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A review by helenephoebe
Divorced, Beheaded, Survived: A Feminist Reinterpretation of the Wives of Henry VIII by Karen Lindsey
2.0
ISBN? - 9780201408232
General Subject/s? - History / Tudors / Women / Politics
Title? - Not really a feminist interpretation, more just a focus on the women rather than the men around them.
General Analysis? - Although the idea of a feminist history of the wives of Henry VIII was a good idea, I don't think Karen Lindsay executed it very well. Most of the book was vague, particularly for the wives where there is the most information available (Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn), and I felt that she didn't really know what she was talking about in parts. She didn't look at a very wide variety of primary sources, and tried to warp the source material to her own ends, looking for a feminist-positive conclusion. However, her writing was engaging and she did make some valid points about the evidence and the views of other historians.
Recommend? – Not the best history, with some obvious mistakes in places, but useful for an overview.
General Subject/s? - History / Tudors / Women / Politics
Title? - Not really a feminist interpretation, more just a focus on the women rather than the men around them.
General Analysis? - Although the idea of a feminist history of the wives of Henry VIII was a good idea, I don't think Karen Lindsay executed it very well. Most of the book was vague, particularly for the wives where there is the most information available (Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn), and I felt that she didn't really know what she was talking about in parts. She didn't look at a very wide variety of primary sources, and tried to warp the source material to her own ends, looking for a feminist-positive conclusion. However, her writing was engaging and she did make some valid points about the evidence and the views of other historians.
Recommend? – Not the best history, with some obvious mistakes in places, but useful for an overview.