The Taming of the Queen (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #11)

THE COMPELLING NOVEL FROM SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER PHILIPPA GREGORY Why would a woman marry a serial killer? Because she cannot refuse... Kateryn Parr, a thirty-year-old widow in a secret affair with a new lover, has no choice when a man old enough to be her father who has buried four wives - King Henry VIII - commands her to marry him. Kateryn has no doubt about the danger she faces: the previous queen lasted sixteen months, the one before barely half a year. But Henry adores his new bride and Kateryn's trust in him grows as she unites the royal family, creates a radical study circle at the heart of the court, and rules the kingdom as Regent. But is this enough to keep her safe? A leader of religious reform and the first woman to publish in English, Kateryn stands out as an independent woman with a mind of her own. But she cannot save the Protestants, under threat for their faith, and Henry's dangerous gaze turns on her.The traditional churchmen and rivals for power accuse her of heresy - the punishment is death by fire and the king's name is on the warrant... From an author who has described all of Henry's queens comes a deeply intimate portrayal of the last: a woman who longed for passion, power and education at the court of a medieval killer. Praise for Philippa Gregory: 'Meticulously researched and deeply entertaining, this story of betrayal and divided loyalties is Gregory on top form' Good Housekeeping 'Gregory has popularised Tudor history perhaps more than any other living fiction writer...all of her books feature strong, complex women, doing their best to improve their lives in worlds dominated by men' Sunday Times 'Engrossing' Sunday Express 'Popular historical fiction at its finest, immaculately researched and superbly told' The Times In this latest chapter in the Tudor saga, glorious King Henry has receded into a bloated tyrannical child-king, fretfully trying to make sense of his marital history while his latest wife acts as his nurse. The story is narrated by Kateryn Parr, who sets aside her own hopes for marriage with her lover, to become Henry's last queen. While Gregory can only speculate about the thoughts and motives of these colourful historical characters, she does it superbly within a carefully researched historical context.Kateryn is haunted by her predecessors and tries to avoid their fatal "mistakes" yet she also finds that a living queen cannot compete with the dead Jane Seymour, mother to Henry's only living son. She even finds it difficult to deal with Anne of Cleves, who had graciously side-stepped marriage with the King, and was now a favoured member of court. In a double irony that Tudor lovers will appreciate, while Henry's previous wives were obsessed with delivering a healthy male heir, Kateryn is portrayed as terrified of becoming pregnant to Henry, because another failed pregnancy would humiliate the King, endangering her life.While Kateryn navigates these challenges and becomes a loyal loving step-mother to Henry's three motherless children, she also makes her own significant contribution to the era, translating religious passages into English. Gregory's examination of the changing church and attitudes to education, particularly for women, is extremely illuminating. Kateryn also takes the role of Regent when Henry is away at war, competently managing the country in his absence - a formidable task for a young woman who has only previously run a small estate. There are also interesting glimpses of the man Henry could have been if he hadn't been gluttonous for power and for food - a man who respected higher education for women as well as men; a man who was prepared to make changes to the Church.Kateryn's secret love story runs as a recurring thread throughout the book, the lost passion between the lovers creating a dramatic contrast to the sordid sickly business of intimacy with King Henry Why would a woman marry a serial killer? Because she cannot refuse ... Kateryn Parr, a thirty-year-old widow in a secret affair with a new lover, has no choice when a man old enough to be her father who has buried four wives - King Henry VIII - commands her to marry him. Kateryn has no doubt about the danger she faces: the previous queen lasted sixteen months, the one before barely half a year. But Henry adores his new bride and Kateryn's trust in him grows as she unites the royal family, creates a radical study circle at the heart of the court, and rules the kingdom as Regent. But is this enough to keep her safe? A leader of religious reform and the first woman to publish in English, Kateryn stands out as an independent woman with a mind of her own. But she cannot save the Protestants, under threat for their faith, and Henry's dangerous gaze turns on her. The traditional churchmen and rivals for power accuse her of heresy - the punishment is death by fire and the king's name is on the warrant ... From an author who has described all of Henry's queens comes a deeply intimate portrayal of the last: a woman who longed for passion, power and education at the court of a medieval killer Why would a woman marry a serial killer? Because she cannot refuse... Kateryn Parr, a thirty-year-old widow in a secret affair with a new lover, has no choice when a man old enough to be her father who has buried four wives King Henry VIII commands her to marry him. Kateryn has no doubt about the danger she faces: the previous queen lasted sixteen months, the one before barely half a year. But Henry adores his new bride and Kateryn's trust in him grows as she unites the royal family, creates a radical study circle at the heart of the court, and rules the kingdom as regent. But is this enough to keep her safe? A leader of religious reform and a published author, Kateryn stands out as an independent woman with a mind of her own. But she cannot save the Protestants, under threat for their faith, and Henry's dangerous gaze turns on her.The traditional churchmen and rivals for power accuse her of heresy - the punishment is death by fire and the king's name is on the warrant... From an author who has described all of Henry's queens comes a deeply intimate portrayal of the last: a woman who longed for passion, power and education at the court of a medieval killer. Why would a woman marry a serial killer? Because she cannot refuse ... Kateryn Parr, a 30-year-old widow in a secret affair with a new lover, has no choice when a man old enough to be her father, who has buried four wives - King Henry VIII - commands her to marry him. Kateryn has no doubt about the danger she faces: the previous queen lasted 16 months, the one before barely half a year. But Henry adores his new bride, and Kateryn's trust in him grows as she unites the royal family, creates a radical study circle at the heart of the court, and rules the kingdom as regent. But is this enough to keep her safe? A leader of religious reform and the first woman to publish in English, Kateryn stands out as an independent woman with a mind of her own. But she cannot save the Protestants, under threat for their faith, and Henry's dangerous gaze turns on her. The traditional churchmen and rivals for power accuse her of heresy - the punishment is death by fire, and the king's name is on the warrant ..