The Constant Princess (Boleyn)
by Philippa Gregory
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Book Reviews of The Constant Princess (Boleyn)
Book Review: Utterly wretched
Summary: 1 Stars
I hardly ever really dislike books, but this lazy half-effort was honestly a chore to read. I had read and enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl, so I bought this book expecting more enjoyable historical fluff. What I got instead was a painfully written main character whose abysmally boring story I literally had to force myself to finish. Katherine of Aragon is absolutely butchered in this story: she is vastly unlikeable, continuously spoiled, selfish, and vain. Additionally, her story (at least the way Gregory wrote it) really isn't all that interesting. She has two dull-as-dust marriages, carps on in eye-straining Italic font for half the book about being God's chosen one, and plots to suit her own unconvincingly explained ambition, all the while lamenting the tantalizing court intrigue which we are scarcely shown. The character is sketched weakly and with no uniformity: she is depicted as unrelentingly whiny and selfish throughout the entire novel, then all of a sudden, Gregory attempts to convince us that Katherine was a heroic warrior queen who risked her life to save her people. What should have been the more interesting plot points in any story about Katherine of Aragon were either ignored or lightly brushed over. Gregory did Katherine the disservice of stripping her of any realistic human traits and instead rendering her as the worst kind of opportunistic bosom-heaver. Whether you are interested in Henry VIII-era history or not, do not bother reading this book: if you are interested in that type of history, you'll only be exasperated, and if you're just looking for a good narrative story, you'd be better served by a dime-store romance novel. Or the back of a cereal box.Book Review: One of Gregory's better novels
Summary: 4 Stars
Since there is a lot of buzz going around regarding Philippa Gregory's new novel ('The Other Queen,' scheduled for release on 9/16/08), I thought I'd post a quick review of one of her earlier novels, 'The Constant Princess.'
While there's been a lot of non-fiction books written about Henry VIII's first wife, Katherine of Aragon, there hasn't been too much written in the historical fiction arena, other than as a minor character in other novel's about Henry, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I, or Mary I.
This well-written novel is written from the perspective of Katherine herself. It begins with her childhood as the daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand and tells the story of her betrothal to Arthur, the eldest son of Henry VII and heir to the English throne. A beautiful love story emerges between Katherine and Arthur as they grow up together and Katherine is raised in the English court in preparation for her future role as Queen of England.
I don't want to give away any spoilers for those who are unfamiliar with Katherine's story beyond this. It's enough to say that her life took many unfortunate turns and she was very much alone in a foreign and hostile country far away from her family who eventually abandons her, too. She relied on her faith to endure and sustain her through some horrific circumstances and maintained her dignity throughout. This novel is never boring or slow....it keeps your attention and draws you into Katherine's world. She is a very sympathetic character and inspires admiration for her perseverance and dignity. I highly recommend this novel if you're just now discovering Philippa Gregory.
Book Review: A Different View on a Controversial Issue
Summary: 5 Stars
I found this book amazing in outlining Katherine's great ambition to become the Queen of England and her journey to the throne. From her marriage to Author to her divorce, Katherine is presented as one of the strongest women of her time and literally paves the way for Elizabeth to be the queen she would become.
I understand a lot of you other reviewers who are angry that the novel is not necessarily historically accurate in whether Katherine was a virgin or not, but the novel is meant to be more than that. She was a woman born to be Queen of England, she may have possibly lied to attain the throne. Will we ever know, I certainly think not, and I don't think her word is enough in historical hindsight to confirm her virginity. Yes she was a very devout woman, but even those who are devout will do things that are uncharacteristic to achieve their goals.
I have also heard this book called a romance and I would say that is an utter mischaracterization of the book. Yes Gregory presents Katherine's great love for Arthur and presents it as a great push for her to become queen, but it is more about Katherine's struggle to reach the throne than anything else. Their love affair gave us an interesting view of Spain and yes could be called cheesy as well, but it is this that sets up her fight for the throne.
Read the book, and form your own opinion. I'm a history junkie too and though Gregory's theory could be wrong, it's an interesting look of a woman remembered for being the first anulled wife of a king. Katherine was a strong queen and if she had had a son, who knows how everything would have turned out.
Book Review: Skip this one but definitely read her others...
Summary: 1 Stars
I was quite disappointed with the Constant Princess after having LOVED The Other Boleyn Girl and The Queens' Fool and having enjoyed The Virgin's Lover (although it wasn't as good as the previous two).
What can be seen as a prequel to The Other Boleyn Girl, this novel tells the story of Catalina, Infanta of Spain, Princess of Wales as she moves to England from her beloved Spain to marry Prince Arthur and eventually become the Queen of England, her lifelong goal as we are so frequently reminded. The author breaks from her usual writing style to introduce Catalina's thoughts in the form of stream-of-consciousness rants which interrupt the third person storyteller every few pages or so. It is completely distracting and did nothing but take away from the telling of the story.
What could have been an extremely riviting tale became boring and monotonous- pages upon pages described simply her idolization of her parents King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella and her "especial relationship" with her G-d which proved she was born to be Queen of England, despite what she had to go through to claim her title.
Additionally, about 2/3 of the way through the novel it shifted from a love story/hardship story to a novel about plotting and waging a war, which was utterly boring and disjointed.
I hope the author can return to the greatness of her prior novels (The Other Boleyn Girl, The Queens Fool). If her subsequent novels are going the direction of this one, I will no longer be reading them.
Book Review: Good read
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the first work of several by Philippa Gregory dealing with the wives of England's King Henry VIII. This week tells the story of Henry's first wife, Queen Katherine of Aragon, the daughter of Isabella and Fredinand. However, Catalina originally traveled to England as the bride of Henry's older brother, Arthur, raised since birth to be the next king of England. As a young couple, Catalina and Arthur make plans to bring about a glorious kingdom. However, after Arthur falls ill, Katherine knows that she must take drastic measures if she is going to achieve her destiny as she has been taught since childhood- to be Queen of England.
Quote: "In those days before her coronation, Catalina established herself as the undeniable queen, and those who had ignored her years of poverty now discovered in themselves tremendous affection and respect for the princess. She accepted their admiration, just as she had accepted their neglect."
I liked this book a lot, especially because I really enjoy this period in history, both in fiction and nonfiction. Katherine does not always get a lot of press among Henry's wives, especially in her early years, before another future queen comes on the scene. I am looking forward to reading the next two books of Gregory's about wives of this court, although it will be difficult to adjust to leaving Katherine's perspective. I am hoping that Gregory will next turn her attention to the monarchs of Scotland who lived during this time.