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jacqiesbooks's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sheritolley's review against another edition
3.0
I thought this was an interesting story about this time period. We always hear about Anne Boelyn and the other wives.
reytru1065's review
4.0
A wonderful tale of Catherine Parr, I love the Tudor reign and was not disappointed with this story. Henry VIII was portrayed in a light I don't usually see with my other historical fiction reads. It's not common to see him vulnerable or even affectionate. Well done!
mallaidhsomo's review against another edition
3.0
I have a weird fascination with historical families. I could care less about the modern day royals and what they're up to, but the Tudors.....
As for this book.... Not bad. Not great either. Carolly Erickson is kind of hit/miss for me with her historical fiction. You can never really know what a historical figure was actually like, and I realize that some liberties have to be taken, but in my head there was a different version of Catherine Parr than Erickson portrayed... at least at the end.
I always pictured Catherine Parr as a level headed, shrewd woman who did what she needed to do to survive. And she was that. But she also came across as a lovesick fool, and it was obvious to the reader that Tom Seymore was a giant peaturkey who was just using Catherine for her position and money. For some reason, Catherine fell for it, up until the bitter end. It made the ending more depressing than it needed to be.
As for this book.... Not bad. Not great either. Carolly Erickson is kind of hit/miss for me with her historical fiction. You can never really know what a historical figure was actually like, and I realize that some liberties have to be taken, but in my head there was a different version of Catherine Parr than Erickson portrayed... at least at the end.
I always pictured Catherine Parr as a level headed, shrewd woman who did what she needed to do to survive. And she was that. But she also came across as a lovesick fool, and it was obvious to the reader that Tom Seymore was a giant peaturkey who was just using Catherine for her position and money. For some reason, Catherine fell for it, up until the bitter end. It made the ending more depressing than it needed to be.
shivvyslibrary's review against another edition
3.0
'The Last Wife of Henry VIII' by Carolly Erickson is a book that I have been looking to buy for ages, but I never managed to find out until I downloaded the Audible app and got a free trail. This was one of the books that I first bought on Audible!
This book centres around the life of Henry's sixth and final wife; Catherine Parr from her childhood in the court of the young Henry VIII, to becoming his last wife, to her life after the king's death until her unfortunate death. This author manages to capture the atmosphere and liveliness of the Tudor Court but also brings historical figures to live in a well-rounded way, where you can sympathise, hate, love, admire and loathe different characters.
The first part of the book focuses on Catherine as a child living with her mother and begins with Catherine witnessing the spectacle that was held in France in 1520; The Field of Cloth of Gold. I really like this perspective, as many historical fiction books that I have read on Catherine Parr, they begin with her second marriage and continue from there, but it was immense to be able to read about her from when she was a young child, and to be able to read about historical events from her point of view. It is also interesting as it shows Catherine having a familiar relationship with her namesake; Catherine of Aragon but this made sense as Catherine's mother Maud was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine whilst she was married to Henry VIII.
I do not know much about Catherine's first marriage, but from what I have read on Wikipedia and from reading about Catherine, sadly I do not think it was a love match as it was portrayed in the novel. The love between Catherine and her first husband Edward Burgh (who in the novel was nicknamed Ned) was really sweet to read and I must admit, I did actually shed a little tear when he died as I felt really emotional for Catherine with everything that she suffered within the last couple of months before Ned sadly died. Although, one thing that I shall point out in the novel, that before Catherine and Ned married, Catherine was originally supposed to marry Ned's grandfather, but she refused and in the end, went to the king to make sure that she married the man she loved. This possibly could have happened at some point during the Tudor period, but it definitely didn't happen for Catherine, she had to marry who she was told to marry.
That is another issue that I struggled to get my head around throughout the novel, is Henry VIII's relationship with Catherine Parr. In reality and in the novel, Catherine Parr was a lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon, but in the novel, it shows Catherine being a lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn as well (which isn't true!). With Catherine being a lady-in-waiting, it would inevitable that Henry and Catherine would cross paths, but the author depicted Henry taking a liking to Catherine after the first time of meeting her, and whenever Catherine needed something done for her, which she was not able to find a solution for, she would always run to the king to help her, and help her he did! I just felt frustrated every time there was a description of Henry VIII licking his lips whilst staring at Catherine.
