Bestselling author and acclaimed historian Alison Weir tells the tragic story of Henry VIII’s fifth wife, a nineteen-year-old beauty with a hidden past, in this fifth novel in the sweeping Six Tudor Queens series.“A vivid re-creation of a Tudor tragedy.”—Kirkus Reviews In the spring of 1540, Henry VIII is desperate to be rid of his unappealing German queen, Anna of Kleve. A prematurely aged and … queen, Anna of Kleve. A prematurely aged and ailing forty-nine, with an ever-growing waistline, he casts an amorous eye on a pretty nineteen-year-old brunette, Katheryn Howard. Like her cousin Anne Boleyn, Katheryn is a niece of the Duke of Norfolk, England’s premier Catholic peer, who is scheming to replace Anna of Kleve with a good Catholic queen. A flirtatious, eager participant in the life of the royal court, Katheryn readily succumbs to the king’s attentions when she is intentionally pushed into his path by her ambitious family.
Henry quickly becomes besotted and is soon laying siege to Katheryn’s virtue. But as instructed by her relations, she holds out for marriage and the wedding takes place a mere fortnight after the king’s union to Anna is annulled. Henry tells the world his new bride is a rose without a thorn, and extols her beauty and her virtue, while Katheryn delights in the pleasures of being queen and the rich gifts her adoring husband showers upon her: the gorgeous gowns, the exquisite jewels, and the darling lap-dogs. She comes to love the ailing, obese king, enduring his nightly embraces with fortitude and kindness. If she can bear him a son, her triumph will be complete. But Katheryn has a past of which Henry knows nothing, and which comes back increasingly to haunt her—even as she courts danger yet again. What happens next to this naïve and much-wronged girl is one of the saddest chapters in English history.
more
I have been reading Alison Weir’s Queens series, and realize that I have neglected to review them. They are all really wonderful, of course! So well researched and with an accessible writing voice, which is the best combination for historical fiction, in my opinion. I did not intend to start with the one I liked least-I promised to come back and review the others I have read!
Katheryn Howard, the Scandalous Queen, was just that. After having read several other books in the series, I was not prepared for the amount of graphic material in this one. To be fair (at least, I hope I am being fair) one can’t really draw an accurate picture of this queen’s tragic plight without dwelling a bit on what was probably behind it all (though it is not spelled out nor even necessarily implied, it seemed clear to me that Katheryn was the victim of pedophiles who set the course of her life, as well as family members who exploited her, which also led to her demise) and yet, I found it much too explicit at times for my tastes. I don’t know that it was 100% necessary, and it was certainly unexpected compared to the other books of hers I have read (four or five).
So, if you are interested in history, and how her story fits in with the rest of the Tudor era, you can’t really leave this one out. If you wonder how some women are set up for unhappiness and defeat by those who treat them as objects to be exploited, this is a great read. However, be warned that there are a great many words dedicated to the description of sexual acts, that sometimes felt gratuitous. The series, overall, is excellent, and highly recommended.
464 pages
5 stars
Nobody, but nobody does historical fiction like Alison Weir. This book is her latest in the Six Tudor Queens collection.
Katheryn was Henry VIII’s fifth wife. He was old, obese and ill. Katheryn was exotic, young and lively. He fell hard for her. She was also rather flighty and certainly naive in the ways of court – and perhaps in life in general, especially about relationships with other people.
This book is a wonderful and entrancing tale of what very well could have happened to Katheryn. There are few sources to tell us definitively about Katheryn’s life, so Ms. Weir had to use a little poetic license in places. She uses facts where she could verify them. So much was written that was patently incorrect or pure conjecture that it would seem nearly impossible to get at the absolute truth of the matter. And with Howard senior and the Dowager pushing her towards Henry knowing her history – well, that was horrible in my view, but the way of politics at that time.
I am left with some puzzles though. Why did Lady Rochford change her mind about Katheryn and Tom? She seemed to be pushing for the relationship on one hand. I wondered too, if she was in love with Tom. But why would she lobby so hard for Katheryn and Tom to be together? Was she that hateful and vindictive? (Now there might be an interesting person to write about.)
