Title: Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen
Series: Six Tudor Queens (#1)
Author: Alison Weir
From: Netgalley
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: 5th May 2016
Challenges: 2016 Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge, 2016 New Release Challenge
Links: Goodreads - Amazon
After coming to England from Spain at a young age, Katherine of Aragon discovers a cold and distant husband in the Prince of Wales, Arthur, only for him to die before their marriage is consumated. Kept away from court, and from Prince Henry, her new betrothed, Kathrine learns to deal with hardship until the death of her father in law, King Henry VII, leads to her marrying the love of her life and becoming Queen of England. But history shows that Katherine's ending isn't a happy one...
It took me a long time to read Kathrine of Aragon, the True Queen, not because it wasn't good (because it definitely was) but because there was so much to it. The book tells the story of Katherine's life from her arrival in England to her death and a lot happened in that time. While her love for Henry is one focus of the book, there is plenty of politics, both of England itself and of Europe as a whole.
I thought that Weir's version of Katherine was actually quite naive for a long time. Even towards the end of the book where she should be more worldly because of what was done to her, she still thought it would work out okay. It actually worked really well with the events of Katherine's life, and especially when it came to her stubborn streak.
Katherine definitely had a lot of endearing traits. Her love for her husband and her daughter were strong and she was always trying to do what she thought was best. This even translated into positive thoughts towards Anne Boleyn (in the early stages that is!) which was mostly due to the people at court shielding her from it.
I thought that Weir's version of Katherine was a much more human one than many I've read and I liked that. Her world was rich and interesting and it created a fantastic reading experience.
Series: Six Tudor Queens (#1)
Author: Alison Weir
From: Netgalley
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: 5th May 2016
Challenges: 2016 Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge, 2016 New Release Challenge
Links: Goodreads - Amazon
After coming to England from Spain at a young age, Katherine of Aragon discovers a cold and distant husband in the Prince of Wales, Arthur, only for him to die before their marriage is consumated. Kept away from court, and from Prince Henry, her new betrothed, Kathrine learns to deal with hardship until the death of her father in law, King Henry VII, leads to her marrying the love of her life and becoming Queen of England. But history shows that Katherine's ending isn't a happy one...
It took me a long time to read Kathrine of Aragon, the True Queen, not because it wasn't good (because it definitely was) but because there was so much to it. The book tells the story of Katherine's life from her arrival in England to her death and a lot happened in that time. While her love for Henry is one focus of the book, there is plenty of politics, both of England itself and of Europe as a whole.
I thought that Weir's version of Katherine was actually quite naive for a long time. Even towards the end of the book where she should be more worldly because of what was done to her, she still thought it would work out okay. It actually worked really well with the events of Katherine's life, and especially when it came to her stubborn streak.
Katherine definitely had a lot of endearing traits. Her love for her husband and her daughter were strong and she was always trying to do what she thought was best. This even translated into positive thoughts towards Anne Boleyn (in the early stages that is!) which was mostly due to the people at court shielding her from it.
I thought that Weir's version of Katherine was a much more human one than many I've read and I liked that. Her world was rich and interesting and it created a fantastic reading experience.
