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ClareR (5726 KP) rated Six Tudor Queens: Katharine Parr, The Sixth Wife in Books

May 23, 2021  
Six Tudor Queens: Katharine Parr, The Sixth Wife
Six Tudor Queens: Katharine Parr, The Sixth Wife
Alison Weir | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
9
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Katherine Parr’s book in this series of Henry VIII’s six wives was a really immersive read. She’s always seen as the wife who made it: the wife who escaped, lived after Henry died. And she’s certainly portrayed as a genuinely nice person - someone who I’d certainly be happy to sit down and talk to. She’s approachable, mature beyond her years as a young woman, and constantly loyal to all of her husbands (but they did have a habit of dying on her).

It’s clear that Alison Weir did loads of research on Katherine’s childhood and early years, and it was so interesting to learn more about that part of her life. Usually, any of Henry VIII’s wives are only spoken about in relation to their marriage. But Katherine Parr certainly lived in the years before Henry. She was a dutiful, supportive wife to both of her husbands before Henry, and had happy marriages - but no children. She didn’t have children with Henry either. It must have been a great sadness for her. I loved reading about the relationships she had with all of her stepchildren, and how she convinced Henry to re-establish Mary and Elizabeth in the succession. Not so good in Mary’s case (she wasn’t nicknamed Bloody Mary for nothing), better in Elizabeth’s. Indeed, Mary and Elizabeth seem genuinely fond of Katherine, and both even live with her for a time.

Things don’t run smoothly for Katherine - the knives are out for her whilst she is Queen, and remain out after Henry’s death. So when she marries the man that she truly loves after Henry’s death - without permission - there is scandal.

This is a captivating chunk of a book. I do enjoy a big, historical book, and this delivers in spades. I loved it!

Many thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for my ARC of this book.