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48th out of 350 books
—
905 voters
The Sixth Wife (Tudor Saga #7)
by
Jean Plaidy
Dangerous court intrigue and affairs of the heart collide as renowned novelist Jean Plaidy tells the story of Katherine Parr, the last of Henry VIII’s six queens.
Henry VIII’s fifth wife, Katherine Howard, was both foolish and unfaithful, and she paid for it with her life. Henry vowed that his sixth wife would be different, and she was. Katherine Parr was twice widowed and...more
Henry VIII’s fifth wife, Katherine Howard, was both foolish and unfaithful, and she paid for it with her life. Henry vowed that his sixth wife would be different, and she was. Katherine Parr was twice widowed and...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
February 22nd 2005
by Broadway
(first published 1953)
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Jul 04, 2012
Hannah
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2012-reads,
historicals
Rating Clarification: 3.5 Stars
" Divorced, Beheaded, Died.
Divorced, Beheaded, Survived. "
So goes that nice little ditty that encapsulates the matrimonial history of England's most famous king, Henry VIII. While a cursory glance would seem to suggest that the "Survived" wife, Katherine Parr, fared best out of the bunch, I'm not so certain that's so. After all, Katherine P. got Henry at his absolute worst both physically and mentally. Aggravated by a stinky, puss-filled leg, over 300 pounds heavy,...more
" Divorced, Beheaded, Died.
Divorced, Beheaded, Survived. "
So goes that nice little ditty that encapsulates the matrimonial history of England's most famous king, Henry VIII. While a cursory glance would seem to suggest that the "Survived" wife, Katherine Parr, fared best out of the bunch, I'm not so certain that's so. After all, Katherine P. got Henry at his absolute worst both physically and mentally. Aggravated by a stinky, puss-filled leg, over 300 pounds heavy,...more
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The fiction based on fact story of the sixth wife of Henry VIII-Katherine Parr. Twice widowed, she is in love with dashing Thomas Seymour, but Henry has fallen for her and has his love rival sent away. Katherine reluctantly agrees to marry him, living in fear that he will turn on her like his previous wives. And there are those plotting to make sure that it happens sooner rather than later.
Katherine was a fascinating wife-she restored good relations between Henry and his children, outwitted tho...more
Katherine was a fascinating wife-she restored good relations between Henry and his children, outwitted tho...more
"Henry's good humour was miraculously restored. How strange it was, thought Katharine, that this great King, this man whom the French and Spaniards feared, should be so childish in his vanity. The King's character contained the oddest mingling of qualities; yet the brutality and the sentimentality, the simplicity and the shrewdness, made him the man he was. She should not regret these contrasts; she could watch for these traits in his character, and, as her knowledge of them grew, she might find...more
While I've read other historical novels about King Henry the 8th's other wives, Anne and the first Catherine, I didn't know much about his last wife, the one who "survived" him. Plaidy takes the stance that I would, who would want to marry him when he was in the "off with her head" mood? Plaidy does a good background sketch of all the characters involved because I keep forgetting who's related to who, or remembering who gets famous later. It's a little more dry than other historical novels and I...more
Can't anyone write an historical novel that implies the immortality that occurred without describing it? I felt super awkward during those descriptions. I should have known what I was getting into - I just read "The King of the Castle" under her pseudonym Victoria Holt, and I didn't like the style at all. I guess it's better than a lot of historical fiction - I wouldn't know, I'm afraid to read much of it, for the immorality.
Jul 18, 2010
Sandra Grauschopf
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2010
I wasn't sure what to expect from this author, but I found The Sixth Wife to be well-written and intriguing from beginning to end. My only real problem with the book is that the titular character plays, at best, a secondary role. King Henry VIII, King Edward, Princess Elizabeth, and Thomas Seymour all had active, point-of-view roles, while Katharine Parr was mostly marking time until she died.
Katherine Parr escaped with her head and her life from the monstrous Henry VIII--and marries the love of her life, Thomas Seymour. However, the politically ambitious Seymour turns out to be "no prize." I learned much about the intelligient, educated Kaathrine Parr whose wits saved her life. This novel gives excellent character studies of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Edward. Recommended to readers who like the dramatic Tudor period.
I never knew anything about Henry VIII's last wife and this was a great introduction. She's a really likeable character and you can't help admiring how gracefully she dealt with being thrust into such a horrible situation. Plaidy's writing can be a little dry sometimes but by the end of the book, I loved it.
