The title is deceiving...

The Sixth Wife

by Suzannah Dunn

When selecting this book please beware… Both the title and the cover illustration are deceiving as both clearly suggest that the focus is Henry VIII’s sixth wife and Queen, Katherine Parr.  However, this novel’s central character and narrator is Catherine Willoughby Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, one of Queen Katherine’s ladies in waiting as well as her close friend.  Here Dunn presents the perspective of Catherine Brandon on the tumultuous conclusion to the reign of Henry VIII and Queen Katherine’s subsequent hasty marriage to Thomas Seymour following the death of King Henry.  Dunn dubs Lady Catherine “Cathy” who is suspicious of the motives behind the marriage to Seymour and suspects that Seymour desires the marriage as it puts him close to the young Princess Elizabeth with whom Queen Katherine lives.  Cathy tries to protect both Queen Katherine and Princess Elizabeth by living with them at Sudeley Castle, but in the end finds herself entangled in a physical relationship with Seymour that forever severs her friendship with Queen Katherine who is devastated at the betrayal of her husband with one of her closest friends.

I was disappointed in The Sixth Wife for several reasons but primarily because Dunn opted to pit these two influential women against one another.   I have always found Queen Katherine to be the ultimate survivor, a true reformer while remaining nurturing and warm.  The suggestion that an improper relationship existed with Princess Elizabeth is one thing, given her age mixed with Seymour’s lethal charm, but to think that Catherine Brandon would betray her in such a way was very difficult to swallow.  The young bride of the aging Duke of Suffolk has always fascinated me and from what I have encountered she too was an intelligent woman and a devout reformer.  I would rather read more about these women claiming their power and influence rather than succumbing to the charms of a soulless climber.  And while I commend Dunn’s use of Catherine Willoughby as her narrator, I can’t help but think that Dunn wasted an opportunity to give her reader more than a historical love triangle; something just one step above a romance novel.

Again I was disappointed with Dunn’s use of modern nicknames, though not as distracting as they were in the Queen of Subtleties, they are nevertheless so unnecessary and really seem to dumb the whole thing down.  I was surprised to read that Dunn herself has said “I don’t write historical fiction,” and so perhaps I should strike her works from my reading list.  However, I must say that to me Dunn’s statement seems more like an excuse for writing bad historical fiction because clearly she frames her novel within a historical context and choses her narrator to be an actual figure at the Tudor court.  What Dunn does not give her reader is a novel that provokes further research or opens the reader’s eyes to a fresh perspective. 

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend The Sixth Wife without these reservations and while I enjoyed Dunn’s use of Catherine Brandon as narrator the story that she creates is empty.

This review qualifies for the following challenges:

Historical Fiction Book Review #16

Tudor Book Blog Reading Challenge #14

A look at the court of Henry VIII through the eyes of Mary Howard

Secrets of the Tudor Court

by D. L. Bogdan

Secrets of the Tudor Court is told from the perspective of Mary Howard, a marginal but well-connected woman in Tudor England.  Mary was not only the daughter of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, married to Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond, was in service as a lady in waiting to five of Henry VIII’s queens (Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Catherine Parr), but was cousin to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard and daughter-in-law to none other than the King himself.  It is her father, Thomas Howard, cunning and cruel, who has the greatest impact on her life.  Indeed much of the story involves the relationship of father and daughter and the impact this relationship has on Mary’s sense of self.

Overall, I found Bogdan’s account engaging, but I did find it a tedious read until the mid point of the story.  Perhaps this was because I didn't really warm to Bogdan’s Mary initially.  I found her lacking in so many qualities and so desperate to please everyone, but especially her father, who is depicted as nothing short of a tyrant.  I did find the relationship that Mary developed with Anne as well as the esteem in which she held her cousin endearing, but it wasn't until the midpoint of the novel that Mary, as well as her father Norfolk, were developed fully and the reader able to get some insight into the motivations for their actions.  This is my main criticism. 

Mary herself is a treasure.  She is a poet and musician and a supporter of the New Faith.  She is intelligent and a seeker of knowledge.  Despite this the overriding theme for Mary in Secrets of the Tudor Court is the desperate yearning for the love of her father.  Even after she witnesses her father’s duplicity in the rise and fall of two cousins she never wavers in her quest for his love.  Despite the example of her cousin, Anne Boleyn, Mary seems resigned to be a pawn for the use of men.  Truly, she is an empty sad woman for most of the first half of the novel.

