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The Sixth Wife: A Novel

3.17 of 5 stars 3.17 · rating details · 547 ratings · 102 reviews

A gripping novel of love, passion, betrayal, and heartbreak in the unstable Tudor court following the death of King Henry VIII

Clever, level-headed Katherine Parr has suffered through four years of marriage to the aging and irascible King Henry VIII—and she has survived, unlike the five wives who came before her. But less than a year after the old king's death, her heart is...more

Paperback, 336 pages

Published January 8th 2008 by William Morrow Paperbacks (first published 2007)

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Dec 04, 2012 Encruzilhadas Literárias rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cláudia, quinta-essência

Como uma amante de história, a possibilidade de conhecer mais sobre os Tudor foi o que inicialmente me seduziu para ler este livro. Tinha uma capa atractiva, parecia mimoso e quando chegou até mim foi inevitável lê-lo.

Na verdade, muito se ouve falar de Henrique VIII, da primeira mulher Catarina, da Ana Bolena..., mas sobre as outras mulheres parece sempre haver um esquecimento e umas brumas de encobrimento nas quais se perde a importância do momento histórico, provavelmente devido ao facto de t...more Como uma amante de história, a possibilidade de conhecer mais sobre os Tudor foi o que inicialmente me seduziu para ler este livro. Tinha uma capa atractiva, parecia mimoso e quando chegou até mim foi inevitável lê-lo.

Na verdade, muito se ouve falar de Henrique VIII, da primeira mulher Catarina, da Ana Bolena..., mas sobre as outras mulheres parece sempre haver um esquecimento e umas brumas de encobrimento nas quais se perde a importância do momento histórico, provavelmente devido ao facto de terem precedido mulheres com tanta garra e polémica em sua volta.

Por esse mesmo motivo fiquei algo desiludida com o seguimento do livro, dado que a temática é só levemente abordada ao longo de toda a história. Contado sempre na perspectiva de Catherine, amiga de Kate (a sexta mulher) existe um vazio inócuo associado à maioria da narrativa (já que existem muitas interrupções temporais durante as quais nada acontece e pouco se sabe de qualquer uma das personagens); o que por sua vez não me conseguiu prender. É sem dúvida uma obra de romance, mas salvo raras referências, poder-se-ia ter passado na actualidade ou em qualquer outro momento histórico. Nunca chegamos a perceber o que realmente sente Kate, qual foi a sua vida e o motivo pelo qual as coisas nem sempre lhe correram de feição.

Depois, a personagem principal não é fácil. A própria autora admitiu numa entrevista que pode ser consultada no final do livro que a sua personagem principal a irritava e como tal, faço-lhe uma vénia por isso porque é um trabalho bastante exigente por parte de um escritor, mas acho que em parte ela deixou transparecer esse sentimento para quem a lê. Ou a personagem tem uma personalidade mesmo insuportável e tornou difícil que me rendesse ao seu chamamento.

Provavelmente por causa disso, não me senti cativada ou envolvida no enredo e não me afeiçoei a nenhuma das personagens. Espera algo completamente diferente, atendendo à sinopse, e talvez por isso não tenha sido capaz de recebê-lo de melhor forma.

Ainda assim, a escrita é bastante fluída e o livro lê-se rapidamente numa tarde, para quem lhe quiser dar uma hipótese. Se tiverem uma opinião diferente, venham cá contá-la depois! - Cláudia(less)

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Mar 24, 2011 Taylor rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: on-my-bookshelf

Setting: England 1547-1548
Henry VIII has just died leaving his sixth wife, Katherine Parr, a widow. Henry’s nine year old son, Edward, is now King of England. Katherine, commonly referred to as Kate by her closest friends, was known as the Protestant Queen of England. Kate was known to be intelligent, kind, and dignified.

Synopsis: Right after the death of Henry, Kate rushed into a secret elopement with one of her closest friends, Thomas Seymour. Catherine, the Duchess of Sulfolk has been Kate’s...more Setting: England 1547-1548
Henry VIII has just died leaving his sixth wife, Katherine Parr, a widow. Henry’s nine year old son, Edward, is now King of England. Katherine, commonly referred to as Kate by her closest friends, was known as the Protestant Queen of England. Kate was known to be intelligent, kind, and dignified.

Synopsis: Right after the death of Henry, Kate rushed into a secret elopement with one of her closest friends, Thomas Seymour. Catherine, the Duchess of Sulfolk has been Kate’s lifelong friend since childhood. Catherine felt hurt and betrayed that her dearest friend did not confide in her about marrying Thomas. Cathy did not trust Thomas. It was no hidden secret that Thomas once sought after the hand of the little Princess Elizabeth who is now his Stepdaughter.

