If you enjoy English history, you've probably heard the
poetic phrase about King Henry VIII's wives -- "Divorced,
beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived." QUEEN'S
GAMBIT is the story of the one who survived, Katherine
Parr.
The novel begins not long after Henry had his teenage
bride
Catherine Howard executed for having an affair (considered
treason in a royal marriage). The recently widowed
Katherine
Parr has come to court to serve his daughter Mary, and he
finds her fascinating. Katherine doesn't want to remarry -
-
she's enjoying her freedom as a widow and has a lover --
but
what the king wants, the king gets. In a matter of weeks,
the two are married.
Elizabeth Fremantle narrates this fictional account
through
the eyes of two women -- Katherine herself and her trusted
servant, Dot. Through Fremantle's words, you can feel the
oppressiveness and danger of the Tudor court, the passions
for the new religion, and the very real fears of being
prosecuted for heresy or treason. I enjoyed her insights
on
the people and the issues of the time.
I did find Fremantle's manner of telling the story a
little
hard to get used to. The novel is written in a third
person
present tense that I found rather awkward throughout.
I am by no means a scholar of the period, but I have read
historical accounts of Henry VIII's courts and often
compare
television dramas and movies to the known facts of the
time.
That limited knowledge, and Fremantle's own notes and
bibliography in the book, make me feel that she has
diligently researched the life of Katherine Parr and the
people around her. She admits taking liberties with some
of
the characters and situations, but I feel her intent was
to
tell the truth, even if the facts are not always
available.
I would recommend QUEEN'S GAMBIT to readers of historical
fiction, history buffs, and fans of film and TV projects
such as "The Tudors" and "Elizabeth."
Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived:
This is the story of the one who survived.
Widowed for the second time at age thirty-one Katherine
Parr falls deeply for the dashing courtier Thomas Seymour
and hopes at last to marry for love. Instead, she attracts
the amorous attentions of the ailing, egotistical, and
dangerously powerful Henry VIII. No one is in a position to
refuse a royal proposal so, haunted by the fates of his
previous wives—two executions, two annulments, one death in
childbirth—Katherine must wed Henry and rely on her wits and
the help of her loyal servant Dot to survive the treacherous
pitfalls of life as Henry’s queen. Yet as she treads the
razor’s edge of court intrigue, she never quite gives up on
love.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy