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Summary
Summary
FROM SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR, PHILIPPA GREGORY, COMES A DEEPLY INTIMATE PORTRAYAL OF A WOMAN WHO LONGS FOR PASSION, POWER AND EDUCATION AT THE COURT OF A MEDIEVAL KILLER.
Why would a woman marry a serial killer?
Because she cannot refuse...
Kateryn Parr, a thirty-year-old widow in a secret affair with a new lover, has no choice when a man old enough to be her father who has buried four wives - King Henry VIII - commands her to marry him.
Kateryn has no doubt about the danger she faces: the previous queen lasted sixteen months, the one before barely half a year. But Henry adores his new bride and Kateryn's trust in him grows as she unites the royal family, creates a radical study circle at the heart of the court, and rules the kingdom as Regent.
But is this enough to keep her safe? A leader of religious reform and the first woman to publish in English, Kateryn stands out as an independent woman with a mind of her own. But she cannot save the Protestants, under threat for their faith, and Henry's dangerous gaze turns on her.The traditional churchmen and rivals for power accuse her of heresy - the punishment is death by fire and the king's name is on the warrant...
Praise for Philippa Gregory:
'Meticulously researched and deeply entertaining, this story of betrayal and divided loyalties is Gregory on top form' Good Housekeeping
'Gregory has popularised Tudor history perhaps more than any other living fiction writer...all of her books feature strong, complex women, doing their best to improve their lives in worlds dominated by men' Sunday Times
'Engrossing' Sunday Express
'Popular historical fiction at its finest, immaculately researched and superbly told' The Times
Author Notes
Philippa Gregory was born in Nairobi, Kenya on January 9, 1954. She received a B.A. in history at Sussex University in 1982 and a Ph.D. in 18th-century literature from the University of Edinburgh in 1984. She has taught at numerous universities and was made a fellow of Kingston University in 1994.
Her historical novels include: Wideacre, The Queen's Fool, The Virgin's Lover, The Constant Princess, The Boleyn Inheritance, The Other Queen, The White Queen, The Red Queen, The Lady of the Rivers and The White Princess. She has also written several contemporary fiction works including Perfectly Correct, The Little House and Zelda's Cut. She adapted her novel A Respectable Trade, about the slave trade in England, into a four-part series for BBC television. Her script won an award from the Committee for Racial Equality. She won the Feminist Book Fortnight Award in 1990 and the Romantic Novelist of the Year Award in 2002. Her book, The Other Boleyn Girl, won the Parker Romantic Novel of the Year award and was adapted into a major feature film in 2008 starring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson. The White Queen was adapted into an original cable series on the Starz nertwork in 2013 starring Max Irons and Rebecca Ferguson. Her title The Kings Curse made the New York Times bestseller list in 2014. Her title, The Taming of the Queen, made the New York Times bestseller list in 2015. Her latest bestseller is Three Sisters, Three Queens.
Gregory also writes children's books, is a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines, a frequent broadcaster for radio and television, and runs a small charity that builds wells in schoolyards in Gambia.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this absorbing Tudor historical, Gregory (The White Queen) traces the relationship between Henry VIII and Kateryn Parr, his sixth wife, from the time of the king's marriage proposal in 1543 until his death four years later. Kateryn is a beauty: learned, kind, twice-widowed yet young enough to bear the sons crucial to securing the succession; she is also passionately in love with another. Her dutiful tolerance of Henry's bad breath, corpulence, ulcerous leg, and fumblings in bed make pitiable the personal cost of his proposal. Gregory balances Kateryn's sensual responses to royal life-the smell of her predecessor's furs, the king's sweat-drenched clothing-with the religious controversy that dominated the 1540s. Initially naive to court factions, Parr is guided by her sister and develops enormous satisfaction from scholarly examination of the Bible. Expressing her own Reformist views when pro-Catholic forces are ascendant, Kateryn risks the king's extreme displeasure and is "tamed" to save her life; the process bleaches the marriage of its satisfactions. Tracing Kateryn's path to intellectual independence requires more religious discussion than some readers will prefer, but Gregory's portrait of the complex, aging king and his sensual, scholarly bride will satisfy Tudor enthusiasts. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Gregory's latest Tudor historical novel charts the surprisingly viable relationship between Henry VIII and Catherine (Kateryn) Parr. Catherine has the distinction of being the last of Henry's six wives and the only one to survive him, as his legal spouse, after his death. Compelled by fear and duty to marry Henry, despite being passionately in love with Thomas Seymour, she nevertheless forges a strong bond with both the increasingly ailing king and his three children. Of course, court conspiracies cannot be entirely avoided as Catherine's enemies (who else but staunch churchmen?) plot against her and attempt to undermine her influence on king, country, and church. In addition to her role as queen of England and Ireland, Catherine is a committed religious reformer, whose opinions and writings inspire charges of heresy that carry with them punishment by death. Although history tells us that Catherine eventually triumphed, Gregory does her usual excellent job of ratcheting up the intrigue and suspense as another intelligent and strong-willed heroine fights for her life and her legacy. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY:Both Gregory and the Tudors sell, so expect high demand for another rousing chapter in the Tudor dynasty featuring a refreshingly resilient heroine, who emerges with her head intact.--Flanagan, Margaret Copyright 2015 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Kateryn Parr is called to the court of King Henry VIII. She falls in love with Thomas Seymour and hopes for permission from the king to marry him. Instead, Henry commands that she will become the queen, his sixth wife. She submits because she must. The king, as head of the Church of England, instituted church reforms in years past, creating two religious factions: one supporting reform and one supporting the old ways. Kateryn supports Henry's ideas, and, with his blessing, she spends her free time studying, reading, and translating religious texts. She even writes and publishes her own book of prayers-the first woman to do so in English. Then, inexplicably and suddenly, the king is displeased with her independent thinking. He builds a case against her and is on the brink of arresting her for heresy when she begs his forgiveness. He punishes her through humiliation and fear and ultimately "tames" her. Gregory creates an insider's view of life in Henry's court and the pleasures and perils of the office of the queen. Beautifully read by Bianca Amato. -VERDICT Highly recommended for fans of the author's previous works and of historical fiction in general. ["Full of vivid details and fraught with the constant tension of a court run by a madman, this novel will appeal most to historical fiction readers and those who enjoyed Wolf Hall": LJ 7/15 starred review of the Pantheon hc.]-Joanna M. -Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Libs., Providence © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.