- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Portrait (27 Oct 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0749950730
- ISBN-13: 978-0749950736
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 15.8 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 576,573 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
A riveting new biography of a much neglected Queen - the doomed child-bride of Henry VIII Joanna Denny, author of Anne Boleyn, reveals another sensational episode in Tudor history - illuminating the true character of Katherine Howard, the young girl caught up in a maelstrom of ambition and conspiracy which led to her execution for high treason while still only seventeen years old. Who was Katherine, the beautiful young aristocrat who became a bait to catch a king? Was she simply naive and innocent, a victim of her grasping family's scheming? Or was she brazen and abandoned, recklessly indulging in dissolute games with lovers in contempt of her royal position? Joanna Denny's enthralling new book once again plunges the reader into the heart of the ruthless intrigues of the Tudor court - and gives a sympathetic portrait of a beautiful young girl trapped and betrayed by her own family.
About the Author
Joanna Denny is the author of Anne Boleyn published by Portrait in 2004 and reprinted shortly after publication. Her lifelong interest in Tudor history was triggered by reading about her ancestor, Sir Henry Denny, Henry VIII's trusted courtier.
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First Sentence
ON A COLD AND BRIGHT Sunday morning in early November, the sweet sound of singing echoed from the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
ON A COLD AND BRIGHT Sunday morning in early November, the sweet sound of singing echoed from the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
51 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is an excellent well rounded book on Katherine Howard. She is often put to one side with Anne of Cleves as the less important of Henry VIII's wives, but her short life provides very interesting reading.
The author sets the scene, both politically in England as a whole and also the situations within the Howard family itself to set the platform for the reader to understand and empathise with later events.
I found this book much more objective than the author's previous book on Anne Boleyn; in this one she gives the views for and against, providing evidence from contemporary documents as to whether Katherine Howard was knowingly guilty of her premarital escapades or whether it was something that she had very little control over. It is still ultimately up to the reader to which side they take. Interesting points are provided as to whether she was in fact sexually abused and why it was not frowned on in her time etc.
There is a lot of information on the court of Henry VIII and his relationship with Thomas Howard, Duke Of Norfolk(Katherine's uncle), and how this in turn affected the way Katherine was treated.
As always with this era there are 101 plots going on at any one time within the court and the author beautifully presents these in relation to Katherine and how the knife twisted and resulted in her execution rather than just divorce and shame. There are some good amounts of information on the characters of the other women that surrounded Katherine, and their actions...such as Lady Rochford.
A fascinating, enjoyable read!
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As a youngster studying the six wives in school I was often entranced by the story of Katherine Howard. She has gone down in history as being a 'natural born tart' who distracted a sad old king while blantantly cuckolding him. But I always saw in my mind a young girl being faced with an awful death that had come from nowhere. And yet, she seemed brushed over and ignored.
But like Anne Boleyn before her she was the victim of a male-led society where women were feared and reviled, and because of this ultimately abused.
Joanna Denny finally gives Katherine Howard a book of her own. The fact that it has taken so long shows how hard it is for us to let go of the fact that some women 'deserve what they get'.
There are many faults with Ms Denny's book, and the scarcity of documents from the time contribute to some of them. I also feel that it would have been a more intellectually stimulating book if she had delved deeper into the feminist aspect of her story. Katherine was seen then, as now, as an irrelevant harlot. Ms. Denny paints her pretty much as an abused innocent who knew not what she did, but due to her sex and the fact she was married to the King not knowing was no defence.
Ms. Denny goes back to her past to find evidence of abuse and how this would have affected her personality and behaviour. She was the ultimate victime and would probably have been so even if her life had followed a different path.
It is Katherine Howard's main tragedy that unlike her cousin Anne Boleyn, she didn't change the world and in doing so make her mark on history.
But like Anne Boleyn before her she was the victim of a male-led society where women were feared and reviled, and because of this ultimately abused.
Joanna Denny finally gives Katherine Howard a book of her own. The fact that it has taken so long shows how hard it is for us to let go of the fact that some women 'deserve what they get'.
There are many faults with Ms Denny's book, and the scarcity of documents from the time contribute to some of them. I also feel that it would have been a more intellectually stimulating book if she had delved deeper into the feminist aspect of her story. Katherine was seen then, as now, as an irrelevant harlot. Ms. Denny paints her pretty much as an abused innocent who knew not what she did, but due to her sex and the fact she was married to the King not knowing was no defence.
Ms. Denny goes back to her past to find evidence of abuse and how this would have affected her personality and behaviour. She was the ultimate victime and would probably have been so even if her life had followed a different path.