This is a fantastic book and very well written and plotted. It tells us about Katheryn’s life from about age eight through her death at twenty-one. We learn about Henry’s mercurial temperament and Katheryn’s immaturity, or inability to understand just the the seriousness of her situation. Well done, Ms. Weir. I anxiously await the next in this series.
I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for forwarding to me a copy of this most interesting and entertaining book for me to read, enjoy and review.
I’ve always thought that Katheryn Howard was the most misunderstood of Henry VIII’s wives. She was naive and unworldly in a world of men who took advantage of her. She had no parental influences to guide her. Hers is a sad tale.
Absolutely stunning… I was completely gripped from the first page to the last. Katheryn emerges from the pages of this beautifully realized portrayal as beguiling, vivacious, and, in the end, tragically naive. Her story, as a young woman who fell prey to the ruthless scheming of the men around her still resonates today, and Alison Weir tells it with characteristic verve and stunning period detail.
A wonderful book… Katheryn Howard is, for me, the most tragic of Henry VIII’s wives, and in her latest novel, Alison Weir covers her life from its early beginnings of impoverished nobility, her family wholly dependent on royal patronage, to her short period as queen, a position she had been pushed into, used as a pawn by her power-hungry family, though she lacked the intellect or sophistication to negotiate its pitfalls. The novel conveys the heart-rending pathos of a young woman executed, whose only real crime was her naïveté and her desire to be loved. It is a profoundly moving story that lingers long after the last page is turned.
Not what I expected of this author. The writing was immature catering to a young reader. I reminded me of similar books released in the 1950s and 60. Ms. Weir has written many fine non fiction books. Perhaps this was just a slip or one from her early days.
This is the first one of her books I’ve read. I delayed reading because it was so long I thought it would drag. I was pleasantly surprised it was a quick interesting read. I will definitely read another one
I like this author. She is excellent at using history to tell a story.
Boring…boring,,,boring is all I can say.
Poor Katherine Howard. Young, naive, and ultimately betrayed by her own greed, a scandalous court, and the politics and religion of the times she lived in. If you’re an avid royalist and fan of historical fiction, this 5th installment from Alison Weir’s THE TUDOR QUEENS ~ SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII series does not disappoint.
I’m more familiar with Weir’s non-fiction work, but if this is anything to go by, her fiction works should all be met with the same praise. This is a friendlier treatment of Katherine Howard than most historical works; her worst crime in this one is being a vain, immature, ninny. Molded by older family members who only cared for increasing their own power at court, Katherine merely did as she was asked: do not tell Henry about her other romantic relationships, catch his eye, and don’t succumb to Henry’s advances until she was married. For her to be executed when the main architects of her marriage to the king were only subject to ‘perpetual’ imprisonment(with time off for good behavior apparently) galls me to no end. I can’t help but wonder if her life would have ended thusly if she had accompanied her father & stepmother to Calais.
I think it’s always tricky and perhaps limiting to write about a historical figure that might not quite earn a reader’s empathy. I pity Katheryn Howard, she was young, easily led, desperate for affection, and it got her killed. She was nowhere smart enough to play the games at court and she paid for it. So, it’s hard to read a story about that in general, knowing how it going to end, and you can just see the bad choices the girl makes unfold on the page, a train wreck in slow motion as she repeats the same disasters over and over again and it wore me out a bit. I’d read and then stop and go read another book and then come back to this because you know how it ends and you know how it gets there.
If you are a fan of Tudor history then ANY of Alison Weirs books will keep you up until you’ve turned the last page! The story of Catherine Howard that Ms. Weir tells is absolutely fabulous! She knows how to bring these characters to life! Whenever I read one of her books I feel as if I’m transported through time!
Alison Weir is one of my favorite authors and I have read all of her books including the other four books in this series on the six wives of Henry VIII. So many books have been written about these women fact and fiction and yet I am still not tired of reading about them. This latest offering by Ms. Weir is historical fiction about Kathryn Howard, Henry’s fifth, and I think the saddest wife.
The book begins when Kathryn is seven years old and her mother has just died in childbirth. Her father, Edmund Howard, a spendthrift has spent his wife’s fortune and now must farm his many children out to relatives as he cannot support them. Katherine is first sent to her maternal aunt and then after two years, she is sent to the Great house of Lambeth, the home of her step-grandmother, the dowager Duchess of Norfolk. At Lambeth, Kathryn is to be educated to be a lady and wait for her family to arrange a marriage for her. At Lambeth, many young girls are sent to be educated as was the custom but oversight and discipline are lax and the girls get the wrong kind of education. Kathryn was pretty, young, foolish, but also kind-hearted and generous.
