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May 07, 2011

Misfit rated it:

2.5 stars

Those of you familiar with all things Tudor already know the basics of the long-suffering Katherine of Aragon and the husband who dumped her when she couldn't produce a male heir. Those who aren't might consider this review rather spoilerish so consider yourself warned. That said, since the author skims through a big chunk of the latter part of Katherine's life and "The King's Great Matter", I wouldn't recommend this for newbies as you'll be scratching your head at More...

42 comments like (18 people liked it)

Aug 20, 2007

Beth rated it:

I'm going to start out by saying 1) I love historical fiction and 2) I loved Margaret George's, The Autobiography of Henry VIII with notes by his fool Will Sommers (one of my fave books of all time).

So when I have the opportunity to go back to Kind Henry VIII's court I do! I've read the Other Boleyn Girl, I've read Elizabeth I by Rosamund Miles to learn about the time after Henry VIII, etc.

Therefore I was really looking forward to learning more about Henry's first wife More...

2 comments like (12 people liked it)

May 07, 2008

alana rated it:

Ah, Philippa Gregory. You lured me in with The Other Boleyn Girl, which I knew was kind of trashy, but still couldn't put it down. TOBG was like eating cupcakes while watching SVU re-runs. Paradise. The Constant Princess, however, was like eating Doritos while watching Grey's Anatomy. I really wanted to like it, but really, it just made me want to barf. The problem, dear Philippa, is that just as Henry VIII liked his ladies, you seem to love italics. You write whole pages in italics, which in my More...

5 comments like (24 people liked it)

Jun 19, 2011

Karla (Mossy Love Grotto) rated it:

A very entertaining and engaging story, more lively than Jean Plaidy's Katherine trilogy. Even though I found Plaidy's books a bit on the dull side, I'm glad I read them to complement Gregory's take on the young Katherine. Most of the HF I've read about Katherine shows her in her times of trial during her second marriage, where she comes across as a long-suffering and pious cow, an object of scorn and pity. Even as a younger girl, she comes off as a bit of a drip and killjoy, as if she was born More...

6 comments like (7 people liked it)

Apr 07, 2009

Tanja rated it:

I am completely fascinated by this time period. It is like reading a soap opera. It also helped me to understand how King Henry could be so cruel and it made me sad for Queen Katherine. This was a beautiful love story and a story of perseverance. I loved the descriptions of the spanish court. It certainly made me glad that I am not royalty.

2 comments like (7 people liked it)

Jan 29, 2011

I ♥ Bookie Nookie rated it:

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

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 24, 2007

Kate rated it:

This was actually the second attempt I made at reading this book. The first failed about fifty pages in: I simply couldn't buy the premise. Apparently there are some things that are "obviously what happened" in Gregory's brain, but that seemed like huge, wildly improbable conjecture to me and many other readers. I don't want to go into it in detail, so as not to spoil the plot, but basically, Gregory took historical events and assigned feelings and motivations to the major players t More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Nov 14, 2007

Barbara rated it:

Just started to read this book and I'm hooked so far.
***********

I completed this book last night and I really enjoyed it. Its the first book I've read from this author and she does a wonderful job telling this historal fiction book. I sometimes have trouble getting into these kinds of books but I fell into this one.

Katherine of Aragon, Queen of England is written has a very strong woman, taking command of her life when and where she is able. In that that, many wo More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 27, 2010

Kristen "Kirby" rated it:

Let me start by saying this: If you hated The Other Boleyn Girl for it's lack of exciting events and boring pace, good luck getting past page 100 of The Constant Princess.

Now, I'm no fan of Philippa Gregory. To be honest, I HATE the way she writes. She spins in circles, repeating the same crap over and over again. She includes tons of unneeded fillers. Ugh. I simply read her books because I like the history.

After enjoying The Other Boleyn Girl, I went on to the Boleyn Inh More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Nov 04, 2010

Adrianna rated it:

I have read and heard many positive critiques about Philippa Gregory, so I was really excited to finally read one of her books. Unfortunately, the hype did not live up to my expectations.