She questioned his motives for marrying Kate. Was it for money, surely not for royalty or children? Kate has been barren all her life and she no longer was Queen of England, but instead the Dowager Queen of England. Kate seems happy now and so Catherine tries not to make a big deal about her sudden marriage to Thomas. So instead, she takes it upon herself to try and solve the mystery behind the mysterious Thomas Seymour. Soon Catherine feels herself trapped in a dark secret of her own. She’s now faced with her loyalty to her friend and the risk of losing everything she loves and holds dear to her heart.

Opinion: This book, I regretfully admit, was a disappointment through and through. I was looking forward to getting to know Katherine Parr and her struggles as the last wife of Henry VIII. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Instead, I got to know everything about Catherine, the Duchess of Suffolk and Thomas Seymour, but not so much Katherine.

Catherine was the narrator throughout the entire book, which was disappointing in itself. The book was dry and the characters weren’t well developed. Upon reading the first chapter, I was lost. I had no idea what was going on because it’s like I was reading from the end of the book instead of from the beginning. So this caused me to feel like there was a piece missing like I was completely out of the loop with the characters. I think if Katherine had been the narrator and there was a little more background to Katherine’s life in the beginning then I might have enjoyed it a little more.

So unfortunately, this was a disappointment I don’t really recommend it. I haven’t given up on Suzannah Dunn yet. I will definitely read another of her books when I come across one.

To read more of my reviews visit my Historical Fiction website: http://allthingshistoricalfiction.blo...(less)

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Nov 18, 2010 Taylor rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: on-my-bookshelf

Setting: England 1547-1548

Henry VIII has just died leaving his sixth wife, Katherine Parr, a widow. Henry’s nine year old son, Edward, is now King of England. Katherine, commonly referred to as Kate by her closest friends, was known as the Protestant Queen of England. Kate was known to be intelligent, kind, and dignified.

Synopsis: Right after the death of Henry, Kate rushed into a secret elopement with one of her closest friends, Thomas Seymour. Catherine, the Duchess of Sulfolk has been Kate’s...more Setting: England 1547-1548

Henry VIII has just died leaving his sixth wife, Katherine Parr, a widow. Henry’s nine year old son, Edward, is now King of England. Katherine, commonly referred to as Kate by her closest friends, was known as the Protestant Queen of England. Kate was known to be intelligent, kind, and dignified.

Synopsis: Right after the death of Henry, Kate rushed into a secret elopement with one of her closest friends, Thomas Seymour. Catherine, the Duchess of Sulfolk has been Kate’s lifelong friend since childhood. Catherine felt hurt and betrayed that her dearest friend did not confide in her about marrying Thomas. Cathy did not trust Thomas. It was no hidden secret that Thomas once sought after the hand of the little Princess Elizabeth who is now his Stepdaughter.

She questioned his motives for marrying Kate. Was it for money, surely not for royalty or children? Kate has been barren all her life and she no longer was Queen of England, but instead the Dowager Queen of England. Kate seems happy now and so Catherine tries not to make a big deal about her sudden marriage to Thomas. So instead, she takes it upon herself to try and solve the mystery behind the mysterious Thomas Seymour. Soon Catherine feels herself trapped in a dark secret of her own. She’s now faced with her loyalty to her friend and the risk of losing everything she loves and holds dear to her heart.

Opinion: This book, I regretfully admit, was a disappointment through and through. I was looking forward to getting to know Katherine Parr and her struggles as the last wife of Henry VIII. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Instead, I got to know everything about Catherine, the Duchess of Suffolk and Thomas Seymour, but not so much Katherine.

Catherine was the narrator throughout the entire book, which was disappointing in itself. The book was dry and the characters weren’t well developed. Upon reading the first chapter, I was lost. I had no idea what was going on because it’s like I was reading from the end of the book instead of from the beginning. So this caused me to feel like there was a piece missing like I was completely out of the loop with the characters. I think if Katherine had been the narrator and there was a little more background to Katherine’s life in the beginning then I might have enjoyed it a little more.

So unfortunately, this was a disappointment I don’t really recommend it. I haven’t given up on Suzannah Dunn yet. I will definitely read another of her books when I come across one. To read more of my reviews and for HF news chack out my site: http://allthingshistoricalfiction.blo...(less)

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Apr 26, 2010 Barb rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction-tudor-1485-1603, read-in-2010

This is the fourth novel about Katherine Parr that I've tried to enjoy. The other three I didn't even finish so I guess that could be considered something positive about this book. It was an easy read.

