But even more, Katherine lived in an entirely Catholic culture and was reputed to have gone to daily Mass most of her life. Yet Katherine is her mother’s daughter and her fighting spirit is strong. We think of Kathern of Aragon as the hapless, dowdy wife thrown over for the more glamorous Anne Boleyn. The Constant Princess (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #6), Philippa Gregory. Buy It Now. I think this is something Gregory does really well. Paradise. I don't really get what. I was extremely emotionally affected by many episodes in the book and by Gregory's interpretation of Catherine’s oh-so-debated virginity after her first husband’s (Arthur) death. Or moralize about Arabs. Or maybe that's CAPS. TOBG was like eating cupcakes while watching SVU re-runs. Pre-Owned.
Slowly she adapts to the first Tudor court, and life as Arthur’s wife grows ever more bearable. Gregory doesn't give us an entirely accurate account of Tudor history. I enjoyed this view of a younger, more passionate Katherine of Aragon. I am completely fascinated by this time period. But I digress.

It certainly made me glad that I am not royalty. No one can be certain if Catherine's first marriage was ever consumated but I liked the angle that the author went with this. The Constant Princess is a 2005 historical fiction novel told from the point of view of Catherine of Aragon during her years as the impoverished widowed princess of Wales and the early years as Queen Consort of King Henry VIII.. Henry has reckoned without the determination of a young woman set on fulfilling her own destiny to be a queen – and the ambition of Prince Harry, the future Henry VIII. Even fewer know that she was quite the warrior, daughter of Isabella of Spain ( yes, THAT Isabella) and groomed for Queenship her entire life. I generally love Philippa Gregory. Her faith is tested when her prospective father-in-law greets her arrival in her new country with a great insult; Arthur seems little better than a boy; the food is strange and the customs coarse. I do not apologize for taking great pleasure in going to visit historical places like a fly on the wall and peeking into the way those lives might have been. An intriguing, unputdownable and very well written account of Katherine of Aragon: born Catalina, the Spainish Infanta. This book is, in my opinion, Gregory’s best novel. Each book in the series focuses on a different famous woman, who was central to history during either the Plantagenet or Tudor times and tells the history from her point of view. Gregory gets not only into their head but imagines the essence of what made them special. On the other hand, I have put first person historical novels aside without getting past the first few pages for this very reason, the tone of voice is generally too modern for my taste. Each of her books delves into the personality of the historical figure. https://www.philippagregory.com/books/the-constant-princess. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Philippa Gregory was an established historian and writer when she discovered her interest in the Tudor period and wrote the internationally bestselling novel The Other Boleyn Girl, which became a major film starring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published No one can be certain if Catherine's first marriage was ever consumated but I liked the angle that the author went with this. His father and grandmother are against it; her powerful parents prove little use. Are they journal entries from the protagonist, Katherine of Aragon? I even had cause to doubt the accuracy of her history. Philippa is a former student of Sussex University and a PhD and Alumna of the Year 2009 of Edinburgh University. This was the first book I got on my kindle. From early childhood, Katherine of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, is destined to become queen of England. The story of Katherine of Aragon who is very neglected by historians, but who was the longest-serving wife of Henry VIII, and who helped him to take the throne and learn the trade of kingship. Download one of the Free Kindle apps to start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, and computer. There is a movement from third person narrative to first person, as we see what the Princess was thinking and feeling. Most of the HF I've read about Katherine shows her in her times of trial during her second marriage, where she comes across as a long-suffering and pious cow, an object of scorn and pity. Philippa Gregory brings to life one of history's most inspiring women and creates one of the most compelling characters in historical fiction - Katherine of Aragon, Queen of England.
It is like reading a soap opera. I know her later days have been well covered, but it was a bit of a cop out to leave out so much of her story. Somehow, I felt she went off the rails in this one. I don't really get what she's trying to do; obviously, many of her books revolve around Henry VIII, so writing each first-person would not have been too repetitive, and would have added to the strength of her Tudor novels, which is her uncanny ability to see these characters each in a different light.