My mom first bought this book a few weeks ago after becoming obsessed with Tudor history because of the HBO series, The Tudors. I’ve been watching the show since it first aired. I’ve been bugging my mom to watch it, so this summer she started. We had a marathon over three days of the first season. The series was on Netflix, so my mom and I would sit in front of my computer and watch it diligently. When the Internet would slow or act up, we would curse it.
There is something ever so fascinating about Henry VIII’s life and all of his wives. Each one was very different and he always desired a new characteristic after being done with one wife, such as a more virtuous woman. After reading this novel, my mom thrust the book in my hands and said, “You HAVE to read this.” I finished the novel in three days and absolutely loved it. There are other books written by Alison Weir detailing Elizabeth I’s life and Henry VIII. The way Alison writes sucks one into the book and you feel as if you’re there in history witnessing the details before your eyes. She takes care to explain who each person is and how they are related either to Henry, one of his wives or one of his children. She is very specific about the type of gowns the queens wore and describes the gowns down to the cloth type. She tries to use primary resources in this historical biography. If she cites another source, she is careful to point out that it’s either credited or not based on specific criteria. The book is about 600 pages, but well worth the read. She gives as detailed history as possible about each wife and what caused their downfalls.
About the book (taken from Borders) – Weir has tirelessly made her way through the entire labyrinth of Tudor history to tell the collective story of the six wives of Henry VIII–a vivid, full-blooded portrait of six very different women–in a work of sound and brilliant scholarship.
What the critics think (taken from Borders) - The tempestuous, bloody, and splendid reign of Henry VIII of England (1509-1547) is one of the most fascinating in all history, not least for his marriage to six extraordinary women. In this accessible work of brilliant scholarship, Alison Weir draws on early biographies, letters, memoirs, account books, and diplomatic reports to bring these women to life. Catherine of Aragon emerges as a staunch though misguided woman of principle; Anne Boleyn, an ambitious adventuress with a penchant for vengeance; Jane Seymour, a strong-minded matriarch in the making; Anne of Cleves, a good-natured and innocent woman naively unaware of the court intrigues that determined her fate; Catherine Howard, an empty-headed wanton; and Catherine Parr, a warm-blooded bluestocking who survived King Henry to marry a fourth time.
Go out and get the book!
Currently listening – “Don’t Frighten the Crane” – Huun Huur Tu
Current location – Columbia, Missouri
♥ - Erin