Unfortunately I found the Epilogue to be far more interesting than the book. I wanted to learn about the life of Katherine Parr and I don't feel like I know anymore about her than before finishing this novel. The story that Suzannah Dunn wrote could be about anyone.

****SPOILERS AHEAD****
The focus o...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Jenny GB rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This novel tells the last years of Katherine Parr from the point of view of her best friend, Catherine. Katherine has lived to see the end of King Henry VIII's reign and is by everyone's acknowledgement a strong a steady woman, but she falls for an unsuitable man, Thomas Seymour, and it all unravels from there. As her good friend, Catherine is present at Katerine's house for most of the novel, which I'm not sure is entirely reasonable for guests to visit that long and that often, but I went with...more

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Feb 28, 2010 Dayna rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this because I've liked some of the Phillippa Gregory book's around Henry VIII, but this had none of the elements I like about those books. If it wasn't a quick read, I would probably not have finished it. There actually are some interesting historical events that I didn't know about, I didn't know that Elizabeth and Jane Grey had gone to live with Katherine Parr and I didn't know that she remarried after Henry and had a baby. I didn't know all of the intrigue around Thomas Seymour. But t...more

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Dec 19, 2010 Kelly rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 16, 2011 Emma rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, i-own, kindle-books, fiction, books-read-in-2011

This, unfortunately, was one of the weaker tudor historical fiction books I've read. The writing was very light, and although it was told about a relatively unknown queen, at least after Henry VIII's death, I didn't come away from this feeling that I knew what had really happened. Naturally the book focuses on the scandal of her marriage as the dowager queen, but at the same time it doesn't. By the authors own admission, the main storyline in the book involving the husband and the duchess of suf...more

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May 19, 2013 Catherine rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the second book I have read by Dunn, the first being "The Queen of Subtleties" (Anne Boleyn's story) which i throughly enjoyed. This however seemed a pretty pointless novel. I'm unsure of the plot of this story/ portrayal, as there doesn't seem to be one.

However, this could be because I personally have never warmed to Katherine Parr. She seems very 'vanilla' to me, too sweet and kind and 'beige' to be of any real consequence, hence I have never really championed her as a historical figu...more

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May 08, 2012 Batsap rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

I'd already read the basic storyine of this in Alison Weir's novel The Lady Elizabeth, except that Weir's novel was told from Elizabeth's perspective and this one was told from Catherine, the Duchess of Suffolk's. I preffered Weir's version, as I found Catherine's narrative voice to be vaguely annoying. I couldn't take to her. Or anyone else in this novel. I didn't particularly like Suzannah Dunn's writing style either, it was drowned in colons and semi-colons when it didn't need to be. They jus...more

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Jan 31, 2010 Carla Nayland added it · review of another edition

In 1547, Katherine Parr, widow of Henry VIII, marries her old love, the dashing Thomas Seymour, much to the puzzlement of her closest friend, Catherine Duchess of Suffolk (Cathy). Soon these three will find themselves entrapped in a (fictional) love triangle that can only end in betrayal – but of whom?
Duchess Cathy's racy narrative, told in aggressively modern prose, is quite attractive, though only seeing Cathy's side of the story became frustrating after a while. The overall effect reminded m...more

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Jan 31, 2011 Joana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: tudors

Gostei muito deste livro. A forma como é escrito e narrado é muito atractiva e o enredo é absolutamente cativante. Desta forma, conseguiu envolver-me desde as primeiras páginas, mantendo até ao fim uma pontinha de mistério.

Sendo um dos muitos livros que li sobre a época Tudor, gostei de rever personagens que conhecia de outros.

Um pormenor que me afradou imenso neste livro foi o facto de conter, no final, uma explicação da autora sobre o que é verdade e o que foi por ela inventado, o que é sempre...more Gostei muito deste livro. A forma como é escrito e narrado é muito atractiva e o enredo é absolutamente cativante. Desta forma, conseguiu envolver-me desde as primeiras páginas, mantendo até ao fim uma pontinha de mistério.

Sendo um dos muitos livros que li sobre a época Tudor, gostei de rever personagens que conhecia de outros.

