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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
This was a really great fictional account of the life of Queen Katherine of England, the first of Henry VIII's many wives, who's fortune in life depended greatly on the whims of a tyrannical King, but in the end held fast to her faith and her conscious. Perhaps it is my own maturing, but I have read many accounts of the lives of the Tudor Queens, and this is the first time I had a sense of what Katherine's faith meant to her, and how important that piece was to holding her conscious to the truth of the Great Matter. It is easy to look back and say because of her faith she should have agreed to joining a convent and let Henry move on, but ultimately she loved her husband, she loved their surviving daughter Mary and if she agreed to that she would be completely negating her entire life and what she worked hard for. It's hard to fault that.
"King Henry VIII, six wives he wedded. One died, one survived, two divorced, two beheaded." Little did Katherine know that she was lucky to be allowed to live her life, albeit as small as it became and with a forced divorce, until her natural death.
"King Henry VIII, six wives he wedded. One died, one survived, two divorced, two beheaded." Little did Katherine know that she was lucky to be allowed to live her life, albeit as small as it became and with a forced divorce, until her natural death.
felt I worked hard for the half of the book I did read, prefer the authors non fiction. Poor Katharine had no idea what was going on so I found her character rather lacking
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This slower, thick volume discussing Katherine of Aragon really allows you to sink in and spend a lot of time within the England that she lived in and vividly see through her eyes. As I write this I can still see her in my mind, and feel so connected to this historical character which I think speaks volumes about Weir and her writing.
Another huge vote of confidence for her is how well Weir manages to write and have the story be told form the perspective of her main character/historical figure. I read this novel after reading the ones about Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour, and cried for all three. I could see the Great Matter from Annes perspective and see how she was viewing things and felt she was in the right, and could say the same now for Katherine.
I loved this. I loved seeing Maria come to life in a way she usually does not in books involving them. I loved the slower pace allowing you space to allow these difficult situations to sink in. I loved the inner monologues, the descriptions of places they went, how you could see the change in Katherine as she ages in her thinking. I would have liked to see more of Mary, but I am comfortable saying Katherine would have said something to the same effect as well.
Another huge vote of confidence for her is how well Weir manages to write and have the story be told form the perspective of her main character/historical figure. I read this novel after reading the ones about Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour, and cried for all three. I could see the Great Matter from Annes perspective and see how she was viewing things and felt she was in the right, and could say the same now for Katherine.
I loved this. I loved seeing Maria come to life in a way she usually does not in books involving them. I loved the slower pace allowing you space to allow these difficult situations to sink in. I loved the inner monologues, the descriptions of places they went, how you could see the change in Katherine as she ages in her thinking. I would have liked to see more of Mary, but I am comfortable saying Katherine would have said something to the same effect as well.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A mostly enjoyable look at one of Henry’s kings I know the least about. It is heartbreaking to read about a woman in such an abusive relationship who doesn’t even have the language to see it that way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Miscarriage
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Antisemitism
slow-paced
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A clever way to try to understand what Henry’s first wife went through: we gain insight into what may have been the inner workings of her heart and mind over the years, allowing us to easily empathize with her.