It isn’t until the imprisonment of her father and the imprisonment and execution of her brother, Henry Howard, Earl of Suffolk, that Mary begins to be able to fully mature.  After receiving her brother’s children as wards Mary sees a purpose for her life beyond her father’s wishes.  She begins to realize that she has some control over her own destiny, but also wishes to nurture, support and love the children in her care.  Only at this point, for this reader, does Mary become engaging and dynamic as a character and the novel becomes a page-turner from this point until the last

However, I must applaud D.L. Bogdan, as Secrets of the Tudor Court is her debut novel and the small criticism I've made is certainly a honed skill.  I certainly was glad I read the account and must admit I read the last 200 pages in one sitting.  Bogdan also, through the use of Mary Howard as protagonist, gives the reader some insight into the plausible motivations and mindset of the influential but elusive Duke of Norfolk.

 This review qualifies for the following challenges:

Historical Fiction Book Review #15

Tudor Book Blog Reading Challenge #13

Kate Emerson continues to impress...

By Royal Decree

Secrets of the Tudor Court, #3

by Kate Emerson

By Royal Decree is the third installment in Kate Emerson’s series, The Secrets of the Tudor Court.  This series is unique is that each novel is narrated by an actual but marginal woman within the Tudor Court.  I truly enjoy Emerson’s use of this innovative and fresh point of view and at the same time enjoy her novels as they follow the history accurately.  Surprisingly, Emerson includes the actual events of the woman’s life and weaves that into the larger historical setting.  Every installment has been a new and interesting journey into the lives of those Tudor enthusiasts recognize, but do not know much about.  I find this technique enables Emerson to expand and explain motivations in such a way that the greater historical framework is not broached.  I find Emerson’s writing both innovative and classic and truly a wonderful example of how historical fiction should be done.

By Royal Decree follows the story of Elizabeth “Bess” Brooke, daughter of Lord George Brooke, 9th Baron Cobham of Kent.  The story opens with Henry entertaining a group of eligible women of noble birth, including Bess, in his search for his sixth wife.  In the first chapter we again encounter Nan Basset, Between Two Queens, and Emerson allows the second and third installment of the Secrets of the Tudor Court to overlap ever so slightly, which worked for this reader.  Bess brought to court by her parents to attend the King’s banquet.  Bess, young and beautiful, attracted the King’s interest that made her wary and she felt the need to escape his notice.  In her attempt to leave Bess accidently catches her aunt Dorothy Bray in an intimate embrace with Lord William Parr. Much to her aunt’s displeasure Parr seems taken with Bess but she leaves Court the following day to return to Kent, wisely laying low until Henry snares another bride.

Lord William Parr’s sister Katherine would become Henry’s sixth wife and Queen thereby rocketing the Parr’s up the sociopolitical latter virtually overnight.  Not that Lord William seemed to personally profit from this rise.  He was divorced from his child bride, with whom he had spent only one night and who shortly after left him with a former priest and had many children through that relationship. Divorce, ironically, even in Henry VII’s England might be granted but the spouse could not be remarried until the death of their former spouse.  The relationship and love affair between William Parr and Bess seems genuine both in the novel and in the research I’ve done into the pair after reading Emerson’s account.  In the end, politics and religion shaped the couple’s relationship.  Under Edward VI the pair were allowed to marry, Mary I quickly reversed that decision and Elizabeth I reunited the pair again.  It is from this proclamation that the novel takes its name.  Bess and William were married or not by royal decree.

Again, Emerson delivers a wonderfully crafted and carefully researched novel that truly opens up the world of the peripheral figures within the Tudor Court.  For this reader it is Emerson’s meticulous adherence to historical fact that truly allows her fictional account of Bess Brooke and William Parr to truly come to life. I recommend By Royal Decree and am eagerly awaiting delivery of the next installment in the series, At The Kings Pleasure, which will feature Lady Anne Stanhope, sister of The Duke of Buckingham.

This review qualifies for the following challenges:
Historical Fiction Book Review #12
Tudor Book Blog Reading Challenge #10

Kate Emerson continues to surprise me...

Between Two Queens

Secrets of the Tudor Court, #2

by Kate Emerson

Between Two Queens is the second in Kate Emerson's Secrets of the Tudor Court series.  I adored the first, The Pleasure Palace, and high hopes and expectations for this read.  I was surprised that Emerson followed up her immensely popular portrayal of Jane Popyncourt with such a surprising characterization of Anne “Nan” Bassett.   We meet Nan as she competes against her sister for a position in Queen Jane Seymour’s household.  She is young, naïve, and without substance so naturally King Henry takes a liking to her and Nan is chosen for the post.  However, Nan is shocked to discover that she will join Queen Jane in her confinement the following day and locked away from court and the wealthy and titled eligible men that she desperately longs to eventually marry.

