A princess of Spain, Catalina is only sixteen years old when she sets foot on the shores of England. The youngest daughter of the powerful monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, Catalina is a coveted prize for a royal marriage - and Arthur, Prince of Wales, and heir to the English throne, has won her hand. But tragedy strikes and Catalina, now Princess Katherine, is betrothed to the future Henry VIII. She must wait for his coming-of-age, an ordeal that tests her resolve, casts doubt on her trusted confidantes, and turns her into a virtual prisoner. If this review bothers you personally or you think is unfair to the author or Katherine. That's great! If we are friends let's engage, otherwise, your opinions belong in your review. Haunting, moving and fascinating, Alison Weir takes us through the life of Catalina of Aragon, or Katherine as she becomes in England. At age 16 she is betrothed to the young Prince Arthur, who of course tragically dies of illness a short time after they wed. I actually enjoyed this portrait of Katherine from first arrival in England to her death. I'm a fan of the Tudor period. This was well written and easy light enjoyable reading.

Six Tudor Queens Series - Penguin Random House

All the Six Tudor Queens books are connected. IN fact, there are several overlaps between the stories they tell. For instance, it takes Anne Boleyn quite a while to enter the equation in the first novel. While this is considered a piece of fiction, any reader who knows their history or has devoured much of Weir's past work will realise that it is steeped in reality. As I read, I became aware that the 'fiction' moniker was placed there more to validate the detailed dialogue than a shuffling of facts to create a more dramatic story. Weir lays down a powerful narrative that flows effectively throughout Katherine's life and shows that while she was isolated from her Spanish parents, she held firm to protect herself and her daughter from Henry's self-centred approach to life. While long and highly detailed, Weir offers the reader an insightful look into the life of this first of Henry's six wives, perhaps the strongest advocate of them all. Weir brings Katherine of Aragon to life in this opening novel and leaves readers itching for the next instalment, sure to be filled with as much drama, bridging from the narrative peppered throughout this book. There is surely crossover material to be explored more thoroughly within the second novel, though Weir is able to secure focus on events from Katherine's perspective. This novel offers everything the reader could expect from perusing its title, with chapters full of anecdotes woven into powerful dialogue. Whether girl or woman, princess or queen, females are to be chaste and demure. A wife’s duty is to be silent, to put her husband’s image before hers, and to prioritize her husband’s needs before all else. “[T]he voices of women, even queens, counted for very little.” Even education is beyond reach, as teaching women is considered frivolous with emphasis directed, instead, on a woman being moral and pure. Katherine, a Spanish Princess, came to England to marry Arthur of Wales. But she ended up in King Henry VIII’s bed. For a time, Katherine was happy. She was Queen of England and her husband dearly loved her.

What I enjoyed is that Alison Weir wrote this from Katherine’s perspective. We get an eagle eye view of events unfolding in “real time”. From being deeply and happily in love with King Henry, to the betrayal that later followed, you can feel every wave of happiness and each stab of hurt and regret. This is a long book, 624p. I think that it does represent a very good representation of Katherine's viewpoint and also what it was like to be a queen 500 years ago. I was raised Roman Catholic and taught that Henry VIII's move to divorce Katherine was based on lust for Anne Boleyn. But the book makes clear Henry's fear that if he did not have a lawful son and heir, his country might descend into civil war when he died. He had an illegitimate son by a mistress, but his sons by Katherine died. He became convinced that he was cursed because he married his brother's widow. The battle of Bosworth, ending the civil war with Henry VII triumphant, took place in 1485, only 6 years before Henry VIII's birth. Henry VII impressed upon his sons the importance of carrying on on the royal lineage to avoid another civil war. Solo ed unicamente la Fede in Cristo e alla Chiesa Cattolica ha mosso così questa donna, non ha smosso ne ha ceduto la sua coscienza neanche sottomettendola al bene di sua figlia Maria, unica figlia vivente di Caterina ed Enrico... The heir to the throne, Henry’s affections for Katherine are initially quite true and strong. And Katherine’s fondness for her king knows no measure. But then politics, tradition, and religion eventually come into the mix, threatening the foundation Katherine and Henry had built.

Six Tudor Queens: Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen: Six Six Tudor Queens: Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen: Six

I found the last letter Catherine wrote to Henry heartbreaking and moving, but I leave you with the mystery and I invite you to read the book. I enjoyed reading this but Weir is not a natural novelist: where her historical writing is often dense and alive to the complications of the period, this fictional rendering of the life of Katherine is simple, uncomplicated and straightforward. It follows her life from the marriage negotiations with Henry VII through till her death and smooths out all the unknowable and, perhaps, most interesting things about her life: so here we know exactly what happened (or didn't) on her wedding night with Prince Arthur, for example.

Christmas Gifts

This is such superb writing. A definite must read for anyone who is new to the story of King Henry and his wives, or for someone who’d like to dip their toe in the water and read the story from another perspective. So events that were covered in Book One are also covered in Book Two but from the perspective of Anne Boleyn. Book Three also does this. Jane Seymour, who eventually replaces Anne as Queen, sees her story chronicled from her childhood all the way to her ascension to the throne.