rehashed, and I was frankly starting to get a bit bored of it. This bears no reflection on Gregory’s ability to write or tell a story, but it’s just that the events of the time have been discussed at great length and I think by the end of the last novel she was definitely done telling the story.
Having said this, I enjoyed reading about the period through the eyes of Margaret Pole, daughter of Isabelle Neville and George, Duke of Clarence. As the last Plantagenet and rightful heir to the throne of England, she would always be a threat to the Tudor monarchs, and was therefore married off into relative obscurity, while her brother Edward spent most of his younger years in the Tower before finally being beheaded. You follow the rise and fall of Margaret Pole, and see how her change of fortune is tied to the whims of Henry VIII and his increasing paranoia as he grows older. What is most important to Margaret is to ensure that her children are safe and are successful in life, and for a while everything seems to run relatively smoothly. But in the end her luck runs out, and her biggest fears that have haunted her all her life unfortunately come true at last.
I would definitely recommend this novel, especially to those who have been following the series since the beginning. Since it’s historical fiction you could read it as standalone as well, though I think readers would enjoy it more with some knowledge of what has gone before. I’m looking forward to see what Gregory will bring us next, and which period she will focus her writing on.
I'll give this a solid 3.5 stars. I waited 2 years to read this because I read the other 5 books right after the other and by that point I was really annoyed with Philippa Gregory's writing style. I am glad I waited because this was an enjoyable and appropriate conclusion to the Cousin's War series. It did drag a bit at the end, but I had nothing better to do on a rainy Sunday, so I was able to finish this book in just a few sittings. Now I'm on to reading about the real story of the Princes in the Tower to see how many liberties this series took with history.
I really enjoyed this book, as I have all the other books in this series. King Henry VIII is one of my favorite characters in history, and Ms. Gregory presents a new perspective not only on him, but his queen, Katherine of Aragon, and his daughter, Princess Mary. I loved learning more of the history of the royal family, especially how the women influenced history.