The Spanish Bride: A Novel of Catherine of Aragon

Not knowing too much about Catherine of Aragon, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It gave me a good insight into the Queen who was wronged by King Henry. Her love and marriage to Arthur was tragic, but she was a strong woman who never gave up.

This book is the first of an interesting new series on the wives of Henry VIII. The narrative is done through the words of Catherine of Aragon's maid of honor. This angle helped me grasp both Catherine's world and that of the people around her. I knew the anquish Catherine of Aragon went through, but this book made me realize what kinds of problems the ordinary well-to-do people had at a very tense time in British history.

Ms. Gardner's story "The Spanish Bride" is a well-written story that will sweep the reader back to Tudor times under the rule of Henry VIII. With her vivid way of writing the reader is gifted with a peak at a time past. Catherine of Aragon comes to England in 1502 with her ladies, which include Estella de Montoya. With big expectations they both take their proper places in the royal households. By 1527 Catherine has married Henry at his request and has failed in her duty as Queen by providing a male heir for the crown. Estella returns from the north after the death of her English husband. She takes her place beside her friend just as Henry puts her aside in order to pursue his own agenda. Through it all Estella stays by her friend even when it becomes dangerous. She deals with her own problems as she finds a growing attraction with Piers Hilsey. With the dramatic backdrop of political and emotional issues Estella and Catherine stay strong and live life by their own terms. Will Estella be able to find her own happiness while standing by her friend? This is a wonderful read if you are truly a fan of the historic fiction genre. Although at times this story is dark and a bit gloomy, it is well worth the effort to pick up. Ms. Gardner has not re-written history but instead created a story around true historical events and people. This is a rich tapestry of facts and historical detail.

Seemingly, writing a novel about piggy Henry (my special name for Henry VIII -- yes, I am biased and proud of it) and his six unfortunate wives has become very much the thing of late. So that the question of whether or not there really is a need for any more such novels becomes a legitimate question. I think that if an author possesses an interesting notion on how to handle this oft told tale(s), then she (or indeed he) should go for it. Laurien Gardner seems to possess such a take: by telling the story of each of these ill fated women via the voices of intimate friends. And in the very first installment of this series, "The Spanish Queen," Catherine of Aragon's (Henry VIII's first wife) early years in England, before she became Queen of England, and the last few years of her life -- whilst Henry was trying to end their marriage -- is told via the memories of Catherine's maid of honour, Estrella de Montoya. The novel opens in 1501, with the arrival in England of a very young Catherine of Aragon, and her household (which, of course, includes an equally young Estrella de Montoya). Catherine is to marry the heir to the English throne, the sickly Prince Arthur. Her mind filled with tales of Arthurian knights and chivalry, Catherine is sure that she and her young maids of honour will meet and marry young English gentlemen that embody the very stories she has devoured. It is a time of great promise and much rejoicing. But all to soon, things come to a crashing halt, when days after their much celebrated wedding, Arthur dies, leaving Catherine a widow with no future. Abandoned and treated quite cruelly by her father-in-law (the tight-fisted and insecure Henry VII), Catherine clings to the promise made that she will marry Arthur's younger brother, Henry, when he is of age. In the meantime, she and her loyal maids must contend with the fact that they are growing older and that the splendid matches that were promised have come to nothing. As the years pass and their prospects shrink, the ladies must decide whether or not they should return to Spain unmarried or whether they should gamble with the vagaries of fortune and remain in England... I've always had a soft spot for Catherine of Aragon (and for Henry's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves), so that "The Spanish Bride" was quite the enjoyable read for me. Especially since, instead of rehashing old ground, Laurein Gardner wisely sticks to two periods in Catherine's life -- her early years before she became queen, and the last few years when things became quite precarious for her. Focusing on Catherine's faith in God and fate, we see how, in the early years, this faith allows her to cling to the belief that all will turn out as she hopes, in the face of the obvious indifference of her father (Ferdinand of Spain), the petty cruleties of Henry VII and duplicities that members of her entrouage practise. We also see how this faith keeps her going, even as it is tested (in the later years, by her spoilt and idiotic

In 1501 teenage Princess Catherine of Aragon accompanied by a small retinue to include her lady in waiting Estrella de Montoya arrives in England to marry King Henry VIII. The bright Catherine looks forward to her wedding day with the courageous monarch. By 1527 when she fails to produce the male heir, Henry does the unthinkable in the eyes of God and the law; he divorces his Spanish first wife to wed Anne Boleyn though his first wife does everything to stop him from tossing her aside. This is an intriguing historical biographical fiction novel that rotates between the arrival and early happy days of the royal marriage to the bleak final moments when the King casts his foreign spouse, who desperately tries everything to save her marriage and regain her spouse's love, aside for someone else. The story line is seen through the eyes of the loyal Estrella who stands by her Queen though that risks the ire of Henry. By doing this, Laurien Gardner paints Catherine as an intelligent caring woman who suffers the humiliating stigmatism of divorce unheard of by her religion. English historical readers will treasure this deep look at Henry's first wife with his second coming up next. Harriet Klausner