Kathryn’s family is politically powerful and they see an opportunity to use her to seize power with disastrous results for Kathryn as they hide her past indiscretions from Henry. I liked this book the best so far about Henry’s wives with the book about Katherine of Aragon as my second favorite. I was fortunate to receive this book from Netgalley in exchange for a review.
Based on historical documents, Alison Weir creates a believable Katheryn Howard. And even though you know how it is going to end, Weir tells a fascinating story, with good detail of the life of the times.
Katheryn Howard, the Scandalous Queen, by Alison Weir, is a stunning example of historical fiction. Katheryn is one of the wives of King Henry VIII, a person of interest on its face, but she is one of the two that lived to tell the story. For all Tudor fans, this is an amazing read. For me, more than her story, which was fascinating, it was a snapshot of how nobility lived in the 1500s, an era in which children were seldom raised by their own families; marriages were arranged, not chosen; and the king could have whatever he wished. Families and individual were all vying for power, willing to make whatever sacrifices were necessary. Henry Tudor’s reign was an amazing time; his wives were amazing women. This was an intriguing story of one of them, retold beautifully. I recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction, for Tudorphiles, or anyone looking for a good read.
I received a free ARC of Katheryn Howard, the Scandalous Queen, from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #katherynhowardascandalousqueen
Alison Weir has once again woven a compelling tale combining historical facts and fiction.
The magical storytelling takes us from Katheryn Howard’s unsettled and rather sad childhood through her marriage to King Henry the VIII. It paints a picture of a kind hearted but opportunistic girl who was a mere pawn in her family’s social climbing.
I felt too much time was spent on her ”dalliances” with her tutor and Dereham, both of them being much older and in positions of responsibility in the household. The thought of a pre teen/very young teen being taken advantage of by men of certain power is unsettling.
Keeping in mind this is a work of historical fiction, Ms. Weir stays close to the facts as they are recorded. And fleshes out gaps with probable scenarios and dialogue. I especially enjoy the afterword in her books. The historical notations provide information helpful to further research the subjects.
Katheryn Howard, The Scandalous Queen is a well researched and welcome addition to the Six Tudor Queens series. I am eagerly awaiting the sixth and final book.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC
WOW WOW WOW! This book is absolutely incredible! Every time I picked up “Katheryn Howard, The Scandalous Queen”, I found myself whisked away to Tudor Era England, and history was brought to life before my eyes.
I have been waiting for this book as a part of Ms. Weir’s “Six Tudor Queens” series, and I loved it. Ms. Weir has such a beautiful way of storytelling, seamlessly blending meticulous historical research with historical fiction. The various locations in the book all jumped off of the page, were described thoroughly and wonderfully, and I could really envision them as if I was actually in England in the 1500’s. The historical figures she brings to life as her characters all felt so real, vivid, and their interactions with one another were so authentic. She made me believe I was in the Tudor Court with them all.
I really feel like I got to know and understand Katheryn Howard much better from reading this book. We see Katheryn first as a young child, watch her growing up, and see how she was often used as a pawn by those around her wanting to advance their own power and positions. She often didn’t have a choice but to do certain things (no spoilers here!). We see Katheryn make some of her own decisions out of naiveté, some out of passion, and some out of just wanting to feel loved and accepted. What a sad and absolutely tragic story.
If you love historical fiction, and / or reading books set in Tudor England, I HIGHLY recommend this novel. I found myself not wanting to put this book down, turning page after page after page to see what and how events unfolded. I knew historically what was coming at the end, but still found myself quite moved and not wanting it to happen. I also really loved the “Author’s Note”, and found it really interesting!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group—Ballantine for the ARC of this novel, I loved it! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
So looking forward to her next book on Catherine Parr!
Note: The publisher gave me early access to this novel in exchange for writing an impartial review.
