Reviews

This was a little bit slow in places. But I loved Katharine. How she put up with Thomas Seymour is beyond me, though! What an awful husband he was! I think I'd have preferred Henry VIII to him, and that’s saying something!

rebekahy's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I love reading about the Tudors and didn't know much about Katherine Parr. This was an easy read for the most part but sometimes the politics are confusing!

lisabinder's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bec_wheels's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I personally feel that Katharine Parr is rather underrated as both a Queen and a woman. I think that she was one of Henry's most successful Queen's as she was able to repair the relationship between Henry and his daughters, getting them restored to the succession, avoided a plot to remove her, became the first published Queen and acted as regent in her own right which probably provided Elizabeth 1 with her model for queenship. This book is informative and emphasises how much of a strong and independent woman Katharine was as well as surprisingly highlighting how these woman were able to fall in love with Henry as he is portrayed as dangerous but gentle and kind at the same time.

ali2444's review against another edition

Go to review page

informative relaxing medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Alison Weir winds up her fictional study of Henry VIII's six wives with "Katharine Parr, the Sixth Wife." It's fictional because this is a novel, and because like so many women in the period, we only know the bare outlines of their lives. More is known about Katharine Parr than Kathryn Howard (whose birthdate is unknown) but there is still lot for a historian/novelist like Weir to fill in.

Katharine is different from the other wives in that there are fewer connivers around her, she was older, and she was more educated. By the time she met Henry, she had been widowed twice and was just about to announce her engagement to Thomas Seymour, a man with whom she had truly fallen in love. But when the King takes an interest, a woman cannot say no. Knowing that Henry was ill and did not have a long life ahead, they put their plans off.

The marriage of Katharine and Henry was a happy one. They liked each other, she did a lot of work to give his children a mother (although Mary was already 29) and create a warm household. Henry could discuss matters of religion with her, as long as she always conceded to his kingly knowledge. She took his New Religion to heart and even a step forward, believing that everyone had the right to read the Bible in their own language. This brought her closer to Lutheranism, and her enemies were listening at the keyhole.

Henry's other wives fell because of their passions, but Katharine approached the brink because of her intellect. There were many in Henry's court who wanted to return to Catholicism and kept sharp eyes out for people who got too close to the teaching to Martin Luther. Katharine and a number of her ladies gathered to read forbidden texts. With Henry's power waning, she came oh, so close, to being arrested and burned.

But she wasn't. After Henry's death, she secretly marries Tom Seymour before her mourning period is out. And, after being married to three other men with no issue, she becomes pregnant. If you need another sad Tudor story, look into what happened to their little girl, Mary, after Katharine dies in childbed and Seymour is executed for treason.

Alison Weir, what historical period will you take on next to weave into novels? I've enjoyed every book in this series and am excited to find out!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this excellent series.

~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader

midnightstory's review against another edition

Go to review page

informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

More...