Nan’s character begins to gather depth after she is sent away from court on the death of Queen Jane.  Nan begins a physical relationship with Ned Corbett, a gentleman in her stepfather’s household.  A pregnancy results and Nan manages to emerge without tarnishing her reputation and sees that her son is taken in by a loving family.  Back at court awaiting the arrival of Anne of Cleves Nan does have a brief sloppy encounter with the King, who is so intoxicated, that she easily convinces him he has deflowered her.  At last, she seems to develop a depth to her character and rather than dreaming of becoming Queen she begins to dream of life as a mother and wonders and misses her son.

Between Two Queens, follows Nan’s life at court while in service to the last four of Henry's six wives.  We meet Nan as a spoiled teenager but her character grows as the novel progresses and ultimately Nan becomes a cautious but successful courtier in an intrigued filled dangerous court with a growingly erratic King. 

Interestingly, Emerson begins each chapter with passages from actual letters written by historical figures in this story. I really enjoyed this addition.  Not only did it add some primary historical documentation that enhanced and reinforced Emerson’s portrayal.  So while I didn’t find Between Two Queens as intriguing a read as The Pleasure Palace, I did appreciate the evolution of the portrayal of Nan Bassett and in the end found myself admiring her ability to survive and thrive at the Tudor Court.  Without a doubt, Emerson continues to breath new life into the lesser-known women of the Tudor era while weaving what is known about their lives into the larger historical story while remaining true to fact.  I am eagerly anticipating the third installment in the series: By Royal Decree.

This review qualifies for the following challenges:
Historical Fiction Book Review #11
Tudor Book Blog Reading Challenge #9

The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr

The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr by Sandra Byrd

The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr is Sandra Byrd’s second contribution to the “Ladies in Waiting” series that began with last year’s To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn. 

The Secret Keeper is set in the late years of Henry VIII’s reign and revolves around his Queen, Kateryn Parr.  The novel is told from the point of view of Juliana St. John, the novel’s fictional protagonist.  Juliana is the daughter of a knight of the realm who comes to King Henry’s court as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Kateryn.   Just prior to her arrival Juliana has a prophecy of peril brought upon a highborn woman.  Juliana is determined not to see her prophetic vision come to fruition.  Mistress St. John holds a secret herself and in time will be burdened with many others.  Juliana sees her place at court to be of service to Queen Kateryn but also to ensure the safety of Lady Elizabeth.  

Byrd gives us a portrait of Queen Kateryn that truly does her justice.  She is not merely the surviving spouse and nurse to the ailing King, but a woman with intelligence and wit who is known for her integrity and generosity.   Kateryn manages to reunite the King and his children and is dearly loved by each.  Given her "handling" of one of the world's most unmanageable men and marriages Kateryn seems to come apart at the seams once King Henry is dead.  Even now, her choices and her recklessness seem entirely out of character and yet we must except them as fact, here the historical truth is as good, or better, than fiction; otherwise her complete change in character after her marriage to Thomas Seymour would almost be too much to believe.  Byrd's attributes the change in Kateryn to her blind unconditional love for Seymour.  I wish I could think of a better reason, but I cannot.  Truly, Sandra Byrd provides her reader with a very human depiction of a remarkable Queen. 

Kateryn tries to influence the King on religion but her devout reformist views nearly cost her life.   She holds open discourses on religion within her chambers that thrust Juliana into a precarious situation.  At the same time Juliana is dealing with personal challenges and even discovers secrets about her own family, but faces all of these trials with a calm strength rooted in her belief in God’s plan and purpose for her life. 

I found myself swept up with the depiction of both Queen Kateryn and Juliana and especially in the interaction between the two women.  Byrd’s novel is rich in detail and rooted in history but her true mastery is in her ability to weave very human character depictions into the larger story.  The Secret Keeper is rich with intrigue and multi-layered plot-lines but also offers the reader a new perspective on a long debated historical question that has become itself a secret to time.  

This reader found the novel to be a true page-turner that at times I could not be pulled away from.   It is not only an engaging work of historical fiction, but Byrd’s exploration of role of women, including their individual beliefs and values, within the larger social context of Tudor society thought provoking and like all truly masterful historical fiction encouraged me to research further.  I would highly recommend The Secret Keeper and is most certainly a must read for all fans of Tudor era historical fiction.  

This review qualifies for the following challenges:
Historical Fiction Book Review #8
Tudor Book Blog Reading Challenge #6