A review by octavia_cade
The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser

informative slow-paced

4.0

For such a lengthy and involved book, this is immensely readable. There's a large number of books on Henry's wives, both fiction and nonfiction, and admittedly I've only read a handful of them, but the basic story is of course familiar to me. It's no real surprise that the wives have penetrated into pop culture as far as they have - I've spent several happy months listening to the Six soundtrack, for instance - because as a story it's got everything, hasn't it. Murder, treachery, lust, and all the women are so different to each other. It's hard not to have sympathy for them all, despite their flaws, though I admit to having none whatsoever for Henry. Fraser makes an attempt at being fair towards him, but even she can't hide the fact that he was a miserable human being.

It gives me great pleasure to picture his reaction if, in another world (or another genre) he was able to look forward in time and see how he's remembered. No doubt there would be tantrums and self-pity, but maybe his wives would feel a little vindicated. At least dead they don't have to put up with him.