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The Constant Princess: Part 3, Princess Again
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Mandy
(last edited May 15, 2011 05:51PM)
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May 15, 2011 05:49PM
Discuss part 3, "Princess Again" here.
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I'm a couple of chapters into part 3...poor Katharine just found out her dad ordered her treasure sent home, but didn't bother to mention her...Sad and lonely. Ouch.
Okay...starting with what I am liking about the book (up until now):
*I like the "love story" - even after Arthur is dead and Catalina just mourns for him - it feels so REAL to me - her sadness makes ME sad. I think it's well described and it evokes a lot of emotion for me.
*I like the characterization of Margaret Beaufort - she's appropriately bitchy and bossy.
*I like the characterization of Henry VIII - his childlike demeanor and general puppy-like behavior is entertaining, if not entirely accurate. I am sure that he was far more shrewd than this in his later years, but I can totally buy that he was this big of a baby early on.
Stuff that's bugging me:
*Everything Katharine says is said "sweetly". Yes. She's sweet. Do you think you could find a thesaurus at some point and give us a break from "sweet"? How about compliant? Agreeable? Loving? Pleasant? Amiable? Harmonious?
*The BLATANT foreshadowing - including...
-Catalina's moaning about all of her monthly courses coming and going while she was in waiting. "I am learning to miscarry" - seriously? While I'm sure that princesses worried about their ability to conceive, I can't imagine she would have had such specific concerns.
-Henry's mention that Thomas Boleyn's wife had another daughter..."Mary or Anne or something" LOL!
-Henry's reaction when grandma Margaret died...Katharine saying that his coldness warned her that he would be brutal if anyone got in his way of what he wanted.
Honestly, I am still enjoying this book. I'm glad I'm reading it again, though, because it's not quite as wonderful as I remembered it. Probably because I've read so much more HF since then.
But I DO like it.
Moving on to part 4 :)
Hey, now! Not a rant...I said good things, too. LOL
