|
While she may be right (or wrong) about Jane Boleyn, she presented a vivid characterization. I admired Anne of Cleves and felt truly heart-sick about poor Catherine Howard. After reading Julia Fox's dismal book about Jane Boleyn, I realized just what a great job Gregory did with the same material. I've done quite a bit of reading and research about Tudor history, but this book challenged me to learn more, especially about Anne of Cleves. While everything in this book is not 100% historically accurate, Gregory fleshed out her characters very well - and made them truly come to life.
Would highly recommend for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. Her narratives are very insightful and make it easy to visualize each character. Thoroughly enjoyed this as I have Ms. Gregory's other writings of this time period.
I know so little about the 4th wive, and I was delighted to have that perspective.However, once the king marries Katherine Howard, the story goes downhill and becomes incredibly repetitive and filled with the exhaustive, melodramatic lamentations of these three women. This is the first P. I would still recommend it to certain people. This book would have been fine had it been shortened to about half its length.All in all, not a bad book ~ just over long. Gregory book I've read and was disappointed. It seems, at times, as though it should be on the juvenile shelf.I give it a 3 because I do like the fact that it's told from the viewpoint of three completely different women, and I really like that it gives one a glimpse into what it could have been like for Anne of Cleves.
Couldn't put it down. But the story drew me in, and even though I knew basically what was coming, it was fascinating to read. I have read a few of Gregory's books, and enjoyed them. I am not well-schooled in the history of the times, so I had a little trouble keeping track at the beginning of the book, being that it is written from 3 different viewpoints and I wasn't familiar with the women.
The novel, simply put, is not well written. The final execution scene was really sad - Katherine was a ditz who really did not ask to mary Henry and did as she was told. The first half was dreadful. It was repetitive and trite. I like my historical fiction to be more about politics rather than scandal. Gregory does a great job in giving a reader the sense of terror that Henry's wives felt when they could not win his favor.
Phillipa Gregory is a mediocre writer. This novel is about the 4th and 5th wives of Henry VIII. She also did an ok job with characterizing Katherine Howard. I also think her portrayal of Anne of Cleves was plausible, explaining why she would have married Henry and why she was willing to agree that she was precontracted. Gregory did a good job of conveying her self-importance and her delusions about the role she played in her sister-in-law and husband's downfall. It is told in the first person with the narrative shifting in each chapter between Anne of Cleves (#4, a younger sister of the Duke of Cleves), Katherine Howard (#5, an impoverished much younger cousin of the ill-fated Anne Boleyn and niece of the powerful Duke of Norfolk), and Jane Boleyn (the mentally unbalanced wife of Anne's brother George - the one who gave the testimony which Henry relied on to have Anne and George beheaded for incest). For whatever reason, she's had great commercial success as a writer of historical fiction. However, I am usually disappointed in her books.
I'm sure there is something else out there. I felt for her. Katherine was presented as flighty and an unapolagetic teenage floozy. However, Anne was a boring character and I didn't really care much about her. Gregory really pounded home (really really pounded home) the reminder that Henry was fat, flatulent, and had a festering wound on his leg.
I can't really think of a better one about Anne of Cleves - I haven't read anything about her before. I couldn't really relate to any of the three women. I thought that Rose Without a Thorn was a better portrayal of Katherine Howard. This one was no exception. I think her characterization of Jane Boleyn was good too.
Really, I can't tell you how many descriptions the various characters gave of Henry's stink. The second half was much better though - hence the 3 star rating. I think she created an interesting picture of the sycophantic court and clearly showed that Henry was severely disturbed and had an innacurate sense of self.
|