Another bugbear of mine was when Catherine was married to John Neville, Baron Latimer, from what I understand, whilst she was married to John Neville, there was a lot of unrest especially during the Pilgrimage of Grace, when Catherine was held hostage with her stepchildren and probably was worried that she would be killed. However,. With reading about Catherine and how seriously she took her faith, I think that it is definitely far-fetched that Catherine would have cheated on her husband at all, and definitely not with a stranger that she hardly knew anything about!
There are many characters throughout the novel that were highly unlikable, such as Ned Burgh's father, who was very controlling and did not take kindly to his son being given greater favour than him, but also the fact that Catherine went behind his back to the king to get what she wanted; to marry Ned. Prince Edward, even though he was very young when his mother died, he comes across very spoilt as his father gives into him a lot and this is clear in one scene when Catherine is forced to hand over one of his wedding presents as Edward takes a liking to it. Also, Anne Boleyn was portrayed as a vain, arrogant, rude woman who took an instant dislike to Catherine Parr, but as I have previously discussed earlier in this review, that that is highly unlikely!
It turns out that the mysterious Tom, is none other than Thomas Seymour, Jane Seymour's brother which makes him a brother-in-law to the King of England and uncle to Prince Edward. At first, Catherine and Thomas's relationship is very sweet, loving and caring, but I always had that feeling that Thomas could not be trusted, that he was holding a secret to his chest. It becomes quite sad to read towards the end of the book with Thomas's actions towards the Princess Elizabeth, as it would be viewed differently from 21st century eyes, but was seen as normal back in the 16th century. It must of been heartbreaking for Catherine, to see the man that she loved for many years, the man she was denied to marry as the king became enchanted and besotted by her, who she longed for, was now interested in Princess Elizabeth, rather than who she was but for what she could bring him; closer to the English Throne. You cannot help but feel for Catherine right at the end of the book, as she would have looked forward to being pregnant especially when she must have believed that she would never have a child of her own, but would be happy to look after any of her husband's children. It goes incredibly sour with between her and her husband after Thomas's behaviour with Elizabeth, but you cannot help but feel emotional whilst she lays dying from childbed fever after giving birth to her only child, a daughter; Mary. She becomes delirious accusing Thomas of a multitude of things, but it must of been such a scary time for her, knowing that she was going to leave behind her only child that she had been longing for over the years, she would never see her child grow up, but also once she died, would Thomas remarry straightaway? but the better question would be; who would he marry?
I did enjoy this book for what it was; a historical fiction book, meaning that the author did play around with dates, historical figures and events. Although there were many parts that irritated me and I wished that it had been written differently, it was still an enjoyable book.
This book centres around the life of Henry's sixth and final wife; Catherine Parr from her childhood in the court of the young Henry VIII, to becoming his last wife, to her life after the king's death until her unfortunate death. This author manages to capture the atmosphere and liveliness of the Tudor Court but also brings historical figures to live in a well-rounded way, where you can sympathise, hate, love, admire and loathe different characters.
The first part of the book focuses on Catherine as a child living with her mother and begins with Catherine witnessing the spectacle that was held in France in 1520; The Field of Cloth of Gold. I really like this perspective, as many historical fiction books that I have read on Catherine Parr, they begin with her second marriage and continue from there, but it was immense to be able to read about her from when she was a young child, and to be able to read about historical events from her point of view. It is also interesting as it shows Catherine having a familiar relationship with her namesake; Catherine of Aragon but this made sense as Catherine's mother Maud was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine whilst she was married to Henry VIII.
I do not know much about Catherine's first marriage, but from what I have read on Wikipedia and from reading about Catherine, sadly I do not think it was a love match as it was portrayed in the novel. The love between Catherine and her first husband Edward Burgh (who in the novel was nicknamed Ned) was really sweet to read and I must admit, I did actually shed a little tear when he died as I felt really emotional for Catherine with everything that she suffered within the last couple of months before Ned sadly died. Although, one thing that I shall point out in the novel, that before Catherine and Ned married, Catherine was originally supposed to marry Ned's grandfather, but she refused and in the end, went to the king to make sure that she married the man she loved. This possibly could have happened at some point during the Tudor period, but it definitely didn't happen for Catherine, she had to marry who she was told to marry.
That is another issue that I struggled to get my head around throughout the novel, is Henry VIII's relationship with Catherine Parr. In reality and in the novel, Catherine Parr was a lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon, but in the novel, it shows Catherine being a lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn as well (which isn't true!). With Catherine being a lady-in-waiting, it would inevitable that Henry and Catherine would cross paths, but the author depicted Henry taking a liking to Catherine after the first time of meeting her, and whenever Catherine needed something done for her, which she was not able to find a solution for, she would always run to the king to help her, and help her he did! I just felt frustrated every time there was a description of Henry VIII licking his lips whilst staring at Catherine.
Another bugbear of mine was when Catherine was married to John Neville, Baron Latimer, from what I understand, whilst she was married to John Neville, there was a lot of unrest especially during the Pilgrimage of Grace, when Catherine was held hostage with her stepchildren and probably was worried that she would be killed. However,
Spoiler
in the novel she meets a 'mysterious' man who she only knew as Tom and she began building up a relationship with him which leads up to Catherine sleeping with Tom and having an affairThere are many characters throughout the novel that were highly unlikable, such as Ned Burgh's father, who was very controlling and did not take kindly to his son being given greater favour than him, but also the fact that Catherine went behind his back to the king to get what she wanted; to marry Ned. Prince Edward, even though he was very young when his mother died, he comes across very spoilt as his father gives into him a lot and this is clear in one scene when Catherine is forced to hand over one of his wedding presents as Edward takes a liking to it. Also, Anne Boleyn was portrayed as a vain, arrogant, rude woman who took an instant dislike to Catherine Parr, but as I have previously discussed earlier in this review, that that is highly unlikely!
I did enjoy this book for what it was; a historical fiction book, meaning that the author did play around with dates, historical figures and events. Although there were many parts that irritated me and I wished that it had been written differently, it was still an enjoyable book.
ineedglasses's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
elisergray's review against another edition
3.0
This book was better than her other one that I read yesterday, The Favored Queen (about Jane Seymour). There were, however, a bunch of historical inaccuracies that I frustrated me (like her rough relationships with Henry's children--apparently, they actually got along quite well, with the exception of Catherine's fourth husband's flirtations with Elizabeth). I did like being able to see ALL of Henry's wives from Catherine's point of view. I felt like there was a little bit of distinction between Jane Seymour and Catherine Parr's narrations and characters, but not much. I felt that there was more detail in this book, but by the end, I felt that I was very "done" with Henry VIII and all of his wives for the time being.
egioia's review against another edition
4.0
Well written and interesting, but it glossed over a lot of the history.
valoriedalton's review
3.0
I picked up Erickon’s The Last Wife of Henry VIII because Barnes and Noble had yet to receive that newest issue of Fangoria Magazine and I did not want to go home. I found myself at a shelf of historical fiction about the wives of kings, a simple endcap with about six books on it. I chose Erickson’s after reading the backs of a few-- I went for Erickson because she had a background in history, which I felt the book would benefit from.
The Last Wife of Henry VIII is about Catherine Parr, the wife of King Henry VIII. She was the only one to escape death, exile and divorce at his hand. The novel follows Catherine through her life from girlhood to death. It recounts her four marriages, not all true to life, to Ned Burgh, John Neville, King Henry VIII, and finally Tom Seymour. Throughout the book, Catherine experiences much tragedy as she loses family, husbands, children, and homes. Always in the background is the King and his doings, told through the perspective of Catherine and other sources of information. Wives are disposed of one after the other and the King courts Catherine through the entire novel until their marriage. She does emotional battle and engages in struggles for power with relatives and other members of court, which causes her much distress and adds to the drama of the novel. Yes, this book gives Catherine Parr and very full, very exciting, and very dramatic life.
