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emilyusuallyreading 's review for:
The Constant Princess
by Philippa Gregory
What I Liked
Gregory is a wonderful storyteller. I was wrapped up into the lives of the Tudors (a historical family that I find so fascinating).
I loved seeing Catherine of Aragon as a strong, young figure instead of only the old, unwanted queen. I also enjoyed glimpses of her mother and her incredible historical role. Something I never thought about until reading this novel was the language difficulty when Catherine moved from Spain to England. She was expected to be a royal leader, a wife, and essentially a member of this family - but she couldn't even communicate with them outside of Latin and a little French.
What I Didn't Like
Switching point of views from first person (in italics of all things too) to third person didn't work for me. Instead, it seemed like Gregory couldn't decide if she wanted to tell the story from Catalina's perspective or from an omniscient narrator, so she went with both. I found the perspective switch distracting and the constant italics annoying.
Gregory is a wonderful storyteller. I was wrapped up into the lives of the Tudors (a historical family that I find so fascinating).
I loved seeing Catherine of Aragon as a strong, young figure instead of only the old, unwanted queen. I also enjoyed glimpses of her mother and her incredible historical role. Something I never thought about until reading this novel was the language difficulty when Catherine moved from Spain to England. She was expected to be a royal leader, a wife, and essentially a member of this family - but she couldn't even communicate with them outside of Latin and a little French.
What I Didn't Like
Switching point of views from first person (in italics of all things too) to third person didn't work for me. Instead, it seemed like Gregory couldn't decide if she wanted to tell the story from Catalina's perspective or from an omniscient narrator, so she went with both. I found the perspective switch distracting and the constant italics annoying.