It is Katherine Howard's main tragedy that unlike her cousin Anne Boleyn, she didn't change the world and in doing so make her mark on history.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived... that's how kids learn the extraordinary marriage history of Henry VIII. Well this is book is about wife No.5, the second to be beheaded.
Katherine Howard has come down in history as the one that deserved her fate on the block as she was "born a tart". Yes indeed, she had lovers before her marriage and properly during the marriage to the king. The last aspect made her technically a traitor and therefore she deserved her punishment. Well, if this would be all this excellent book is about it would be properly a very boring one. However, Joanna Denny does not stop there.
First of all she put things into perspective, tell the reader much about the treatment of women at that very time. Females were mainly "flawed" human beings, to be controlled and rules by men by all means, married off at the highest price. And this in the highest circles... only few manages to live an independent life, being there own masters, achieving this often only through an early widowhood. But as more women died in childbed this was rather the exception. Katherine was no exception, neither particularly strong willed or clever or even deep. She was however attractive for men.
At an very early age she was properly sexually abused - at least we would describe it so today and Joanna Denny points this out quite clearly - which was later hold against her and she labelled a "born tart". Hardly justified I may say. Her family, especially her uncle the Duke of Norfolk, used her in the power game and tangled her before the disgustingly fat and sickly king. Well he took her ... suppose she had no choice. However, she was not clever enough to fulfil her position of queen consort. Whether she really committed adultery remains in the end unproven. I feel at least she would not have been convicted before a court of modern times. It seems likely that she did but Mrs. Denny points the reader to the fact that is was denied by all. She might have been in love with Thomas Culpepper but as well in a physical sense... well, in the end it did not matter as the hurt king would have shown no mercy... one has to love him!
I enjoyed reading Mrs. Denny's biography on the 5th wife and getting a new perspective of Katherine Howard and learn a lot about the lives of females in Tudor times. However, I feel that Mrs. Denny should have given a bit more attention to details as some facts given are contradicted elsewhere in the book. However, these are minor details compared to the all important basic message. Worthwhile reading!
Katherine Howard has come down in history as the one that deserved her fate on the block as she was "born a tart". Yes indeed, she had lovers before her marriage and properly during the marriage to the king. The last aspect made her technically a traitor and therefore she deserved her punishment. Well, if this would be all this excellent book is about it would be properly a very boring one. However, Joanna Denny does not stop there.
First of all she put things into perspective, tell the reader much about the treatment of women at that very time. Females were mainly "flawed" human beings, to be controlled and rules by men by all means, married off at the highest price. And this in the highest circles... only few manages to live an independent life, being there own masters, achieving this often only through an early widowhood. But as more women died in childbed this was rather the exception. Katherine was no exception, neither particularly strong willed or clever or even deep. She was however attractive for men.
At an very early age she was properly sexually abused - at least we would describe it so today and Joanna Denny points this out quite clearly - which was later hold against her and she labelled a "born tart". Hardly justified I may say. Her family, especially her uncle the Duke of Norfolk, used her in the power game and tangled her before the disgustingly fat and sickly king. Well he took her ... suppose she had no choice. However, she was not clever enough to fulfil her position of queen consort. Whether she really committed adultery remains in the end unproven. I feel at least she would not have been convicted before a court of modern times. It seems likely that she did but Mrs. Denny points the reader to the fact that is was denied by all. She might have been in love with Thomas Culpepper but as well in a physical sense... well, in the end it did not matter as the hurt king would have shown no mercy... one has to love him!
I enjoyed reading Mrs. Denny's biography on the 5th wife and getting a new perspective of Katherine Howard and learn a lot about the lives of females in Tudor times. However, I feel that Mrs. Denny should have given a bit more attention to details as some facts given are contradicted elsewhere in the book. However, these are minor details compared to the all important basic message. Worthwhile reading!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
harrowing story
Out of all the 6 wives of Henry I have always found Katherine the most interesting and misunderstood, so I was very excited about reading a book symphatetic to her. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Maria
A new take on Henry's fifth wife
'Katherine Howard' was a well-written and appreciative book, because there are scarcely any books on Henry's fifth queen, apart from 'Catherine Howard' written by Lacey Baldwin... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Conor Byrne
A bit disappointing
For much of its duration, this is not really a biography, as not enough details of the subject's earliest life are known. Read more
Published on 19 July 2008 by John Hopper
Poor little rich girl.
Dont think that because of the title this book is JUST about Katherine Howard as it actually covers all of Henry's wives to a greater or lesser extent. Read more
Published on 12 Feb 2007 by Nicola Hepworth
Wife No. 5 - victim or villian?
Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived... that's how kids learn the extraordinary marriage history of Henry VIII. Well this is book is about wife No. Read more
Published on 20 Nov 2005 by Amelrode
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