The Constant Princess (Boleyn)
by Philippa Gregory
|
List Price: Our Price: $0.75 You Save: $15.25 (95%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Constant Princess (Boleyn)
Book Review: Far below Philippa Gregory's usual quality
Summary: 2 Stars
Philippa Gregory's novels are one of my guilty pleasures, which I normally find quite irresistible. Reading this one resembled biting into a week old scone when one had expected a Godiva chocolate. It has none of the historical import of her other novels of the Tudor era, and frankly portrays Katherine of Aragon in a manner which verges on the ridiculous.
In several of her other novels set in the Tudor era, Philippa depicts the characters very vividly, and the dialogue and personal reflections of these characters are so intriguing and tied into actual history that I sometimes need to remind myself that I'm reading fiction and not a newly found piece of correspondence or diary. This one fulfilled none of that promise. Katherine of Aragon, after all, was not only a devout Catholic and a woman of incomparable integrity (sometimes stubborness...) but the daughter of Isabella. Her depiction as something of a harem seductress, adapting varied Muslim Arabic ways, clothing, etc., during her marriage to Arthur had a level of believability on a par with her bedding a Martian.
The tragedy of the failure of Katherine's marriage to Henry is lost in the maze, because Katherine is depicted as a scheming liar who deliberately pretends she was a virgin when she married Henry. There are many aspects of Katherine's character which could confuse us, and treatment of these (for example, her placing herself and Mary in horrid living conditions rather than to acquiesce with Henry's desire for an annulment), particularly in view of what an extraordinary woman she was (certainly Isabella's equal in commanding forces), could have been fascinating, as is the case with varied other characters in other novels by Philippa Gregory. But there is no indication in the least that Katherine lacked integrity - if anything, she could take it to extremes. An opportunity to explore what could have been highly insightful was lost in this portrayal which was totally at odds with anything one would know of Katherine.
Many of Philippa's novels are highly insightful and enjoyable. This one, at best, is one to purchase for .01 used and tuck into one's bag for when a British Rail journey becomes unexpectedly, unbearably long and one is at one's wit's end.
Book Review: Duty, Honor, Country
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the story of what happened before the events of THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, the story of Henry VIII's first Queen, Katherine of Aragon. From birth Katherine, known then as Catalina had been destined to be a player in international politics. Like her sisters Catalina was a bargaining chip, a token that would be used to cement a bargain to further her parents', Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain, ambitions. To that end Catalina was betrothed while still a toddler to Arthur, Prince of Wales to establish an alliance between Spain and England. Catalina studied statecraft by watching her parents drive the Moors from Spain, turning their country from an occupied land, an outpost of Islam into a world power and very Christian nation. When Catalina arrived in England to meet her bridegroom Arthur she had very definite ideas about her duties to her new countries, ones that she quickly discovered were at odds with what her soon to be husband and father-in-law expected from her. Catalina's parents ruled their united kingdoms of Aragon and Castille jointly but in England women were wives, mothers, sisters and daughters of kings but even Queens did not rule. A woman's role was to obey and provide her husband with many healthy children. When circumstances conspire to prevent Catalina, now called Katherine, from fulfilling any of the roles she had spent her life preparing for she continued to struggle to live up to her perceived destiny of ruling Wales and England.
This is an interesting tale of the life of Katherine of Aragon. The stories of Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I are familiar tales in which Katherine's influence is felt but she herself is usually kept in the shadows, exiled off stage an on-going threat to Anne, a relationship their daughters will continue after their deaths. Gregory has her own theories concerning the relationship between Arthur and Katherine and Henry VIII's character that give the reader much to think about. Her skillful telling of ill fated Katherine's life brings life to this shadowy troubled time.
Book Review: Good, Not Great
Summary: 3 Stars
This is the story of Katherine of Aragon and her struggle to overcome in her rise to become a beloved Queen of England. Best known for being displaced in favor of Anne Boleyn, this is the story before Anne's reign. Of Katherine's betrothal since birth to the English prince and of her childhood with her mother Queen Isabella. A smart, loyal, and wise young woman, Katherine marries her husband's brother after his death in order to secure her place as queen and does the work of both monarchs.
