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Bestselling author and acclaimed historian Alison Weir takes on what no fiction writer has done before: creating a dramatic six-book series in which each novel covers one of King Henry VIII's wives. In this captivating opening volume, Weir brings to life the tumultuous tale of Katherine of Aragón. Henry's first, devoted, and "true" queen. A princess of Spain, Catalina is only sixteen years old when she sets foot on the shores of England. The youngest daughter of the powerful monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, Catalina is a coveted prize for a royal marriage - and Arthur, Prince of Wales, and heir to the English throne, has won her hand. But tragedy strikes and Catalina, now Princess Katherine, is betrothed to the future Henry VIII. She must wait for his coming-of-age, an ordeal that tests her resolve, casts doubt on her trusted confidantes, and turns her into a virtual prisoner. Katherine's patience is rewarded when she becomes Queen of England. The affection between Katherine and Henry is genuine, but forces beyond her control threaten to rend her marriage, and indeed the nation, apart. Henry has fallen under the spell of Katherine's maid of honor, Anne Boleyn. Now Katherine must be prepared to fight, to the end if God wills it, for her faith, her legitimacy, and her heart.
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okay so prior to reading this the only thing I knew about Katherine was her name. I didn’t even know she was Spanish :/
This book paints her as a strong and principled woman, ready to die for what she believes is right. Honestly, there were so many times she could have taken the easier route and gone on with her life as normal but she couldn’t sacrifice her integrity to do it. And while I think it’s pretty stupid, I kinda admire her for it.
My only complaint is that the beginning of the book is so long!! (Also why I took two weeks to read it). Things only started picking up for me after Anne Boleyn appeared because we all know how that ends. But the entire story made me feel so bad for Katherine; even until the end, all she wanted was for her husband to know she loved him, despite all the things he did to her and Mary. That’s some serious dedication.
1st read: May 2019
2nd read: May 2020
3rd read: May 2024
Apparently I only read this book in the month of May.