The Wives of Henry VIII

This book is well-written and keeps the attention very well. It was very informative.

This was the first Antonia Fraser book I read and from the "Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived" I was hooked. I read it after hearing her speak at Peterborough Cathedral about Catherine of Aragon. The book looks at Henry VIII's from his wives' perspective. What drove them to marry this man especially after he beheaded Anne Boleyn. Also, it is great introduction to Tudor England.

There are dozens of books on the bookshop shelves about Henry and his willing and not so willing wives. So why pick this one up and buy it. Two simple words, the authoress. Antonia Fraser has written many excellent historical works, most of which have become best sellers. Why? Because she is the best there is at it. Her eye for detail brings all of her books to life and takes the reader into a magical world. This is not one of those boring historical tomes that sit on the shelf gathering dust from one year to the next. This book takes the viewpoint of the women in the life of the then monarch of England, Henry VIII, not a very nice man, one would think from the information most of us have about him. But did the women in his life think of him in the same way. Was he funny? Did he make them laugh. Anne Boleyn, I am sure did not find him very funny when she was on the scaffold, but something must have attracted her to him. Was he charming? To have wooed so many women I am sure he was. Anne Boleyn was the second wife of Henry and bearing in mind what happened to her, the four wives who followed her must have been either very brave, or very foolish. Although in those days I know that women of rank did much as they were told, either by their parents or by there advisers. I use the term lightly. This book gives you the answer to many questions you may have wondered about and much more besides. It is more than a work of historical fact. it is an excellent and interesting read.

This book is certainly worth reading. Lady Fraser writes eloquently, incorporating historical facts with modern wit. The attention bestowed on the usually transparent Queens Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves is admirable, and the attention paid to the proud Queens Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn is deep and thorough. I would say that anyone interested in Henry's Queens would find this book more attractive than any other on the same subject, for Fraser's wit and thorough research make her book entertaining as well as informative.