Brenna B. (demiducky25) reviewed on 5/27/2009 + 161 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

I've become very interested in learning more about the Tudors ever since reading The Other Boleyn Girl (as I'm sure many people have become), so reading this book sounded perfect to me! Catherine Parr first came into my life during my first year of teaching when another teacher gave me a transparency slide to use when going over the wives of Henry VIII. I thought it was interesting that this last wife had been married four times in her 36 years of life and that she is typically given credit for bringing Mary and Elizabeth back into the line of succession. So I was excited to find out that there was a historical fiction book out there about her life. Overall, I liked this book. It sheds some light on Henry's last wife, who had a pretty interesting life herself if most of the major events in this book are true. I'm not too knowledgeable about Catherine's life, but a few major things were "out of wack" (Her first husband was more than likely in his 50s or 60s according to some sources I consulted, but in this book he's a teenager like her! Also, her sister-in-law in this book seems to be more of an amalgam of her sister-in-law and a religious preacher that the real Catherine was acquainted with). In this story, Catherine makes note of the changing world of England around her. After all, Henry was king for as long as she could remember, so she, as did the rest of the nation, followed his succession of wives with interest. Her mother was a lady-in-waiting to Henry's first wife (also named Catherine), so her connection to the crown starts early. It then leads into Catherine's first and second marriages, and how those shaped her life for when she would eventually marry her third husband, King Henry VIII. Historical fallacies aside, this was an interesting read! :-)

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details