... The Constant Princess is one I only read recently, having used Dooyoo miles to buy it as a present for myself.
Plot Outline
~~~~~~~~
Catalina of Aragon has always known what fate destiny had in store for her- betrothed during infancy to Arthur, the oldest son of Henry VII, a king who ... Read review
Splendid and sumptuous historical novel from this internationally bestselling author. It ... more
tells of the early life of Katherine of Aragon. Often thought of as the barren wife of a notorious king behind the legacy lies a fascinating story. (courtesy Bertr...
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Splendid and sumptuous historical novel from this internationally bestselling author. It ... more
tells of the early life of Katherine of Aragon. Often thought of as the barren wife of a notorious king behind the legacy lies a fascinating story. (courtesy Bertrams)
Postage & Packaging:refer to website Availability:in stock
...things added to fill in the gaps in history that people can't be sure of. One of my favourite authors of this genre is Phillippa Gregory - I've read all of her books, and reviewed a fair few already. The Constant Princess is one I only read recently, having used Dooyoo miles to buy it as a present for myself.
Plot Outline
~~~~~~~~
Catalina of Aragon has always known what fate destiny had in store for her- betrothed ... ...one day she would be the Queen of England.
Growing up in the battlefields around Granada, as her parents, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand waged war against the moors, and then later, in the glorious garden palace of the Alhambra, she led a privileged life - a life in which the will of god was an absolute certainty.
At sixteen, the time came for the betrothal to end and the marriage to begin. Leaving her beloved home ... more
I love historical novels - that is, stories based on fact, with things added to fill in the gaps in history that people can't be sure of. One of my favourite authors of this genre is Phillippa Gregory - I've read all of her books, and reviewed a fair few already. The Constant Princess is one I only read recently, having used Dooyoo miles to buy it as a present for myself.
Plot Outline ~~~~~~~~
Catalina of Aragon has always known what fate destiny had in store for her- betrothed during infancy to Arthur, the oldest son of Henry VII, a king who won his throne through battles and violence, she always knew that one day she would be the Queen of England.
Growing up in the battlefields around Granada, as her parents, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand waged war against the moors, and then later, in the glorious garden palace of the Alhambra, she led a privileged life - a life in which the will of god was an absolute certainty.
At sixteen, the time came for the betrothal to end and the marriage to begin. Leaving her beloved home Catalina travels to England - and is shocked by the welcome she receives from the King, Henry VII. Her illusions are also shattered when Arthur proves himself, not a chivalrous knight, but an uncouth and unloving husband. However, over time the relationship deepens to love- a love that is soon cut short on Arthur's untimely death.
But Catalina's destiny is still set in stone, especially when she makes a deathbed promise to her beloved husband, a promise that could see her become her destiny - Katherine of Aragon, Queen of England. However, there are many obstacles along her path, Henry VII chief amongst them, and she must rely on a lie if she is to gain, and hold, the throne.
My Thoughts ~~~~~~~~
As with many of Gregory's books, this centres once again on the Tudor court, and particularly on the complicated and sometimes shocking goings on in royal circles. Readers of other works from Gregory may have some idea of her writing style - she writes very emotionally, and gives a great depth of understanding of the characters involved. In this book, she writes alternately in first person and in third person, in order to cover both what Catalina is thinking, and to also cover the political events of the era.
There is probably less known about Catalina/Catherine of Aragon than of Anne Boleyn - and Gregory does a good job of interesting us in her early childhood, educating us on her parents, her culture, and the early hero worship of her mother.
This book is slower paced than any of the others - I don't mean that it is boring in any way, just that it covers in great detail the events of her earlier life, rather than throwing us in at the moment when Catalina marries Henry VIII.
As with other books, there's also plenty to learn from this that I didn't know before - for instance, just what an excellent strategist Katherine of Aragon was, and of the work she did for this country. However, some of it is, of course, guesswork - such as the paragraphs containing Katherine's thoughts, and indeed the deathbed promise, the central theme of this book, itself.
However, the story is entirely plausible and however accurate Gregory's interpretation of the gaps in historical record, it's also highly educational and a fun read!
As always, she makes history come alive, and I highly recommend reading this book, which is available for 5.59 on Amazon.co.uk
Advantages: Excellent historical research for the story Disadvantages: Shame we don't know if it's all fact
This is the second book I've read by Philippa Gregory, the other one being "The Other Boleyn Girl" about a year or so ago.