Um pormenor que me afradou imenso neste livro foi o facto de conter, no final, uma explicação da autora sobre o que é verdade e o que foi por ela inventado, o que é sempre proveitoso neste tipo de livros. Incluiu também uma entrevista á autora, que para mim foi de grande interesse.

Um dos pontos negativos deste livro é a fraca exploração do contexto histórico. As poucas referências ao contexto político do momento, ao pequeno rei, ao conselho de regência e à Reforma religiosa poderiam ter sido mais exploradas, de forma a constituírem um melhor pano de fundo à acção principal.

Um outro ponto negativo do livro é a pouca profundidade psicológica das personagens. Kate é descrita como impenetrável e pouco mais. Não consegui entender muito das suas emoções e sentimentos, excepto que estava apaixonada pelo actual marido. Fala-se nos do anterior casamento dela com Henrique VIII e do quanto este foi, naturalmente, difícil, mas não nos são mostradas as sensações que teve durante esse período, nem os seus pensamentos. Quanto a Thomas, seu marido, fiquei com a impressão de que é absolutamente ambicioso e não norteia os seus planos políticos por princípios morais. Não consegui perceber quem ele amava, se é que amava alguém, nem o que sentia pelas restantes personagens. Esta fraca profundidade aplica-se, na minha opinião, também a Cathy, de quem na sinopse do livro se diz que “é capaz de trair a melhor amiga por amor”. Tanto quanto percebi, Cathy traiu a sua melhor amiga apenas por sexo. Não consigo encontrar na sua relação com Thomas algo mais que sexo. Não sei se era essa a ideia da autora ou se isto deriva do pouco conhecimento da personalidade das personagens, mas foi essa a ideia com que fiquei.

No entanto, o livro não deixa de ser muito bom, já que o enredo é de tal maneira forte que supera estas faltas. Foi uma leitura fantástica sobre uma época que aprecio muito e tenho muita pena que não estejam publicados em português os restantes livros de Suzannah Dunn, nomeadamente sobre Ana Bolena e Maria Tudor, que eu leria certamente.(less)

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Jan 09, 2012 Inês Montenegro rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-histórico

Estruturado em capítulos pequenos e levado a cabo com uma narração agradável, “A Sexta Mulher” é um livro que se lê muito bem.
O enredo é contado na primeira pessoa, pelo ponto de vista da duquesa de Suffolk, melhor amiga de Catherine Parr, e revolve em torno da vida desta após a morte de Henrique VIII – de quem foi a sexta esposa –, e dos amores e traições da própria narradora.
Apesar de o romance se encontrar bem desenvolvido, a parte histórica perdeu bastante, sendo-nos transmitido apenas o suf...more

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Apr 23, 2010 Gretchen rated it 3 of 5 stars

While I did enjoy this book for the rich writing and excellent character development, I did find a couple problems.

1. If you don't know the back story of King Henry VIII and his wives and children drawing connections will be tricky. Most of these names were familiar to me through reading The Other Boleyn Girl.

2. The romance between Thomas and Cathy was hard for me to find believable. I do understand that much of the story is centered around this liaison, but it seemed to come out of no where th...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, tudor, 16th-century

Honestly, I thought I would like this book prior to reading it, as it involves many things I am interested in. Alas, I really felt this book felt short. I really had no compassion or like of the narrator and found her to be a very obnoxious, self-centred person. I also found the writing style to be rather odd, it was almost... choppy. I really did want to like this book, but I found myself wanting the main character to be called out on her selfish actions, as she seemed to think she was still de...more

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Oct 22, 2011 Karleene Morrow rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've read quite a bit on Henry's first five wives but didn't know much about Katherine Parr. I was looking forward to this novel but was disappointed on several levels. Too often points in the book are repetitive and overall bordering on boredom. The writer continually missed opportunities that could have put this book among the best of its class. Scenes that should have been exciting, weren't; events that should have had us anxious were predictable; characterization was flat. Writing was pedest...more