"The Constant Princess" was a decently good read. It was not as engaging or page turning as "The Other Boleyn Girl," but it had its merits. I enjoyed reading about a historical figure that I had only known as a minor character in other historical novels. It was interesting to see someone whom I thought of as fairly insignificant in a spotlight role. I learned a lot about the reign of Katherine of Aragon and about her as a person. At first I will admit, I didn't like her very much. In the beginning Gregory has the character go on and on about how she thinks she is the grace of God himself and chosen to be the Queen from birth. It made me feel as if the character was deluded and fanciful.
As the plot went on however, the young Princess was no stranger to hardship and I liked her more and more. I feel that this is the mark of a very good author when he/she can make me feel so attached to the character as a person, not just a character.
However, after Katherine's initial struggles to become Queen (a little more than halfway through the book), the excitement and mystery of the book was no longer as enthralling. Mostly it talked about her struggle with miscarriages, the death of her child, and her struggle to keep her younger husband away from women who try to seduce him.
I actually put the book down about 10 - 20 pages from the very end. I just kind of stopped caring and was looking to go on to something else. So overall, "The Constant Princess" was a good, if not a great, read.
Book Review: A Constantly Good Read
Summary: 4 Stars
After reading The Virgin's Lover, I was hoping for a little pick-me-up. I got it with this book.
I did like the telling of Katherine from the beginning, instead of the usual point when Anne is trying to be Queen of England. It was refreshing to see a young Katherine, instead of the usual, old one.
I went along with the whole, "Maybe she lied" thing, for the book to work, and it does, for the book. But overall, I don't think she would have lied about something that was so important. I'll skip the theology, but I think Henry was bored of her, wanted a son, and did the "modern" thing and picked and chose the verses he wanted to condemn her.
Her singular ambition to be Queen is just the same as Anne's ambition to do the same, but yet Gregory made Katherine a bit more sympathetic. Maybe because Anne is the villianess still, even though it's towards the end of the book, and you know it.
I wasn't too happy with how the book ended. I wish she would have gone on to tell us about her end days. But I guess she felt she covered that in The Other Boleyn Girl, and felt it was too much rehash. But I still would have liked to have seen it from her POV.
Although some felt the switch between the narratives was annoying I didn't find it so. I think we all catch ourselves doing that a little in our lives.
One thing that I didn't like at all was the whole relationship between her and King Henry VII. I just wasn't convinced with that whole thing. It was a bit too convienient for me.
I really did like her take on Henry VIII in his early years. A bit of a spoiled child, who really tried hard. He was actually endearing to me. His actions made me laugh and reminds me that young men can truly be sweet and genuine. I think he did love her, truly, in the beginning of their relationship. I like how Gregory showed that the King Henry we know now, the fat ugly man, was once lovely, funny, child. She showed that side of him very well.
Book Review: A Glimpse of Katherine of Aragon
Summary: 3 Stars
Who is this woman, whose fame rests on her inability to produce a male heir for Henry VIII? In this book the author attempts to envision her life.
The first part is credible. The author describes how Catalina, the child of Spain's powerful co-monarchs, could have developed a belief in her destiny. From this seed, Ms. Gregory builds the case for a steely purposeful woman who affects all the airs of the monarch she aspires to be and exudes its sense of entitlement. This is the attitude and the outlook she would have to have to endure her later abandonment.
I don't know the evidence on which history rests a judgment that Arthur was too sickly to consummate his marriage, but Gregory doesn't buy it... at all. Arthur is shown to be healthy. His fatal illness is sudden. His deathbed charge to his wife, while not realistic for the time, does have some novelistic development in how the young couple plans their future reign.
History pays little attention to the emotions of this abandoned 16 year old girl/widow. She is subject to international games over which she has no control and little access to knowledge. Gregory is at her best as she imagines Catalina's thoughts and feelings in the 7 years uncertain wait for Henry VIII. I don't know the historical probability of the attentions of Henry VII to his daughter-in-law but the writing (or maybe this plot line) doesn't ring true.
Another difficult plot line is the imagined pregnancy and the call to the doctor who is a Moor. Catalina's attitude to Moors would be highly unusual. After this, the story races to an end.
While the whole telling doesn't fully hold together, the book gives a different look at Katherine and posits some interesting ideas as to her character and how she might have interacted with her new English family.