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

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