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May 01, 2013 Shannon rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When selecting this book please beware… Both the title and the cover illustration are deceiving as both clearly suggest that the focus is Henry VIII’s sixth wife and Queen, Katherine Parr. However, this novel’s central character and narrator is Catherine Willoughby Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, one of Queen Katherine’s ladies in waiting as well as her close friend. Here Dunn presents the perspective of Catherine Brandon on the tumultuous conclusion to the reign of Henry VIII and Queen Katherine’s...more When selecting this book please beware… Both the title and the cover illustration are deceiving as both clearly suggest that the focus is Henry VIII’s sixth wife and Queen, Katherine Parr. However, this novel’s central character and narrator is Catherine Willoughby Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, one of Queen Katherine’s ladies in waiting as well as her close friend. Here Dunn presents the perspective of Catherine Brandon on the tumultuous conclusion to the reign of Henry VIII and Queen Katherine’s subsequent hasty marriage to Thomas Seymour following the death of King Henry. Dunn dubs Lady Catherine “Cathy” who is suspicious of the motives behind the marriage to Seymour and suspects that Seymour desires the marriage as it puts him close to the young Princess Elizabeth with whom Queen Katherine lives. Cathy tries to protect both Queen Katherine and Princess Elizabeth by living with them at Sudeley Castle, but in the end finds herself entangled in a physical relationship with Seymour that forever severs her friendship with Queen Katherine who is devastated at the betrayal of her husband with one of her closest friends.

I was disappointed in The Sixth Wife for several reasons but primarily because Dunn opted to pit these two influential women against one another. I have always found Queen Katherine to be the ultimate survivor, a true reformer while remaining nurturing and warm. The suggestion that an improper relationship existed with Princess Elizabeth is one thing, given her age mixed with Seymour’s lethal charm, but to think that Catherine Brandon would betray her in such a way was very difficult to swallow. The young bride of the aging Duke of Suffolk has always fascinated me and from what I have encountered she too was an intelligent woman and a devout reformer. I would rather read more about these women claiming their power and influence rather than succumbing to the charms of a soulless climber. And while I commend Dunn’s use of Catherine Willoughby as her narrator, I can’t help but think that Dunn wasted an opportunity to give her reader more than a historical love triangle; something just one step above a romance novel.

Again I was disappointed with Dunn’s use of modern nicknames, though not as distracting as they were in the Queen of Subtleties, they are nevertheless so unnecessary and really seem to dumb the whole thing down. I was surprised to read that Dunn herself has said “I don’t write historical fiction,” and so perhaps I should strike her works from my reading list. However, I must say that to me Dunn’s statement seems more like an excuse for writing bad historical fiction because clearly she frames her novel within a historical context and choses her narrator to be an actual figure at the Tudor court. What Dunn does not give her reader is a novel that provokes further research or opens the reader’s eyes to a fresh perspective.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend The Sixth Wife without these reservations and while I enjoyed Dunn’s use of Catherine Brandon as narrator the story that she creates is empty.(less)

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Jan 11, 2012 Margaret rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My problem with this book is that the dialogue is too modern, too colloquial. It� s not that I want � thees� and � thous� and � prithree� this and that, but the conversations in this book come from the 21st century, not the 16th. And although I was fore warned from the description on the back cover that Catherine, the Duchess of Suffolk, Katherine Parr� s � best friend� has her own tale to tell I didn� t expect it to be the main part of the book. The Sixth Wife is not really about Katherine Parr...more

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May 03, 2011 Célia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bought, quinta-essencia, 2011, 2-stars, historical, not-own

A primeira coisa que quero dizer acerca deste livro é que o título é enganador, pois ao contrário do que pode fazer supor, a história apenas toca de forma ligeira a vida de Katherine Parr, sexta e última mulher de Henrique VIII, famoso rei de Inglaterra. Tenho lido alguns livros sobre o período mais conturbado do seu reinado, quando casou com Ana Bolena, mas pouco sei sobre as mulheres com quem casou posteriormente, pelo que achei que este livro, apesar de ter visto algumas opiniões menos entusi...more A primeira coisa que quero dizer acerca deste livro é que o título é enganador, pois ao contrário do que pode fazer supor, a história apenas toca de forma ligeira a vida de Katherine Parr, sexta e última mulher de Henrique VIII, famoso rei de Inglaterra. Tenho lido alguns livros sobre o período mais conturbado do seu reinado, quando casou com Ana Bolena, mas pouco sei sobre as mulheres com quem casou posteriormente, pelo que achei que este livro, apesar de ter visto algumas opiniões menos entusiásticas, poderia ajudar-me a colmatar essa falha.

A história tem início pouco tempo após a morte de Henrique VIII e é narrado na primeira pessoa por Catherine, duquesa de Suffolk e amiga de infância de Katherine Parr. Foca-se basicamente na relação de amizade entre as duas e na decisão de Katherine de voltar a casar pouco tempo depois com Thomas Seymour, irmão da terceira esposa de Henrique VIII, Jane Seymour, e tio de Edward VI, o rei-criança que sucedeu ao pai apenas com 9 anos de idade.

