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Review
‘One of Gregory's great strengths as a novelist is her ability to take familiar historical figures and flesh them into living breathing human beings. The Constant Princess is a worthy successor to her previous novels about the Tudors’ Daily Express
‘Gregory's research is impeccable which makes her imaginative fiction all the more convincing’ Daily Mail
‘Gregory is great at conjuring a Tudor film-set of gorgeous gowns and golden-lattered dining. She invokes some swoonsome images…while the politics are personal enough to remain pertinent’ DailyTelegraph
Product Description
Splendid and sumptuous historical novel from the internationally bestselling author, Philippa Gregory, telling of the early life of Katherine of Aragon.
We think of Katherine of Aragon as the barren wife of a notorious king; but behind this legacy lies a fascinating story.
Katherine of Aragon is born Catalina, the Spanish Infanta, to parents who are both rulers and warriors. Aged four, she is betrothed to Arthur, Prince of Wales, and is raised to be Queen of England. She is never in doubt that it is her destiny to rule that far-off, wet, cold land.
Her faith is tested when her prospective father-in-law greets her arrival in her new country with a great insult; Arthur seems little better than a boy; the food is strange and the customs coarse. Slowly she adapts to the first Tudor court, and life as Arthur’s wife grows ever more bearable. But when the studious young man dies, she is left to make her own future: how can she now be queen, and found a dynasty? Only by marrying Arthur’s young brother, the sunny but spoilt Henry. His father and grandmother are against it; her powerful parents prove little use. Yet Katherine is her mother’s daughter and her fighting spirit is strong. She will do anything to achieve her aim; even if it means telling the greatest lie, and holding to it.
Philippa Gregory proves yet again that behind the apparently familiar face of history lies an astonishing story: of women warriors influencing the future of Europe, of revered heroes making deep mistakes, and of an untold love story which changes the fate of a nation.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I can not tell you howmuch I enjoyed this book. It was wonderful to get an insight into Katherine when she was a young desirable woman and not the wife that Henry divorced which is inevitably the focal point of so many books about the Tudor period. In this book Katherine is young, desirable and beautiful; we get an insight into her marriage to Arthur, about Henry's childish infatuation with her as well as learning about Katherine's character.The dignity with which she handled her time as a virtual hostage in England, her questioning of her mother's religious zeal as well as her relationship with her children as a mother vs. as a queen concerned about the well being of her country. Fantastic read,highly recommended.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a fan of Philippa Gregory I was initially very disappointed with this book, and was tempted to stop reading. It definitely gets better after about a third, but some of the things which annoyed me remained. These included an excessively modern perspective (giving characters points of view and ideas they would never have held at the time) and switching between action and interior monologue, which did not really enhance the storytelling and could easily have been incorportated into the main body of the story. I at times found the writing more childish and simplistic than Philippa Greogry's earlier work, and this really detracted from my enjoyment. On the plus side, she has as usual done her research very well (though perhaps not AS well) and has crafted complex and interesting characters. The story does eventually becoming captivating and Gregory is able to portray Katherine of Aragon in a more sympathetic and complex light than the role of the silent victim she has been given by history.
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I'm a fan of Philippa Gregory's other novels about the Tudor court and I found this one was no disappointment to me. In fact I enjoyed it second only to 'The Other Boleyn Girl'. She has taken a most interesting and inspiring subject and breathed into it fresh life. Katherine of Aragon is once-again the formidable and brave woman, no longer overshadowed by Anne Boleyn. I enjoyed her relationship with Arthur, which was told very tenderly and you can see how Katherine grows and matures as she achieves her life's ambition, to be Queen of England.
I'm not disappointed by this novel at all and found it to be a little more involved and interesting, less inclined to melodrama, than The Queen's Fool, or The Virgin's Lover. Good Stuff!
I'm not disappointed by this novel at all and found it to be a little more involved and interesting, less inclined to melodrama, than The Queen's Fool, or The Virgin's Lover. Good Stuff!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
History , accurate and fascinating
Mrs P.G. is a serious rival for my wifes attentions, when she gets hold of one of these... that's it for days.
Published 20 days ago by Patrick J. Murray
A favourite!
The Constant Princess is one of my favourite books.
It is beautifully written and the characters are brought to life in this fantastic gem. Read more
It is beautifully written and the characters are brought to life in this fantastic gem. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Emma B
The young Katherine of Aragon and the question of 'Did she do it?'
This book covers the arrival in England of the Infanta Catalina of Aragon (the future Queen Katherine of Aragon) and follows her through her short lived marriage to Prince Arthur,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by C. M. Carragher
Proud, stubborn Princess
I love history and realised through reading this book how little I knew about Katherine of Aragon. To me she was just the first "divorced" queen in the mnemonic to remember who... Read more
Published 2 months ago by YolaB
Interesting
This was my first foray into reading historical novels & I found the book quite enjoyable. The early part of the book which describes Catalina's childhood went over my head but I... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Chrissie
The 'other' side of Katherine of Aragon
This book follows the early life and marriages of Katherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII, told from Katherine's point of view. Read more
Published 4 months ago by N. S. Ingle
constant princess
what a boring book!! Very slow and dull. This book has put me off reading anything else by Ms Gregory! Bring back Jean Plaidy! Read more
Published 7 months ago by dinkydo
Lies, damned lies, statistics - and then Catalina's MONSTER LIE
This novel didn't look as if it was going to be a disappointment, but it was. I think even Philippa Gregory got tired of it - at the end she misses out 16 years of Catalina's life,... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Glilla Bear
a great book
This is the second book written by Philippa Gregory that I.ve read and i was not disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed every single page. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Petre Catalina Gabriela
Ebooks
I have the complete set of Philippas tudor books in paperback but I would love to see all her books in electronic form so that I can download them to my kindle.
Published 11 months ago by Maria Holden
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