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hayleysbooks13's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
burningupasun's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. It was fine! I think I would have liked it more if Katharine Parr hadn't been so religious. The protestant stuff was so heavy in this book, compared to all the other wives, except maybe Katherine of Aragon (and for her it was Catholicism). I got tired of hearing about the will of god, lol, but I guess it was just par for the course at the time. Also I might have liked it more if the man she was in love with and waiting for all that time wasn't such a creepy dick. Still a good glimpse into the Tudor court at that time, and Henry VIII's last wife.
alexisdpatt's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“Katherine Parr: The Sixth Wife” by Alison Weir ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Katherine Parr” is the sixth and final book in Weir’s Six Wives series and follows Katherine through her life before her marriage to the king, her queenship and then her life as Dowager Queen of England.
For the final time, Weir’s writing is brilliant and easily digestible for readers who are both new and familiar to this time period. When it comes to Katherine Parr, it’s been refreshing to see how she out of all of the queens led a pretty normal and full life before her marriage to Henry VIII.
The English reformation is in full swing in this book. Throughout the rest of the series, it’s been a small factor but with Katherine being a true Reformer and covertly trying to persuade the king of reformed ideals was interesting to watch because it really hones in on the fact that Henry VIII wasn’t a Protestant. He was a Catholic and only broke with Rome so he could get what he wanted. He never really left the “true faith.” Here, Katherine thinks she can sway him as Anne Boleyn did, but unfortunately for her, Henry has nothing to gain by doing this. Really makes me wish “Firebrand” was a better film though.
I was really enjoying this book until I wasn’t which was the last fourth and it’s for incredibly personal reasons; I hate Thomas Seymour. I’ve already ranted about how boring his sister Jane was (I basically can’t stand any member of that family) but Thomas is a piece of shit and I hate him. I’m truly annoyed that Katherine had to go and die in childbed six months before Thomas’s execution just so I could feel something other than rage in these last few chapters.
All in all I really enjoyed this series! It was a lot to get though but well worth the wait. Final rating: 4.08
lizroperr's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
underwaterlily's review against another edition
4.0
I’m reading Alison Weir’s Tudor Queens series out of order. (I started with Katheryn Howard, The Scandalous Queen.) Katharine Parr, the Sixth Wife was published in 2020; as a result, I see parallels between depicted outbreaks of sweating sickness and the COVID-19 pandemic. Katharine’s story is a sad one, losing her father early on to the sweat. She then loses two husbands, her mother, and a beloved stepdaughter, all to various sixteenth century illnesses. Katharine mourns the children she fears she’ll never have, along with her first real love, the rakish Thomas Seymour, whom she gives up in order to marry Henry VIII. The tyrant-king is surprisingly kind to Katharine, and she grows fond of him, though she's aware he could execute her at any moment—for her past romance, for her secret Protestant faith, or because it's Tuesday. She has enemies at court, including a powerful Catholic bishop, Stephen Gardiner. When Henry VIII dies, Katharine isn't informed for several days. She realizes she's lost the opportunity to take charge of young King Edward's education, but she delights in the freedom to finally marry her great love. Alas, Katharine gains even more enemies (including the Princess Mary) for remarrying so soon after Henry VIII's death. Thomas Seymour cheats on her, of course (with Princess Elizabeth, no less), and Katharine ultimately dies giving birth to her longed-for first child, a daughter, Mary, now lost to history. My heart aches for this long-dead queen.
worldsunlikeourown's review against another edition
4.0
Find this review and more on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own.
Katharine Parr has lost two husbands, and for the first time, is in love. But no sooner than she and Sir Thomas Seymour make plans to wed, it becomes clear that King Henry is determined to win her hand. One does not refuse a King, and so Katharine has no choice but to become his sixth Queen. She is already in a precarious position, as illustrated by the five women before her, but her views on religious reform make it even more dangerous. The Tudor court is much the same as ever though, and her enemies are waiting for her to make a misstep.
