itle: The Constant PrincessAuthor: Philippa Gregory
Genre: Historical Fiction
Synopsis: Catarina, Infanta of Spain, always knew she would marry Prince Arthur Tudor of England and become Princess of Wales. This novel chronicles the life of Catarina, better known as Katherine of Aragon. Join her as she learns how to be an English princess and eventually the Queen and wife of the most infamous monarch in English history.
My Thoughts
At this point, you all know my love of Philippa Gregory. Most of what is written about Katherine of Aragon focuses on later in her life when Henry is splitting from the Catholic Church in order to divorce her. It was so refreshing to read about her young life and her short marriage to Arthur. This novel goes back and forth within each chapter from a third person omniscient perspective and the first person present account of Katherine herself. The way Gregory addresses Katherine's claim that her marriage to Arthur was not consummated so that she could be betrothed to Henry inspired.
The development of her character after she faces loss and poverty is done so well, she retains her core values but learns from her experiences. Gregory also focuses on how Katherine uses her influence as Queen in order to pursue her own agenda by emphasizing the traits she acquired from her warrior mother. This culminates when she protects England while Henry is away at war and named her as Queen Regent in his absence.
As always, this and the many other novels from Gregory's Tudor and Plantagenet series that I have read are highly recommended.
As I have fewer of these novels left to read, I am also looking forward to her new series The Order of Darkness which will explore other countries during the Middle Ages using completely fictional characters.
Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!
To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from the author, visit the website linked above
At this point, you all know my love of Philippa Gregory. Most of what is written about Katherine of Aragon focuses on later in her life when Henry is splitting from the Catholic Church in order to divorce her. It was so refreshing to read about her young life and her short marriage to Arthur. This novel goes back and forth within each chapter from a third person omniscient perspective and the first person present account of Katherine herself. The way Gregory addresses Katherine's claim that her marriage to Arthur was not consummated so that she could be betrothed to Henry inspired.
The development of her character after she faces loss and poverty is done so well, she retains her core values but learns from her experiences. Gregory also focuses on how Katherine uses her influence as Queen in order to pursue her own agenda by emphasizing the traits she acquired from her warrior mother. This culminates when she protects England while Henry is away at war and named her as Queen Regent in his absence.
As always, this and the many other novels from Gregory's Tudor and Plantagenet series that I have read are highly recommended.
As I have fewer of these novels left to read, I am also looking forward to her new series The Order of Darkness which will explore other countries during the Middle Ages using completely fictional characters.
Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!
To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from the author, visit the website linked above
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