Katherine of Valois was born a princess, the daughter of King Charles VI of France. But by the time Katherine was old enough to know him, her father had come to be called “Charles the Mad,” given to unpredictable fits of insanity. The young princess lived a secluded life, awaiting her father’s sane moments and suffering through the mad ones, as her mother took up with her uncle and their futures … futures became more and more uncertain. Katherine’s fortunes appeared to be changing when, at nineteen, she was married to King Henry V of England. Within two years, she gave birth to an heir—but her happiness was fleeting. Soon after the birth of her son, she lost her husband to an illness.
With Joan of Arc inciting the French to overthrow English rule, Katherine’s loyalty to her adopted homeland of England became a matter of intense suspicion. Katherine had brought her dowry and borne her heir; what use was she to England? It was decreed that she would live out her remaining years alone, far from the seat of power. But no one, not even Katherine herself, could have anticipated that she would fall in love with and secretly marry one of her guardians, Owen Tudor—or that a generation later, their grandson would become the first king of the great Tudor dynasty.
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Jean Plaidy was a new author for me and I truly enjoyed her writing.
It’s okay, a bit slow.
It read like a text book, I didn’t care for it.
Great Historical fiction!!
I enjoyed this book, found it very imformative about the courts of England of centuries ago
I love historical fiction. It is perhaps my favorite genre of books. Jean Plaidy did not disappoint with this book. It is set before the Tudors, but is leading up to that time period. Well written, it does not get bogged down in so many facts one becomes bored. You do not have to read the previous 6 to be able to follow this one.
Jean Plaidy’s finish of the book was abrupt. Felt like she could have given more details.
Enjoyed having some historical characters filled in.
Enjoyed some of the history that bwent with the story
Lost interest early in the story. I usually read Jean Plaidy with gusto, but not this one.
I love reading about history.
I enjoyed the historical aspect of this book. It was laid out in an understandable way. My objection was to the abrupt ending that did not fully complete the story. Unsatisfactory resolution of Owen and the children.
Simplistic language. Appropriate for YA reading.
This story of an actual Queen of England (great-grandmother of Henry VIII) made me want to know more about that period of history. It is a work of fiction, however it was well researched and brought the historical figures to life. Any woman would be able to identify with the title character.
These characters are historic and Plaidy confirms that they’re very interesting. But the repetitions (over and over!) get tedious.
This interesting historical story will help fill in the blanks about the events which eventually led to the beginning of the Tudor royal line in England.
such a good delve into the beginning of the Tudor era
Jean Plaidy is a wonderful historical author. Her subjects are intriguing and because it’s history things don’t change. Sometimes there are no happy endings but if you back and read more about the subject, you will begin to understand why. Jean Plaidy doesn’t get in depth so she is a good author for a first introduction to history (especially British and European history). For anyone who wants to learn about history but doesn’t want tons of boring facts listed in order, this is the author for you to start out with.
Wonderful historical fiction on Henry V wife Katherine after his death and her forbidden romance resulting in the future Tudor leaders. Really enjoyed it and makes me want to read more about her resulting progeny.