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angelqueen04 's review for:
Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen
by Alison Weir
Wow. That was a loooong ride. A very well-written and thoroughly well-researched one, but then I'd expect nothing less from this author.
Weir brings Katherine of Aragon to life in all her righteous glory, from her early, harrowing years in Henry VII's England, to the height of her political power as Henry VIII's Queen, to her slow, steady downfall as the Reformation spreads its influence over Europe and collides with her husband's desperation for a son. It's obvious that Weir is very much attached to her subject and went into incredible depth.
My problem is that it's a story we've heard before. Good Saint-Queen Katherine who is tragically and unjustly deprived of her place because none of her sons survived. I didn't feel like there was any attempt to put any kind of unique spin on the story to make it stand out from the dozens of versions of the story that we've heard in the centuries since Katherine's death. Say what you will about Philippa Gregory, at least she gave the story a new and different perspective.
Nonetheless, I'm still hopeful for the rest of the series because each book is exclusively from the point of view of its subject. I remind myself that the book was strictly from Katherine's point of view, and thus we're limited to her view and the resources she had to learn what was going on in the outside world - namely Chapuys and what few friends she had remaining to her, like Maria Willoughby. Anne Boleyn's book is next, and given that she was in the heart of everything that was going on, I'm hoping for a more complete picture.
Weir brings Katherine of Aragon to life in all her righteous glory, from her early, harrowing years in Henry VII's England, to the height of her political power as Henry VIII's Queen, to her slow, steady downfall as the Reformation spreads its influence over Europe and collides with her husband's desperation for a son. It's obvious that Weir is very much attached to her subject and went into incredible depth.
My problem is that it's a story we've heard before. Good Saint-Queen Katherine who is tragically and unjustly deprived of her place because none of her sons survived. I didn't feel like there was any attempt to put any kind of unique spin on the story to make it stand out from the dozens of versions of the story that we've heard in the centuries since Katherine's death. Say what you will about Philippa Gregory, at least she gave the story a new and different perspective.
Nonetheless, I'm still hopeful for the rest of the series because each book is exclusively from the point of view of its subject. I remind myself that the book was strictly from Katherine's point of view, and thus we're limited to her view and the resources she had to learn what was going on in the outside world - namely Chapuys and what few friends she had remaining to her, like Maria Willoughby. Anne Boleyn's book is next, and given that she was in the heart of everything that was going on, I'm hoping for a more complete picture.