Like any devotee of Tudor fiction, I have dutifully read bestselling author Alison Weir’s series of lengthy historical novels SIX TUDOR QUEENS as each has become available. This one is #5 and I look forward to the final one about Katherine Parr. Taken together, they are an impressive achievement – not even considering all those remarkable non-fiction works Weir is so famous for.
Weir’s Katheryn is fully fleshed out. She’s attractive, fun-loving, immature, irresponsible, flighty, and passionate. And NOT very bright. She lives superficially, caring primarily about her own pleasure and comfort, repeatedly succumbing to male attention — even when the man’s reputation is known to be questionable. She makes blunder after blunder, always naively confident there will be no long-term consequences. She has little loyalty, lies easily, and is quick to blame others. Only when she is finally cornered does she seriously begin to contemplate her own responsibility for her own actions.
The book begins with Katheryn as a young girl just before her mother’s death. Katheryn is then separated from most of her siblings and moved around from relative to relative, until she is deposited in the home of her remote step-grandmother (the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk) — where she winds up getting into lots of trouble. The details and instability of her early home life (including the absence of her father) helps make Katheryn a sympathetic figure and, to my mind, provides a reason for her becoming so susceptible to the attentions of older men. Of course now, those early attentions of Henry Mannox, and perhaps even Francis Dereham, would more likely be construed as child abuse, with the men being held more accountable than the victim.
The attraction between Katheryn and her cousin Thomas Culpepper is established early and it felt believable to me that they would have likely married, if Katheryn had not caught the eye of the King and fallen victim to her ambitious uncle, the Duke of Norfolk.
Throughout the novel, Weir remains committed to keeping the reader true to Katheryn’s perspective, a decision I appreciated. Weir explains in the Afterword that she used her extensive research, including the original testimony from the Privy Council investigation into Katheryn’s misdeeds, to piece together this narrative — but, like Katheryn, readers are kept in the dark. Finding out about events (like the fate of the “other” men in her life) only when Katheryn does.
And finally, the author also does a skillful job of describing — quite convincingly — what was likely going through Katheryn’s mind as her downfall began. Her desperation rings true — complete with frantic second-guessing, emotional hysterics, and panicked shifting between hope and fear.
Not surprisingly, there were moments when I felt Weir’s background in non-fiction and commitment to historical detail went overboard — making for some awkwardly inserted tangents and contrived dialog. Like when a boatman casually recounts the history of Syon Abbey where Katheryn is about to be imprisoned. Really? Hardly a conversation a mere boatman would likely have had with a condemned Queen.
But of course, I recommend the book to all lovers of Tudor history. Oddly enough, and somewhat surprising, King Henry VIII comes off as quite a nice guy. That turned out to be a nice change of pace.
Katheryn Howard, The Scandalous Queen by Alison Weir is the 5th book in the Six Tudor Queens series. It obviously features the short, tragic life of Henry VIII’s 5th wife that came to a quick halt, Katheryn Howard.
Most of us know the history of Katheryn’s childhood, family, and controversial marriage and end, but Ms. Weir places us as readers into the brain and thought process of Katheryn throughout her journey so as to get a better glimpse of the young queen. It was very hard to read her mistakes, naivety, poor choices, and misunderstandings that lead to her demise. I have always had more sympathy and understanding for her, and this added to my previous beliefs.
Katheryn was such a young woman that had been tossed from family member to obscure family member to raise, that I felt that added to her deficits. She sought love, attention, and acceptance and unfortunately found it in the wrong ways. It seems her strengths did not fall under academic avenues, and that added to the ability of “friends and family members” (if you can call them that” to manipulate and use her for their own advancements. She was a child in an adult world never really knowing that there were true consequences for her actions and that this was most certainly not a game. She was tossed into the volatile and unstable world of Henry VIII as basically a child, where even the most intelligent and shrewd adult could lose his head, and obviously made mistakes and lapses in judgement (ok sometimes larger lapses), and lost.
It was hard to read her story seeing how each move pushed her closer and closer to her undeserved end. Only Ms. Weir could give me those emotions as I weaved my way through Katheryn’s thoughts and story.
A great historical fiction of the 5th wife of Henry VIII, and a quick and engrossing read. I have been a fan of Ms. Weir for many years and this book just solidifies my respect and admiration of her talents. I look forward to her next book.
5/5 stars.
Thank you NG and Ballantine Books for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.