Fellow readers claim that this book takes a new approach to Katherine of Aragon's life with a predominant focus on her marriage to Prince Arthur. Yes, this is true. It does focus on that five month period but at what cost? This is not the most fascinating part of Katherine's life, especially consider More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 29, 2008

Melissa rated it:

If King Henry VIII's wives have any consolation, it is that they are remembered and honored far more in death than they were in life--there were six wives, and now there are dozens of books about them. But The Constant Princess begins at the beginning--with the first wife, Katherine of Aragon, whose unfortunate life did not include the birth of a son and heir to King Henry VIII. It is that perceived fault of hers that inspired Henry to seek sport in the arms of other women, and provided us with More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Dec 20, 2007

CELIA rated it:

For me, Gregory's big problem is point of view. Her first-person narratives are fantastic, but her third-person ones suck. Here is an interesting combo: The Constant Princess is written mostly in third, but with about just as much in first-person asides that aren't really justifiable in any way. Are they journal entries from the protagonist, Katherine of Aragon? Just musings? Often, the narratives overlap, which could be interesting, but really just comes off as jarring. I don't really get what More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Sep 11, 2007

Bree rated it:

I really, really enjoyed this book. I know absolutely nothing about the Tudor era, but this series of books was recommended to me (because I mentioned to a friend I was interested in reading about Marie Antoinette, she thought I might like this series as well). I'm reading them not in the order Philippa Gregory wrote them, but in the order of succession of Henry's wives. I love that it's fiction, but based in fact...how much of the story is true, who knows, but still it was entertaining.
More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 30, 2008

Maggie rated it:

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

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 26, 2008

Amy rated it:

I have not read many Philippa Gregory books, but this is my favorite so far. I love the story of Katherine of Aragon, however embellished it may be. I love the lusciousness of Philippa's imagination bringing a completely believable story to the unknown crevices of Katherine's life and then setting it on the gorgeous backdrop of the Tudor time period. It was excellent.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 12, 2007

Teddy rated it:

I actually rated this 3.5 stars. Here's my review from Amazon.ca:

I read “The Other Boleyn Girl last month last month. (See My Review). It was my first Phillippa Gregory book and I loved it. Since I was hungry for more Gregory I decided on The Constant Princess next. I actually listened to the Audio CD version. The narrator, Kate Burton brought Gregoy’s characters to life. I loved learning more about Catherine of Aragon and her fight to become Queen of England. Gregory captures More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 02, 2008

Kristin rated it:

This is the prequel to the book The Other Boleyn Girl. Philipa Gregory has thankfully improved her writing since The Other Boleyn Girl (a book I really liked though). This is the story of Katherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry the VIII, and her rise to the throne as the Queen of England. I really liked it. I think Katherine of Aragon is a fascinating historical figure and due to reading the book I went and read and learned more about her.

This is a great book to read curled up o More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 14, 2011

Susan rated it:

This was a 2006 Christmas present and I'd been looking forward to reading it. 2007 was a difficult year for me (healthwise) so I also bought it from Audio (unabridged) to listen to on my iPod while my vision wasn't great.

Umm...to cut a long story short I still haven't finished either the audio or print version. I've tried listening to it several times but I keep falling asleep! It *is* different to the other Gregory books I've read and enjoyed but I'm determined that I won't give up More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 13, 2011

Nancy rated it:

Made me really respect Katherine of Aragon.[return][return]On the weather;[return] "It gets far worse than this," he said cheerfully. "Far colder, it rains or sleets or snows, and it get darker. In February we have only a couple of hours of daylight at best and then there are the freezing fogs which turn day into night so it is forever gray."[return][return]Sure they're not speaking of Holland?[return][return]On fake it 'til you make it?[return][return]"We are all preten More...

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Dec 21, 2010

Miranda rated it:

"I have to say that this book was a disappointment. The story is good, but the facts surrounding the Tudor royal family and how it came to be is a fascinating story so even a poor writer could pull something readable from the facts.[return][return]I think that I would still read another of Philippa Gregory's books, but may lower my expectations of them. Once an author gains success with a particular line of books they may be put under a lot of pressure to continue to produce at outlandish r More...

