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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Absolutely brilliant. I really admire Katherine of Aragon and how bravely she stuck to her own convictions. She honestly loved Henry and at no point did she wish him ill, no matter what he did to her.
A brilliantly written book. I am excited to read the others in this series.
A brilliantly written book. I am excited to read the others in this series.
Find this review and more on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own.
The first book of Alison Weir’s Six Tudor Queens series is dedicated to the story of Katherine of Aragón. Betrothed to Arthur, Prince of Wales, at a very early age, Catalina has always been told that she would one day go to England to marry the prince and so become the Princess of Wales. Following Prince Arthur’s untimely death however, she finds herself betrothed to his younger brother Henry.
The story follows Katherine through the years, first as a young and hopeful princess arriving in England, then as a widow in a foreign court, a political pawn, awaiting the day when she can wed Henry even as she fears for her future, to her glorious early years of her marriage as the cherished Queen of England and finally to the most tragic times as she fights and refuses to be set aside by Henry in the face of his desire for a male heir. While Henry’s first queen has never really been my favourite to read about, it’s impossible not to admire her determination as she holds true to her faith and fights for love.
The Tudor era is undoubtedly my favourite historical fiction setting, and no matter how many books I read, this time period is endlessly fascinating for me. Furthermore, this is narrated entirely from Katherine’s perspective, it is definitely not a neutral retelling, and is therefore a very sympathetic portrayal of her. Several characters we know to be crucial in the history of the years that followed are introduced, some more than others, from the Anne Boleyn to Jane Seymour and many others. It will be really interesting to contrast Katherine’s opinion on them to their view of the same events. I’m particularly curious as to how Alison Weir is going to approach Jane Seymour, a figure rarely focused on in historical fiction who I have generally viewed as rather boring overall.
Though the tale of Katherine of Aragón is one I have read many versions of, Alison Weir’s storytelling is unmatched in my opinion and this book gives voice to Katherine like I have never read before. As with all of her books, this is a rather long read, but it’s very easy to get swept along by the story and the pages fly by. This book, and series, is a must read for fans of Tudor era historical fiction. Highly recommended!
The first book of Alison Weir’s Six Tudor Queens series is dedicated to the story of Katherine of Aragón. Betrothed to Arthur, Prince of Wales, at a very early age, Catalina has always been told that she would one day go to England to marry the prince and so become the Princess of Wales. Following Prince Arthur’s untimely death however, she finds herself betrothed to his younger brother Henry.
The story follows Katherine through the years, first as a young and hopeful princess arriving in England, then as a widow in a foreign court, a political pawn, awaiting the day when she can wed Henry even as she fears for her future, to her glorious early years of her marriage as the cherished Queen of England and finally to the most tragic times as she fights and refuses to be set aside by Henry in the face of his desire for a male heir. While Henry’s first queen has never really been my favourite to read about, it’s impossible not to admire her determination as she holds true to her faith and fights for love.
The Tudor era is undoubtedly my favourite historical fiction setting, and no matter how many books I read, this time period is endlessly fascinating for me. Furthermore, this is narrated entirely from Katherine’s perspective, it is definitely not a neutral retelling, and is therefore a very sympathetic portrayal of her. Several characters we know to be crucial in the history of the years that followed are introduced, some more than others, from the Anne Boleyn to Jane Seymour and many others. It will be really interesting to contrast Katherine’s opinion on them to their view of the same events. I’m particularly curious as to how Alison Weir is going to approach Jane Seymour, a figure rarely focused on in historical fiction who I have generally viewed as rather boring overall.
Though the tale of Katherine of Aragón is one I have read many versions of, Alison Weir’s storytelling is unmatched in my opinion and this book gives voice to Katherine like I have never read before. As with all of her books, this is a rather long read, but it’s very easy to get swept along by the story and the pages fly by. This book, and series, is a must read for fans of Tudor era historical fiction. Highly recommended!
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I just wasn’t interested, pretty bored. Not for me.
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-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
“Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen” by Alison Weir ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
“Katherine of Aragon” is the first book in Weir’s Six Wives series and follows Katherine from the moment she sets foot in England in 1501 to marry Arthur, Prince of Wales, to her death in 1536. This book is the longest because Katherine’s story spans the most time. She died at 50.
Now—Katherine has never been my favorite wife but this book has given me so much more respect for the lady. We all know that Henry VIII is a dick and all of his wives deserve better, but when I think of a wronged wife, I picture Katherine. This woman was done so dirty by most, if not all, of the men in her life and she really did deserve better. I didn’t think I was going to cry but I was sobbing by the end. Katherine is the epitome of duty and honor and what it means to be a wife and mother during this period. The bar is high.
I love the way that Weir writes her characters. She gives you enough information through the historical record and allows the reader to understand why she’s chosen to depict certain aspects in a specific way. If you’re not familiar with the period as I am, Weir makes this period easily accessible to those who hardly know anything.
My favorite part of this novel was seeing how blindsided Katherine was to the King’s “great matter” and just how much Anne was seen as the villain by everyone. Like I actually hated Anne in this book AND SHES MY FAVORITE WIFE!! What I loved most was that even though, Anne got a lot of the blame, Katherine knew it was all Henry’s doing. And it’s just 😘👌🏼
I really do just love Weir’s style of writing and her character work. To me, when it comes to reading fiction based on the Tudor period, it’s Hilary Mantel, Alison Weir, fifty feet of crap and then Philippa Gregory. And no I will not be elaborating.
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated