4 out of 5 stars
On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads
How I discovered this book: I'd already read the first two in the series
In a Nutshell: Book 3 of a series about Anne of Cleves
This third book in the Anne of Cleves series centres around events at Henry VIII's court, and Henry's marriage to Catherine Howard, told from Anne's point of view. As the reader knows more about the situation than Anne did, it makes for interesting reading. Her thoughts on the marriage and on her good fortune at escaping the dangerously volatile nature of her former husband make one feel most relieved on her behalf.
In this book, Anne talks a great deal about the lot of women in those times, and about male-female relationships in general; I liked the insight into the marriage of Charles and Katherine Brandon, too. She also talks about Henry as a father, not just a husband, and his attitude towards the long-suffering Princess Mary.
I look forward to the next episode, to see what she makes of Katherine Parr, the activities of John Dudley and Edward Seymour, in their manipulation of Edward VI, and also the reign of Bloody Mary herself. A quick look at Wikipedia told me that Anne died in the penultimate year of Mary's reign, so she never got to see what happened! Mary fascinates me, so it will be good to read about her from Anne's point of view - and Anne's own story becomes more eventful during this later period, too.
No comments:
Post a Comment