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lunaseassecondaccount 's review for:
Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen
by Alison Weir
Sometimes I wonder why I keep going back to these types of novels. It's no secret I'm fascinated by Tudor England and the War of the Roses- heavens knows I devour anything relating to it, fiction, non-fiction, historical fiction and so forth. It's more or less the same story every single time, with just some characterisation flavour from the author... and yet I always go back.
Weir is definitely one of the strongest authors when it cames to historical fact. This is perhaps the first time I've seen someone really delve into what Katherine's life was like, post-separation and divorce, and the awful nature of how she lived in the Fens. I was also particularly intrigued by her approach to Katherine's relationship with Arthur, his ill health and the idea that Henry VII didn't want his son exerting himself in the bedroom. I'm not sure how much of this would be based in fact (after all, this is the entire point of contention regarding her divorce to Henry VIII), and a teeny tiny part of me likes to imagine Weir included it as the antithesis to Philippa Gregory's idea that the pair were madly in love and bonked like rabbits.
The writing in the first third of the novel felt a bit clunky, like Weir was uncertain about the way characters interacted with one another. Either I became accustomed to her writing or it improved by the end. I did find Henry's repeated usage of Kate a little jarring, too- I suppose it's a bit like 'Tiffany' being an actual medieval name and a form of Theophania, but I did hope by the end he'd revert to calling her Katherine as a way of formally putting distance between them.
I liked how Weir humanised Henry. Okay, okay, he killed two of his wives and was clearly abusive, but I do like he wasn't an absolute monster from the start. Katherine loved him here and they spent many happy years together. Her hurt and confusion was palpable. I'm sure she was a little more aware of his infidelities than she appeared in this book, but I enjoyed that she didn't hate Anne from the start... and didn't even really think of her.
I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this collection- I hope I enjoy them as I did buy all six!
Weir is definitely one of the strongest authors when it cames to historical fact. This is perhaps the first time I've seen someone really delve into what Katherine's life was like, post-separation and divorce, and the awful nature of how she lived in the Fens. I was also particularly intrigued by her approach to Katherine's relationship with Arthur, his ill health and the idea that Henry VII didn't want his son exerting himself in the bedroom. I'm not sure how much of this would be based in fact (after all, this is the entire point of contention regarding her divorce to Henry VIII), and a teeny tiny part of me likes to imagine Weir included it as the antithesis to Philippa Gregory's idea that the pair were madly in love and bonked like rabbits.
The writing in the first third of the novel felt a bit clunky, like Weir was uncertain about the way characters interacted with one another. Either I became accustomed to her writing or it improved by the end. I did find Henry's repeated usage of Kate a little jarring, too- I suppose it's a bit like 'Tiffany' being an actual medieval name and a form of Theophania, but I did hope by the end he'd revert to calling her Katherine as a way of formally putting distance between them.
I liked how Weir humanised Henry. Okay, okay, he killed two of his wives and was clearly abusive, but I do like he wasn't an absolute monster from the start. Katherine loved him here and they spent many happy years together. Her hurt and confusion was palpable. I'm sure she was a little more aware of his infidelities than she appeared in this book, but I enjoyed that she didn't hate Anne from the start... and didn't even really think of her.
I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this collection- I hope I enjoy them as I did buy all six!