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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
I loved this story about Margaret Pole. It's is an incredible story about an amazing woman that had me crying at the end. One of my favourite things about Philippa Gregory is her ability to bring historical characters to life with depth and understanding. I admit that I was surprised with how much I loved this story and the relationships that Margaret had with Katherine of Aragon and Princess Mary but I also enjoyed reading about the relationship she had with Henry VIII. Brilliant book and well worth reading.
2023 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge-a book about a divorce.
I think I'm Tudored out. I have rread so many books from this time period. I feel like this book coul have been a little shorter, maybe. Margaret was a pretty compelling character.
I think I'm Tudored out. I have rread so many books from this time period. I feel like this book coul have been a little shorter, maybe. Margaret was a pretty compelling character.
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Starting fairly slowly, this is one of Gregory's best novels. It builds in tension for 500 pages and ends at the peak of chaos just like the Margaret Pole.
Once again, Gregory gives us an intimate view of historical figures and the events they lived through.
Gregory brings to live Margaret Pole, a Plantagenet History seems to have forgotten, and shows how the peers of England were pushed away from power by the Tudors, leading to economical and social instability.
The court of Henry VII and Henry VIII are shown in a different light than the traditionally glamourous view - they are ruthless places run by power-hungry tyrants.
Henry VIII is despicable, and yet somehow very human.
The Author's note on Henry VIII possible medical conditions (Kell positive blood type) is particularly interesting.
Gregory brings to live Margaret Pole, a Plantagenet History seems to have forgotten, and shows how the peers of England were pushed away from power by the Tudors, leading to economical and social instability.
The court of Henry VII and Henry VIII are shown in a different light than the traditionally glamourous view - they are ruthless places run by power-hungry tyrants.
Henry VIII is despicable, and yet somehow very human.
The Author's note on Henry VIII possible medical conditions (Kell positive blood type) is particularly interesting.
I think this may have been my favorite of the Cousins' War series. The Countess' life spans those of several we've already met in the other books and presents yet another interesting perspective on the rise of the Tudors (and fall of the Plantagenets).
Philippa Gregory never seems to disappoint, with her knowledge of the Tudor court and her research into the subjects she's writing about, with of course her own fictional spin on what she believes would have happened or imagines happened, during the tyranny of King Henry VIII.
The King's Curse takes you into the mind of Lady Margaret Pole, who was King Henry VIII's governess basically, and long time friend of his Mother.
The story goes from marriage of Katherine of Aragon, to the Death of Lady Margaret Pole, which happens around the time of King Henry VIII's marriage to Kitty Howard, with Lady Margaret Pole's view of all of this, and the declining court of the King.
Every story of this time frame makes me hate King Henry VIII more and more, and wish that more people had courage enough to stand up to him. Although, if they had had the courage, perhaps the country wouldn't have hit the Golden Age due to Queen Elizabeth I, so, everything happens for a reason I suppose, but I am going to be comfortable in hoping that he's in the depths of hell for his crimes against friend and foe alike, as they were often kin of his and one in the same.
Definitely read it if you are a history buff of that time. Philippa does good work indeed.
- CJ
The King's Curse takes you into the mind of Lady Margaret Pole, who was King Henry VIII's governess basically, and long time friend of his Mother.
The story goes from marriage of Katherine of Aragon, to the Death of Lady Margaret Pole, which happens around the time of King Henry VIII's marriage to Kitty Howard, with Lady Margaret Pole's view of all of this, and the declining court of the King.
Every story of this time frame makes me hate King Henry VIII more and more, and wish that more people had courage enough to stand up to him. Although, if they had had the courage, perhaps the country wouldn't have hit the Golden Age due to Queen Elizabeth I, so, everything happens for a reason I suppose, but I am going to be comfortable in hoping that he's in the depths of hell for his crimes against friend and foe alike, as they were often kin of his and one in the same.
Definitely read it if you are a history buff of that time. Philippa does good work indeed.
- CJ
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not the book I was expecting - I wanted to find out the next bit of Katherine's story, but I really enjoyed this book about Lady Margaret Pole. Really interesting to see the events of The Constant Princess, and their sequelae, from another angle. Really absorbing, compelling protagonist, a perfect beach read.
There is a whole shelf of my bookshelf full of Philippa Gregory books. I’ve been reading them since I first picked up The Other Boleyn Girl over a decade ago. That said, I haven’t been too enthusiastic about her latest books and couldn’t even remember what most of them were about after just finishing them. They all seemed to run in together with characters and expressions I had read before.
I am happy to say that (despite the glaring historical inaccuracy on the first page that even I couldn’t overlook) this was a very enjoyable read. It was not the kind of book I’d re-read over and over again but it kept me hooked for two days. I read it well into the night and found it hard to put down.
The King’s Curse is part of The Cousins War series but I think it’s very much a transitional book between the Plantagenet and Tudor works. It tells the story of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, and the struggles she faces as one of the last Plantagenet heirs in a rising Tudor dynasty. At the story’s opening her cousin Elizabeth of York is married to Henry VII, her little brother, the White Rose, has been marched out of the tower to his execution to stop “half of England turning out just for that haunting flicker of white embroidery” and she has been married off into obscurity to Sir Richard Pole:
“I don’t dare shrug him off. He is my husband, I dare not offend him. He is my only refuge. I am buried in him, my name hidden in his. I am cut off from my title as sharply as if my name had been beheaded and rolled away into a basket.”
This book covers the same ground as A Constant Princess and The Other Boleyn Girl and yet I was gripped from start to finish. By using Margaret Pole we see the Tudor Court from an entirely different perspective; as something new, and volatile even compared to the War of the Roses. Gregory still has the remarkable talent of bringing events and people into vivid colour. While this book isn’t one of her greats it revived my enthusiasm for her work and she still sits at the top as my favourite historical novelist.
I am happy to say that (despite the glaring historical inaccuracy on the first page that even I couldn’t overlook) this was a very enjoyable read. It was not the kind of book I’d re-read over and over again but it kept me hooked for two days. I read it well into the night and found it hard to put down.
The King’s Curse is part of The Cousins War series but I think it’s very much a transitional book between the Plantagenet and Tudor works. It tells the story of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, and the struggles she faces as one of the last Plantagenet heirs in a rising Tudor dynasty. At the story’s opening her cousin Elizabeth of York is married to Henry VII, her little brother, the White Rose, has been marched out of the tower to his execution to stop “half of England turning out just for that haunting flicker of white embroidery” and she has been married off into obscurity to Sir Richard Pole:
“I don’t dare shrug him off. He is my husband, I dare not offend him. He is my only refuge. I am buried in him, my name hidden in his. I am cut off from my title as sharply as if my name had been beheaded and rolled away into a basket.”
This book covers the same ground as A Constant Princess and The Other Boleyn Girl and yet I was gripped from start to finish. By using Margaret Pole we see the Tudor Court from an entirely different perspective; as something new, and volatile even compared to the War of the Roses. Gregory still has the remarkable talent of bringing events and people into vivid colour. While this book isn’t one of her greats it revived my enthusiasm for her work and she still sits at the top as my favourite historical novelist.