Apesar de se notar alguma preocupação, mas pouca, em situar o leitor a nível histórico, este livro é muito fraco em termos de contextualização história e intriga política. Como referi, centra-se quase na totalidade nos dilemas pessoais da duquesa de Suffolk e na sua relação com Catherine e Thomas, deixando para um segundo plano muito afastado a instabilidade política da época. Para além disso, o tom demasiado coloquial e moderno da narrativa não ajuda a torná-la mais verosímil. Dá a sensação que quer ser um romance e um histórico ao mesmo tempo, mas acaba por não ser nem uma coisa nem outra: a componente pessoal/sentimental das personagens, que me parece ser o objectivo principal da narrativa, raramente cativa, e o tratamento superficial propositado da contextualização histórica só o torna mais pobre.

Em relação às personagens, posso dizer que no início achei que Cathy, a duquesa, tinha uma personalidade interessante, um pouco rebelde para a época, mas muito crente nos seus princípios e na sua amizade para com Katherine Parr. Essa amizade acaba por ficar manchada pelo comportamento de Cathy, e essa mudança simplesmente não convence, parece demasiado repentina. Katherine Parr nunca deixa de ser mais do que uma sombra mal delineada no livro e Thomas tem tantas flutuações de carácter que o leitor acaba por não chegar a perceber quem ele é realmente.

No final de contas, foi um livro que me deixou indiferente. Não me parece que tenha qualidade suficiente para o poder recomendar.(less)

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May 03, 2010 J.M. Cornwell rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Romance and betrayal against the backdrop of Tudor England.

Katharine Parr survived marriage to King Henry VIII. As Dowager Queen, she has wealth and position, but she is still young at heart. Less than a year after Henry’s death, Katharine (Kate to her friends) secretly marries Thomas Seymour, shocking her friends with this departure from her usual level-headed calm, but she is in love.

Kate is serenely happy as she moves away from the limelight as Dowager Queen and into a quiet life in the count...more Romance and betrayal against the backdrop of Tudor England.

Katharine Parr survived marriage to King Henry VIII. As Dowager Queen, she has wealth and position, but she is still young at heart. Less than a year after Henry’s death, Katharine (Kate to her friends) secretly marries Thomas Seymour, shocking her friends with this departure from her usual level-headed calm, but she is in love.

Kate is serenely happy as she moves away from the limelight as Dowager Queen and into a quiet life in the country as a cherished, and soon pregnant, wife of the ambitious and secretive Thomas. Catherine, widowed Duchess of Suffolk and Kate’s best friend, claims England as her homeland, but she burns with the Latin passions of her Spanish birth. Knowing of Thomas’s appetite for power, Catherine dislikes him but finds herself drawn to him in a way she never expects, thus setting the stage for political intrigue and betrayal.

The stormy political climate of Tudor England provides a sharp contrast for Suzannah Dunn’s love story, and quite a few surprises, in The Sixth Wife. Like pearls on the brocade of this rich historical period, Dunn stitches facts about manor life and the responsibilities of the nobility into this tale of romance, passion and betrayal showing how love makes fools of us all.

Dunn displays her encyclopedic historic knowledge to best advantage, writing with wonderful clarity and power. Her characters are delightfully complex and the descriptions stunningly clear without weighing down the story’s pace. Even Elizabeth, future queen of England, although merely a supporting character in this quietly tempestuous love triangle, becomes more interesting.

The central relationship between Kate, Thomas Seymour, and Catherine is intimate and completely believable. When Dunn combines inner thoughts with spoken dialogue, she introduces a dissonance that left me wondering, slowing the pace to a snail’s crawl as I deciphered what was actually happening. Otherwise, The Sixth Wife is a stunning revelation of what happens when history, vision and talent come together.
(less)

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Mar 21, 2009 Laughholly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was interested in this book because I once saw a documentary series on the wives of Henry VIII and I related to Katherine Parr -- her quietness and intellectual Protestantism. I didn't relate to the Katherine in this book as much, but that's OK -- no law saying one has to relate to every fictional character, right? It was an entertaining read, and I found myself looking forward to picking it up. There were a couple chapters that were all about sex, and I had two main responses to that: On one...more

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Dec 11, 2008 Sophie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've never been a huge fan of historical fiction which deviates significantly from the actual events. It seems unnecessary when often only the bare facts are known, to bend them or omit them entirely. However, Suzannah Dunn's novel about the marriage of Katherine Parr to Thomas Seymore, told through the eyes of her close friend Catherine Duchess of Suffolk, is so well written, that I've had to revise my thoughts.