I wasn’t too long into the book that I had to apply one of the most important historical fiction rules: when reading historical fiction, keep in mind that it’s not non-fiction and will therefore be less bound by the responsibility of accuracy and neutrality. Historical fiction may take as many liberties as it pleases to tell an interesting story, which Erickson certainly does in this novel. Historical fiction is usually based on the life of an important figure or on historical events, though not with the promise of total truth. Fiction is fiction, even with you tack on the word ‘historical’ in front of it. To anyone unfamiliar with Tudor history, the story flows easy. For anyone who knows a little something about the Tudors, some of the inaccuracies or displays of character are a bit unsettling.
For example, Catherine did not marry young Ned Burgh, though Erickson writes that he was her one true love. Also, Tom Seymour did not try to usurp the crown through starting his own army and waging a personal war. These things are added for romantic and dramatic effect only.
What especially annoyed me was that when married to Henry VIII, the novel Catherine Parr was silly and stupid enough to commit adultery. Clearly she had not been paying enough attention when other wives were executed for that very crime. It seemed out of character that such an intelligent and steady headed woman would give in to something so dangerous and, well, stupid.
Was this a good book?
Yes. I couldn’t put it down. The drama was great, the romances were hot, and the intrigues were very intriguing. I enjoyed the book and hope to find more of Erickson’s works. Fortunately, while I enjoy picking through historical fiction and determining its accuracy, I don’t get upset or overly bothered when a book is very inaccurate.
The Last Wife of Henry VIII is about Catherine Parr, the wife of King Henry VIII. She was the only one to escape death, exile and divorce at his hand. The novel follows Catherine through her life from girlhood to death. It recounts her four marriages, not all true to life, to Ned Burgh, John Neville, King Henry VIII, and finally Tom Seymour. Throughout the book, Catherine experiences much tragedy as she loses family, husbands, children, and homes. Always in the background is the King and his doings, told through the perspective of Catherine and other sources of information. Wives are disposed of one after the other and the King courts Catherine through the entire novel until their marriage. She does emotional battle and engages in struggles for power with relatives and other members of court, which causes her much distress and adds to the drama of the novel. Yes, this book gives Catherine Parr and very full, very exciting, and very dramatic life.
I wasn’t too long into the book that I had to apply one of the most important historical fiction rules: when reading historical fiction, keep in mind that it’s not non-fiction and will therefore be less bound by the responsibility of accuracy and neutrality. Historical fiction may take as many liberties as it pleases to tell an interesting story, which Erickson certainly does in this novel. Historical fiction is usually based on the life of an important figure or on historical events, though not with the promise of total truth. Fiction is fiction, even with you tack on the word ‘historical’ in front of it. To anyone unfamiliar with Tudor history, the story flows easy. For anyone who knows a little something about the Tudors, some of the inaccuracies or displays of character are a bit unsettling.
For example, Catherine did not marry young Ned Burgh, though Erickson writes that he was her one true love. Also, Tom Seymour did not try to usurp the crown through starting his own army and waging a personal war. These things are added for romantic and dramatic effect only.
What especially annoyed me was that when married to Henry VIII, the novel Catherine Parr was silly and stupid enough to commit adultery. Clearly she had not been paying enough attention when other wives were executed for that very crime. It seemed out of character that such an intelligent and steady headed woman would give in to something so dangerous and, well, stupid.
Was this a good book?
Yes. I couldn’t put it down. The drama was great, the romances were hot, and the intrigues were very intriguing. I enjoyed the book and hope to find more of Erickson’s works. Fortunately, while I enjoy picking through historical fiction and determining its accuracy, I don’t get upset or overly bothered when a book is very inaccurate.
kmoses87's review against another edition
3.0
I always love historical fiction and this is by one of my favorite authors. I enjoyed the story up until the point where King Henry died. The romance between Catherine and Tom was awful. I couldn't see why she loved him, except that he was hot and good in bed. She was so oblivious to his lies that it was frustrating. Even when she found him sneaking into Elizabeth's room! I took your calling him Tom Riddle since he seems to be able to control people as well as Voldemort.