If you want to read a more historically accurate account of the life of Henry VIII's wife #6, Katherine Parr, with no "spinning" and bodice ripping, then choose this one over the Susannah Dunn novel with the same title. Jean Plaidy remains the uncontested queen (no pun) of English royal history!
this is about the life of queen katherine parr, sixth and last wife of henry V111, and the only one to keep her head and outlive him.and her life during her marriage to the king. and her life afterward.it is a good book, and well worth reading from a romantic and historical standpoint.
I've always felt sorry for all Henry VIII's wives. Poor Kathryn Parr, a widow when Henry married her, didn't do much better with her 3rd husband! This is fiction but seems to keep close to the known facts. I found it a good read.
This book was ok;it definitely wasn't one of my favorite Plaidy books. I felt that although Katherine Parr was supposed to be the primary character in this book she seemed to get lost in the book at times. I would say that overall it was an easy and enjoyable read for someone who likes to read about Henry VIII and his wives, although it did get a bit dry at times.
Another good Jean Plaidy book. I really enjoyed venturing into Henry VIII's sixth wife. Her story is an interesting one and should be read about more. A good starter book, but remember, it is historical fiction.
This was a nice change of pace for me. A story of King Henry VIII and his sixth wife along with the turbulent affairs of remaining in court. A sad ending for a change. It was very well done.
I might have made it through this one once before, but since I couldn't remember, I put it on my to read shelf. Not as good as some of her others, but entertaining enough. Think she had too many narrators in this one.
This was a quick read. It wasn't a great book , but it is worth the time spent. Henry VIII was portrayed as a mean, vile and self absorbed man, which of course...he was!
Jan 10, 2011
Timaree Spain
is currently reading it
Interesting take on the life of Katherine Parr after the death of Henry VIII. We don't tend to think of the wives of Henry as anything other than the wife of Henry VIII.
OH. My. Gosh! I adored this book. I finished it around 2 a.m. a few years ago then had to get on Wikipedia to learn more about her! Excellent portrayal!
I don’t know why I didn’t start reading Jean Plaidy books much earlier. I love the tales she weaves, the way she really seems to identify with these historical people.
Going into this book, I didn’t know a whole lot about Katherine Parr, and to an extent, I still feel like I don’t. I don’t think this is any fault of the author, I really think it’s simply because there isn’t a whole lot of information about Katherine Parr out there. We know so little about her, other than Henry was planning to rid...more
Going into this book, I didn’t know a whole lot about Katherine Parr, and to an extent, I still feel like I don’t. I don’t think this is any fault of the author, I really think it’s simply because there isn’t a whole lot of information about Katherine Parr out there. We know so little about her, other than Henry was planning to rid...more
It was great to learn a bit more about the other women in Henry VIII's life. I like learning about history and this is a very easy book to read that is made interesting by adding in the bits of fiction.
Great novel about the sixth & last wife of King Henry VIII.
Good read about the last wife of Henry VIII.
similar to other historical fiction
Excellent historical novel.
Loved this series!
Loved it!
While Katherine Parr was in love with another man, as soon as King Henry VIII decided he would marry her she had no choice but to set that love aside. This books tells her story from a nonfiction point of view as we follow her in the last few years of the King's life. Sadly, when the King dies and Katerine is finally able to be with her true love, she only has a few short years of happiness with him and eventually dies of a broken heart. Her story is tragic.
I love historical fiction, and it's rare to find a well-written story or a story that's not a bit trashy. I thought I would give this a try, I had never read any of Plaidy's books before and I don't choose books on Katharine Parr too often. I didn't expect much going in...the language was a little too hoity-toity for me and I just got bored after a quarter through the book. So...it's not quite trashy, but poorly written and a bit boring.
Jun 17, 2007
Katie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Adults who love historical fictiom
Shelves:
favorite
The first Jean Plaidy book, The Sixth Wife, is my favorite of the four I've read. It is the story of Henry VIII last wife who escaped his wrath by his death and is known in the poem as the one who survived. It is very interesting and I remember thinking how sad her life was in review. Jean Plaidy's books are not easy reads though and I would suggest them for adults or teenagers who have a lot of time to focus. I read it in the summetime.
Very interesting historical fiction. I liked learning more about the later wives of Henry VIII.
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Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million)....more
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“Is is said that those who study the ways of ambition learn patience.”
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“She took his hand and kissed it fervently. "I can never thank you enough for all you have given me. You snatched me from the dark pit of despair, of horror, and you set me here in the sunshine.”
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