jjares reviewed The Six Wives of Henry VIII: A Captivating Guide to Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Katherine Parr on + 3263 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
It always amazes me that I learn something new by reading these histories even when I thought I knew everything about the subject at hand (before I started). I've read several tomes about Henry Vlll and his six wives but this weaves new information into the Tudor history. There was even room to discuss Henry's mistresses and the machinations and behind-the-scenes action of the secondary characters in this soap opera. It is highly readable and I read it in one sitting.
I thought the presentation was balanced and the explanations were lively. I liked that the author took the time to explain which of the wives took time to include Elizabeth and Mary. Probably without their intervention, Henry wouldn't have cared a whit about either child. He was so obsessed with getting a son that he didn't value the two daughters he did have. The reader also gets a sense of the difference between each of Henry's wives -- they were certainly different from each other.
Something that sets this book apart from others is that this book researched the children thought to be Henry's through his mistresses. From some of the info presented, it almost seemed that the legitimate kids knew (and helped along) the illegitimate kids. The discussion on the possible reasons for Henry's infertility was fascinating. I'd like to share one particularly telling statement about Henry, "This forethought (how Henry chose each wife) perhaps shows the emotional side of Henry Vlll that was forever searching for the right woman with whom to make the kind of family his own mother and father had." (p. 94)
I thought the presentation was balanced and the explanations were lively. I liked that the author took the time to explain which of the wives took time to include Elizabeth and Mary. Probably without their intervention, Henry wouldn't have cared a whit about either child. He was so obsessed with getting a son that he didn't value the two daughters he did have. The reader also gets a sense of the difference between each of Henry's wives -- they were certainly different from each other.
Something that sets this book apart from others is that this book researched the children thought to be Henry's through his mistresses. From some of the info presented, it almost seemed that the legitimate kids knew (and helped along) the illegitimate kids. The discussion on the possible reasons for Henry's infertility was fascinating. I'd like to share one particularly telling statement about Henry, "This forethought (how Henry chose each wife) perhaps shows the emotional side of Henry Vlll that was forever searching for the right woman with whom to make the kind of family his own mother and father had." (p. 94)