I’ve been a huge fan of Alison Weir’s works for several years, and every successive installment in this series has been one I look forward reading each year ever since it first began, as the Tudor era is one I am quite obsessed with when it comes to historical fiction. Unlike some of the other books in this series, Katharine Parr’s story is one I am more familiar with. However, since most books about Katharine begin at or very shortly before her marriage to Henry, there was still so much new information to discover here. This book depicted much of her childhood, which I haven’t seen in other books about her, and also her first two marriages in much detail. Katharine Parr is probably my favourite of the six queens, because, as this book portrays, there was so much more to her than being the one who survived being married to Henry. She was a well-educated, intelligent woman, and the arc of how she came to appreciate religious reform was handled in a manner that was easy to understand without being overwhelming which I really appreciated as I have found it to be an issue in a few other books about her.
The first half of the book moved rather slowly in my opinion, even though much of the content was new to me. Katharine spends most of the time away from court where all the excitement, so to speak, is. Having seen these events through the first five books, where each queen was right in the thick of things, it was odd to hear of it as Katharine did, through letters and word of mouth, as few of these happenings had any direct effect on her life at all. The story thus initially spends a lot of time on her day to day life, which has its interesting parts, but was boring at times. The narrative really picks up following that however, and becomes much more engaging as we follow Katharine through her time as Queen of England, handling the aging, volatile Henry and building a beautiful bond with her new stepchildren and into her fourth and final marriage. I always found it unfortunate that after three marriages of duty, Katharine finally found a little happiness with someone she chose only for it to be so short lived.
I’m quite sad that this series is over, but I’m looking forward to seeing what Alison Weir writes next as I have no doubt I will be reading it no matter what. Katharine Parr: The Sixth Wife was a wonderful final installment to an amazing series. These books are so well researched and the stories of these Queens so beautifully depicted, they make for a thoroughly enjoyable read. I would highly recommend this series for all historical fiction fans, and in particular, those interested in the Tudor era.
Katharine Parr has lost two husbands, and for the first time, is in love. But no sooner than she and Sir Thomas Seymour make plans to wed, it becomes clear that King Henry is determined to win her hand. One does not refuse a King, and so Katharine has no choice but to become his sixth Queen. She is already in a precarious position, as illustrated by the five women before her, but her views on religious reform make it even more dangerous. The Tudor court is much the same as ever though, and her enemies are waiting for her to make a misstep.
I’ve been a huge fan of Alison Weir’s works for several years, and every successive installment in this series has been one I look forward reading each year ever since it first began, as the Tudor era is one I am quite obsessed with when it comes to historical fiction. Unlike some of the other books in this series, Katharine Parr’s story is one I am more familiar with. However, since most books about Katharine begin at or very shortly before her marriage to Henry, there was still so much new information to discover here. This book depicted much of her childhood, which I haven’t seen in other books about her, and also her first two marriages in much detail. Katharine Parr is probably my favourite of the six queens, because, as this book portrays, there was so much more to her than being the one who survived being married to Henry. She was a well-educated, intelligent woman, and the arc of how she came to appreciate religious reform was handled in a manner that was easy to understand without being overwhelming which I really appreciated as I have found it to be an issue in a few other books about her.
The first half of the book moved rather slowly in my opinion, even though much of the content was new to me. Katharine spends most of the time away from court where all the excitement, so to speak, is. Having seen these events through the first five books, where each queen was right in the thick of things, it was odd to hear of it as Katharine did, through letters and word of mouth, as few of these happenings had any direct effect on her life at all. The story thus initially spends a lot of time on her day to day life, which has its interesting parts, but was boring at times. The narrative really picks up following that however, and becomes much more engaging as we follow Katharine through her time as Queen of England, handling the aging, volatile Henry and building a beautiful bond with her new stepchildren and into her fourth and final marriage. I always found it unfortunate that after three marriages of duty, Katharine finally found a little happiness with someone she chose only for it to be so short lived.
I’m quite sad that this series is over, but I’m looking forward to seeing what Alison Weir writes next as I have no doubt I will be reading it no matter what. Katharine Parr: The Sixth Wife was a wonderful final installment to an amazing series. These books are so well researched and the stories of these Queens so beautifully depicted, they make for a thoroughly enjoyable read. I would highly recommend this series for all historical fiction fans, and in particular, those interested in the Tudor era.
akahawkeye's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
broraruth's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0