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jmatkinson1 's review for:
Katherine of Aragon, the True Queen
by Alison Weir
Catalina is the youngest daughter of two powerful Spanish monarchs. Educated, mannered and devout, Catalina has been raised to make an advantageous marriage and at age fifteen she is sent to England to become the bride of Prince Arthur, heir to the throne. Katherine, as she is now known, is concerned that Arthur is ill and, when he dies only five months later, her world collapses. Salvation comes in marriage to Arthur's younger brother Henry and the couple rule for many years, the only blight on their life is the lack of a male heir. After Katherine goes through the menopause, her paranoid husband starts to worry about the lack of an heir and when he falls for a clever woman at court her decides to divorce Katherine. To Katherine this is unthinkable and her battle for what she feels is right drives her husband to schism with the Church and the rest of Europe.
Essentially this is a fictionalised biography of Katherine of Aragon but it is of excellent quality. Alison Weir is an outstanding historian and this comes across in her historical fiction. Anyone who has read about Katherine of Aragon will recognise descriptions and direct quotes from contemporary sources as they go through this book. Weir avoids the clichés of historical fiction in the main, there is little overt romanticism but by contextualising the story some points become clearer to the modern reader. By looking at the everyday life of a noble Catholic woman in the 16th Century the nature of Katherine's devotion to her cause is more understandable. I look forward to the rest of the series.
Essentially this is a fictionalised biography of Katherine of Aragon but it is of excellent quality. Alison Weir is an outstanding historian and this comes across in her historical fiction. Anyone who has read about Katherine of Aragon will recognise descriptions and direct quotes from contemporary sources as they go through this book. Weir avoids the clichés of historical fiction in the main, there is little overt romanticism but by contextualising the story some points become clearer to the modern reader. By looking at the everyday life of a noble Catholic woman in the 16th Century the nature of Katherine's devotion to her cause is more understandable. I look forward to the rest of the series.