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The Taming of the Queen

Review

The Taming of the Queen

At first glance, marrying a king appears to be the realization of every little girl's dream. The chance to become a queen, have access to unimaginable wealth and enjoy the finest things in life would be enough to tempt almost anyone. However, when the deal involves marriage to Henry VIII, a king who has already buried four of the five women to whom he was married, the dream quickly turns into a nightmare. That's the situation in which Kateryn Parr found herself when she became the object of King Henry's affections in 1543.

At 33, Kateryn already had been married and widowed twice. Now that she was finally free to do as she pleased, she had embarked on a passionate affair with a man who returned her feelings, only to find herself targeted by King Henry as the woman he would most like to marry. Unable to say no to the reigning monarch, Kateryn reluctantly gave up her lover and threw herself into being the best wife possible to the aging, ill and corpulent king who doted on her. She was smart enough to know that doing anything less could lead her to lose her head on the chopping block.

"Readers are thrust back in time where they will enjoy a fictional account based on historically accurate records that show Kateryn Parr to be a strong, brave and quick-witted woman who prevailed where numerous others had failed."

At first, all was well in the marriage. Kateryn was a queen who was much loved by the public, had the respect of her husband, and worked hard to blend the king's three children from his previous wives into one loving family. Even though the once-vibrant ruler had now become an impulsive tyrant who was often plagued with illness, Kateryn was usually able to cajole him into jollier spirits with her wit and charm.

One of the things that made Henry most proud of his wife was her interest in religion. Kateryn loved to study and write on a number of religious topics. Always deferring to her his dictates when it came to her spiritual life, in part because Henry had broken with the church in Rome and named himself head of the church in England, Kateryn was careful to avoid any appearance of heresy.

Despite her cautious behavior, however, Henry's unscrupulous advisers would eventually use Kateryn's interest in spiritual pursuits to turn Henry against her. Once they had convinced him that Kateryn was taking undue interest in the Reformation, an interest he had previously encouraged, Kateryn would have to use every weapon in her arsenal to prevent her from becoming another casualty in King Henry's quest for the perfect wife.

THE TAMING OF THE QUEEN is the fascinating tale of the last wife of Henry VIII, the one who would outlive him and triumph over his reign of domestic terror. Readers are thrust back in time where they will enjoy a fictional account based on historically accurate records that show Kateryn Parr to be a strong, brave and quick-witted woman who prevailed where numerous others had failed.

Reviewed by Amie Taylor on August 28, 2015

The Taming of the Queen
by Philippa Gregory

  • Publication Date: March 29, 2016
  • Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction
  • Paperback: 496 pages
  • Publisher: Touchstone
  • ISBN-10: 1476758816
  • ISBN-13: 9781476758817