The invention of the novel (I won't say what, I don't want to spoil it) is cunningl...more

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Nov 09, 2008 Ana T. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2008, renaissance

This is a gripping novel of love, passion, betrayal and heartbreak. Katharine Parr survived Henry VIII to find true love with Thomas Seymour - only to realise that her love was based on a lie. Clever, sensible and well-liked, Katharine Parr trod a knife edge of diplomacy and risk during her marriage to an ageing, cantankerous King Henry. When he died, she was in her late thirties and love, it seemed, had passed her by. Until, that is, the popular Thomas Seymour - bold, handsome, witty and irresi...more This is a gripping novel of love, passion, betrayal and heartbreak. Katharine Parr survived Henry VIII to find true love with Thomas Seymour - only to realise that her love was based on a lie. Clever, sensible and well-liked, Katharine Parr trod a knife edge of diplomacy and risk during her marriage to an ageing, cantankerous King Henry. When he died, she was in her late thirties and love, it seemed, had passed her by. Until, that is, the popular Thomas Seymour - bold, handsome, witty and irresistible - began a relentless courtship that won her heart. Katharine fell passionately in love for the first time in her life and, also for the first time, threw caution to the wind with a marriage that shocked the worldly courtiers around her. But, all too soon it becomes obvious that Thomas has plans beyond his marriage for the young, capricious, quick-witted heir to the throne - Elizabeth - and that in his quest for power, he might even be prepared to betray his now pregnant wife! Katharine Parr's ecstasy and tragedy are witnessed and recounted by her closest friend, Catherine, Duchess of Suffolk, who lives through the tumultuous years after Henry's death at Katherine's side. A polished courtier in her own right, Catherine is sharply aware of the political realities of life at court and is, apparently, a loyal supporter of her friend. As her story weaves its way through that of Katherine and Thomas's heady passion and tragic denouement, however, it gradually becomes clear that Catherine has her own tale of betrayal and regret to tell!
I have recently been reading lots of Tudor history and this is another one this time focusing on Henry VIII’s last queen, Katherine Parr.

The book tells of Katherine story after the king dies and she is left free to marry Thomas Seymour. What I knew about her was that she had been, previous to her royal marriage, close to Seymour and that they had planned to marry. When they do marry it seems that Katherine may finally have her happy ending after having been married 3 times to older husbands. Unfortunately Thomas doesn’t prove to be a husband of substance and there are rumours of him being over familiar with Princess Elizabeth who was fourteen at the time and lived with them. Truth or not those rumours seem to have weighed Katherine down and made her last days unhappy ones.

Dunn provides us with a different story here using those same facts, or rumours that are known to have existed, and despite myself I found the story highly entertaining. I say despite myself because in the beginning I wasn’t too sure where she was leading me and whether I liked her narrator. The book is written in the first person by Catherine, the Duchess of Suffolk, Maria de Salinas’ daughter and Katherine Parr’s best friend.

I think the use of first person worked beautifully in the story so as to provide us with a view of the period. We are privy to Cathy’s (the Duchess of Suffolk) thoughts, we get to know her feelings and her views on marriage, politics and children and we see Kate (Katherine Parr) through her eyes. Kate is a woman who lived her motto – To Be Useful In All I Do – and Cathy does feel that Kate’s friendship was an invaluable treasure when she was growing up and in need of guidance. Not only for Cathy, but for everyone else in need of help that came to her ,Kate is the person who always knows what to do to make everything right again. There’s no better proof of that than when she takes Jane Grey and Elizabeth under her wing bringing some joy to their young lives. Cathy distrusts Seymour and is unsure whether his marriage to Kate was of interest or love but Kate seems very happy and wants her best friend around to share her happiness so Cathy stays in Suddeley for a time.

The problem I had was that in the end I felt the book was more about Cathy, albeit in an assumed fictional situation, then about Kate. I don’t feel I know Kate better than I did before but I feel I know Cathy and the political problems and machinations of the time. I did like that Cathy had a determination and sharp mind but in the end she stays a person of her own time, trying to save herself and her children of scandal and not hesitating in blaming others so as to disguise her faults. I’m also not too keen on sexual scandals being the center of the plot and it seems that most of Tudor stories revolve around sex as much as about politics. But in a way it seems fitting that authors keep coming up with such plots seeing how Henry VIII kept accusing some of his wives of crimes of that nature while he kept quite a few mistresses on the side…

Dunn does mention in the end that the relationship she created here is a fictional one but frankly I don’t know what would have been worse. To have Kate dying and raving at Seymour because of Elizabeth, or because of Cathy. Both perspectives are painful and I feel Katherine Parr deserved better in her last days.

Grade: B-(less)

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Dec 23, 2007 Graceann rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: historical fiction fans

Shelves: historical-fiction

In writing this book about Henry VIII's widow and her marriage to Thomas Seymour, Suzannah Dunn is out of her league. I had the P.S. edition of this book, where she explains that she deliberately avoided "Tudorspeak" because when she picks up a book, uses of the word "prithee" (and the like) immediately take her out of the story. Well, her approach to The Sixth Wife had exactly that effect on me. To hear one of the characters say that he "didn't have a clue" and to have characters speak as if th...more

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May 20, 2013 Alyssa rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I dislike the word hate, but I hated this book! I know it is a fiction book but being such a fan of Catherine Parr this book just shattered my views on romance in love. I hated the way that Catherine was treated in this book . I never sell a book after I have read it but this one I had to get rid of. The author has a very creative point of view and I know there are probably many out there who liked this book, but I am NOT one of them. I don't speak ill against the author I just didn't like the b...more

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May 08, 2012 Pam rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction

If you want quality historical lit, like say, Jean Plaidy you may not like this one. The author admits this is not true historical fiction, more like a "what if" kind of novel. I do prefer a story that is based more on fact than fiction and it took me a couple of days to get into this one. I did enjoy the story line and I did get to thinking that some of the plot was very believable, this too, is something the author intended when writing this novel. So I guess she was successful and I'd say goo...more

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Nov 23, 2010 Karen Brooks rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Despite being based on history and 'real' characters, this is an original tale of friendship and betrayal set immediately after the death of Henry VIII. While about Henry's sixth wife, the contained and intelligent Katherine Parr, it's told from the perspective of her friend and confidant, the Duchess of Suffolk. Using a contemporary turn of phrase, Dunn nonetheless manages to evoke the era and some of her metaphors and descriptions are simply beautiful. I will look forward to more from her.

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Jan 07, 2008 Alice rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: hardcore lovers of historical fiction

Shelves: historical-fiction

I really love historical fiction, particularly the tudors (don't ask me why, maybe I was one in past life...) so the subject matter kept me going with an otherwise very un-remarkable book. Susannah Dunn uses quite an odd writing style-she overuses colons and interweaves thoughts with dialogue, so you're contstantly having to check whether something is actually being said or just thought. I found it quite unsatisfying to read.

I'm interested in how different fictional writers portray famous figure...more

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Mar 26, 2011 Kevin Reekie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After reading 'The Queens Sorrow' and it's disappointment I wasn't too sure about this book. However it was really well written. It portrays Catherine Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk and her close relationship with Catherine Parr and her affair with Thomas Seymour. Although the affair was fictional it was a cleverly interwoven with the real facts. The passion between them captivated the reader and was a brilliant backdrop to the historic facts.

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Apr 10, 2010 Pamela rated it 2 of 5 stars

This turned out to be a novel that just happens to use Katherine Parr, Thomas Seymour, and Catherine, Duchess of Suffolk, as major characters. It concerns a romantic encounter which is purely fiction. The places are correct, the people are correct, but the plot is not. It is an interesting look at Thomas Seymour, however. It does not add anything to one's knowledge of history, and it is a bit slow at times...easy beach read, nothing to write home about.

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About Suzannah Dunn

Suzannah Dunn was born in London, and grew up in the village of Northaw in Hertfordshire (for Tudor ‘fans’: Northaw Manor was the first married home of Bess Hardwick, in the late 1540s). Having lived in Brighton for nineteen years, she now lives in Shropshire. Her novel about Anne Boleyn (The Queen of Subtleties) was followed by The Sixth Wife, on Katherine Parr, and The Queen's Sorrow, set during...more

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“...some days [Thomas] and I had almost no time at all, but still we did it. Knowingly, unapologetically, quick in the pursuit of something that seemed quite separate from ourselves. I had to have him inside me every day; a missed day was a missing day, the world crumpled. My blood was different in my veins now, luxuriously silty, peppered and precious. My body was a different body and knew what it needed. There was a sense of fit between us: not merely physical, although there definitely was that. I didn't know how I lived the minutes when he wasn't inside me, when there was no glittery rub of him inside me. I crammed him into me, hauled him in. My urgency shocked and delighted me.” — 1 person liked it

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