When I started historian Alison Weir's Six Tudor Queens series back in 2016, the end seemed very far off, yet here we are, already at the last of Henry VIII's wives in Katharine Parr's tale. Katharine Parr, The Sixth Wife, takes us into the life of the woman who saw Henry through the end of his days. Katharine was one of two of King Henry's wives who outlived him, however, her story, while brighter than many of her counterparts', isn't necessarily a happy one.
Katharine Parr, Henry VIII's sixth & final wife, was married a total of four times, with two husbands coming before Henry and one after his death. Much of Weir's dense novel, covering Katharine's life as a young child dealing with her father's death to her own untimely demise at the age of 36, focuses on Katharine's many marriages to men positioned to further her standing in the world. Also covered prolifically throughout the novel is Katharine's relationship with religion. Katharine rides the religious wave throughout the years, trying to follow the precedent that King Henry sets forth, but also attempting to stay true to her own beliefs, which lean strongly toward the Protestant faith. Anyone who is familiar with Katharine's life knows that she flew perilously close to the sun during her time as Queen of England, and quite possibly nearly found herself at death's door due to her beliefs.
As are all the novels in Weir's Six Tudor Queens series, Katharine Parr is well-researched and exhaustive. These novels come recommended to those who wish to know everything about the lives of Henry's wives - these books do not skimp on detail! Furthermore, Katharine's book focuses greatly on her life outside of being Queen, as her time as Henry's sixth wife was in his final years of life when he suffered from numerous health problems and wasn't as entrenched in the drama and scandal of court as he was in his youth.
It could actually be said that Katharine's life truly got interesting AFTER her marriage to King Henry. For it is then that she wed the true love of her life - the roguish Thomas Seymour - a wild card who would eventually lose his head not long after Katharine's death. It is Katharine's life with Thomas that I was most familiar with going into this book. I was aware that the couple helped rear Princess Elizabeth, and that Thomas was reported to have behaved inappropriately with the young future Queen of England. The last part of the book detailing Katharine and Thomas's marriage was by far my favorite part of this richly detailed novel.
The Six Tudor Queens series is a must-read for anyone who is a fan of Tudor history and is curious to learn more about the many wives of the infamous Henry VIII.
Availability: Book; Large Print Book; eBook & eAudiobook in cloudLibrary Rating: **** Stars (I really liked it) Reviewer: Brooke, Public Relations Librarian
ARE YOU AND THIS BOOK A GOOD MATCH? DISCOVER MORE WITH NOVELIST APPEALS! Katharine Parr: The Sixth Wife
GENRE: Biographical Fiction; Historical Fiction
THEME: Court Intrigue (What's better than power? More power. In the halls of the mighty, any cup might be poisoned and any friend may be foe.)
WRITING STYLE: Engaging; Richly Detailed
TONE: High-Drama
LOCATION: England
SUBJECT: Ambition; Courts & Courtiers; Heirs & Heiresses; Intrigue; Royal Houses; House of Tudor; Widows; Women Rulers
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