I have to say that, in line with my current chosen line of reading (fiction/fact stories on the Tudor era), this one also rates very highly. I tend to read for entertainment and learn a bit of stuff that I probably didn't already know no the subject matter. I don't tend to read to pick holes in the books or authors that wrote ... ...The Constant Princess follows the life of Catalina, Infanta of Spain. Betrothed to Prince Arthur, son of Henry VII of England and brought up to believe that she is born to be Princess of Wales and Queen of England, the book opens when Catalina is five years old and in camp with her parents Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand and their war between the Moors and the Christians.
As the tale unfolds, we are told about her trip to England to marry Prince ...
JeeanA 03.10.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Constant Princess - Philippa Gregory
Advantages: Superbly written (as always), brings little-known information to light Disadvantages: I think Philippa Gregory has her favourites and I don't share her opinions
Following on from the success of her other novels set in the Tudor court (The Other Boleyn Girl, The Queen's Fool, The Virgin's Lover), Philippa Gregory goes back in time to bring us a novel following the early life of Katherine of Aragon. In her author's note, Gregory acknowledges that a lot of the information she found was a revelation for her - especially Katherine's upbringing at the battle camps of her royal Christian crusader parents, who are ... ...fun and dance at court. The Constant Princess blows this image out of the water. Katherine is raised as Catalina, Infanta of Spain, who has been betrothed to Prince Arthur, the Rose of England, since she was a toddler. She has been brought up being told that she is Princess of Wales and her destiny is to be Queen of England, the main reason for this match being the political advantages of Spain and England having each other to be allies against the ...
DoubleFantasy11 24.07.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Constant Princess - Philippa Gregory
Advantages: Bringing to life a much-forgotten episode in English history. Disadvantages: How much is truth and how much is fiction? We may never know!
...it again. Following hot on the heels of her massively popular Tudor series of books, Gregory introduces what is a fitting prelude to the Tudor trilogy, by exploring the story of the young Katherine of Aragon in "The Constant Princess".
Everyone knows the story of King Henry VIII - the rhyme "Divorced, beheaded died. Divorced, beheaded, survived" was a staple part of any English child's primary education. But where - and why - did it all start?
... ...lays its focus not on the huge, larger-than-life character of King Henry, but instead on his first wife Katherine. Katherine tends to be largely ignored by Tudor historians, becoming of interest only when the saga concerning her divorce from Henry begins. What Gregory does is to try and portray Katherine as a young woman with feelings, rather than just the old, worn-out wife she is traditionally portrayed as. In this she succeeds without doubt. "The ...
brighter23days 19.01.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Constant Princess - Philippa Gregory
Advantages: Makes Katherine of Aragon come to life. Disadvantages: Loses the plot a bit towards the end
...I did think though that the author somewhat ran out of steam after dealing with the death of Katherine's son, and I would have liked to have read more about Katherine after her fall from grace. In fact, having been gripped by the book, I lost interest and had to drag myself through the last few chapters which was a shame.
It is, as others say, difficult to determine how much of the novel is historical fact and how much fiction. What I did look up ...
reviewer201 24.08.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Constant Princess - Philippa Gregory
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Advantages: Informative and interesting Disadvantages: Sticks too closely to the facts - not speculative enough!
PhilippaGregory manage to create, but I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
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Advantages: Page turner Disadvantages: Cannot think of any
Having read another of PhilippaGregory's books "A ConstantPrincess" I had a look in our local library for other books by this author. This is different to ConstantPrincess (and also " The Boleyn Inheritance" which I'm currently reading) because the subject of the novel is not one of the main characters we know from history but rather an unknown Jewish girl who has converted to Christianity and has a gift of visions of the future which draws her into being a "holy fool" in the royal court. I thought this a very interesting perspective as the status of outsiders such as Jews in the Tudor period is not something I'd ever thought about before. I enjoyed the fact that the book relates the main character, Hannah's life beyond the confines of the court, and the tension for the Jewish community (as well as everyone else) during ...
Product Information for "The Constant Princess - Philippa Gregory" »
Product details
Type
Fiction
Genre
Historical Fiction
Title
The Constant Princess
Author
Philippa Gregory
ISBN
0007190301; 000719031X; 074327248X; 0743272498
Manufacturer's product description
This is a splendid and sumptuous historical novel from this internationally bestselling author, telling of the early life of Katherine of Aragon. We think of her 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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