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canada_matt 's review for:
The Unfaithful Queen: A Novel of Henry VIII's Fifth Wife
by Carolly Erickson
Erickson returns with another novel in the Tudor history saga, specifically the many wives of Henry VIII. While the book seeks to explore the life of Catherine Howard, it could be considered a novel of both Howard (Henry's fifth wife) as well as Anne of Cleves (his fourth). The book begins at the execution of Anne Boleyn (his second), with whom Howard is a cousin. From there, the reader learns more about Howard and her life in England, as well as her search for love. Introducing a number of the Howard family, Erickson helps familiarise the reader with the entire brood, including references to Howard's mother, a past lover of Henry VIII, who bore him a son that also died. With Anne of Cleves set to come onto the scene, Howard plays a role as one of her ladies (seems future wives start here for Henry VIII) and Erickson focusses a great deal of time on this interesting union, which is more a war marriage for Henry VIII than anything. As the King's eye turns towards Howard, her past lovers must fade away for her to become Queen. She plots her future and hopes Henry will not live long. Alas, as has happened many times in the Tudor Court, short tempers and shorter lust cycles prove a queen's downfall. Like her cousin, Catherine Howard will face her husband's ultimate wrath, all to justify his feelings.
A long-time fan of Erickson and her Tudor work, I was expecting a much more Howard-focussed book. While I understand she played a role in the Cleves queenship, the strong focus and almost shared spotlight of Henry VIII's previous wife overpowers the book. It could be said that Catherine of Aragon overshadows Anne Boleyn, but there are ways around that as well. I was also surprised at the angle at which Erickson chose to approach portraying Cleves (a poison-tongued, bitter woman) and Howard (somewhat naive and seeking love of a man who captures her heart). My entire previous experience was that Cleves was a mild-mannered woman who, while not liking her fate, accepted it and lived in England for years to come, a happy life. Howard was the flighty and loose young woman who would sleep with whomever she could at whatever chance she got. Some Tudor historians may cringe when I say this, but THE TUDORS did not support Erickson's presentation either. That said, it was a decent book, but nothing about which I would consider falling off my chair because of its excellence.
Kudos Madam Erickson for a decent depiction of Henry VIII's fifth wife, with a great deal of mention of the fourth as well. I am eager to see how to tackle his first one, in your upcoming publication.
A long-time fan of Erickson and her Tudor work, I was expecting a much more Howard-focussed book. While I understand she played a role in the Cleves queenship, the strong focus and almost shared spotlight of Henry VIII's previous wife overpowers the book. It could be said that Catherine of Aragon overshadows Anne Boleyn, but there are ways around that as well. I was also surprised at the angle at which Erickson chose to approach portraying Cleves (a poison-tongued, bitter woman) and Howard (somewhat naive and seeking love of a man who captures her heart). My entire previous experience was that Cleves was a mild-mannered woman who, while not liking her fate, accepted it and lived in England for years to come, a happy life. Howard was the flighty and loose young woman who would sleep with whomever she could at whatever chance she got. Some Tudor historians may cringe when I say this, but THE TUDORS did not support Erickson's presentation either. That said, it was a decent book, but nothing about which I would consider falling off my chair because of its excellence.
Kudos Madam Erickson for a decent depiction of Henry VIII's fifth wife, with a great deal of mention of the fourth as well. I am eager to see how to tackle his first one, in your upcoming publication.