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Mar 22, 2009

Kate rated it:

Synopsis:

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 th More...

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Feb 09, 2009

Bonnie rated it:

This book is essentially a biographical novel about Katherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife. It took me awhile to become involved with this book and I really considered quitting. Part of the problem is that it seemed to me that Ms. Gregory spent too much time on Katherine' very brief first marriage to Henry's older brother Arthur. This part of the book read like one of those pink romance novels. Everything is lovely and idyllic. Things did not start out well for them, but once they dec More...

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Jan 25, 2009

Ali rated it:

Philippa Gregory has taken the question of Katherine of Aragon’s (Cataline, Infanta of Spain) lie and used that to make rather a lot of assumptions about her relationships with Arthur and Henry. The lie, of course that her marriage to Prince Arthur was never consummated, and therefore provided grounds for a dispensation from the Pope allowing her to marry his brother Henry. What Philippa Gregory calls Katherine’s lie, is perfectly credible – it could have been a lie – it would seem unlikely mayb More...

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Dec 02, 2008

Kathleen rated it:

And she hits *another* home run. This novel, alternating between an omniscient voice and the narration of the Princess Katharine, is all about the persistence of the young princess over many years to become Queen of England. This novel offers a very sensible explanation for why later in life, this queen thinks that she can outlast the formidable Anne Boleyn. And it shows the early charms and weaknesses of Henry VIII, before he became the obsessed, monstrous ruler of his later years.

T More...

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Feb 07, 2012

Carol rated it:

I have read several of Philippa Gregory's books now and really enjoy them, but they all suffer from the same complaint in that they are too long. This novel tells the story of the first wife of Henry VIII and sees him grow from a spoilt second son, to the King of England. However, Henry is not her first husband.

The history books tell us that she was the widow of the older brother, Arthur, Prince of Wales, to whom she was betrothed most of her life. The history books also tell us tha More...

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Dec 31, 2011

Cindy rated it:

I'm under no delusion that PG is 100% accurate in her novels. I knew the criticism before I read The White Queen and now this and I am still a new fan. The fun thing about historical fiction and film is that it takes me twice as long to read/watch because I'm doing as much internet research as I can. It's almost a game to me to see what's accurate and what isn't. And then my to read list gets even longer as other authors are mentioned and recommended. So, I understand that there is a bit of More...

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Dec 05, 2011

Jill rated it:

I truly loved the writing style of Gregory when I read The Other Boleyn Girl. I loved the story and I loved how Gregory portrayed the story with historical events. So I read this book and have acquired many of her other titles because of that reason.

Sadly, I can not say I loved this book. It was interesting. I'm can't remember being interested in history when my teachers spewed facts at me and expected me to remember them. Still, that doesn't mean history is boring and while I didn't r More...

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Sep 14, 2011

Cj rated it:

After King Henry the VIII learns more of women, he knows without a doubt that Catalina was indeed, no virgin when she came to his bed. His heart however never strays from Queen Katherine.
Until, he meets a young girl with a strong mind, a stubborn demeanor, and more ambition than any Queen could hope to stand against.

Anne Boleyn.

Which Catalina loses her throne to. I believe, if memory serves me correctly, Catalina was the only Queen to get away from King Henry VI More...

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Sep 12, 2011

Wendall Paul rated it:

One thing I have learned, through reading now three of Philippa Gregory’s novels, is she not simply entertains with a compelling story filled with interesting characters in all their weaknesses and strengths. She also educates a reader with a narrative of history that may strike remarkably close to the way events actually played out.

THE CONSTANT PRINCESS serves as a prime example.

Here one learns of Princess Catalina, the youngest daughter to King Ferd More...

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Sep 07, 2011

Jessica rated it:

As a general notion, when reading about the Tudor history, Catherine of Aragon gets a little skimmed over. She got the short end of the stick and basically dicked over by Henry and Anne Boleyn even though she was generally loved by most of England. She was forced to separate from her daughter Mary and was basically shoved out of the royal court and sequestered to live out the rest of her life in loneliness.

This book begs to differ. One of the biggest debates in history is whether or More...

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