Clymer Library Reader's Advisory

Philippa Gregory has written another fascinating historical novel about King Henry VIII and the women surrounding him. It is 1539, and King Henry is preparing to marry Anne of Cleves. Gregory has presented the story from three women's perspectives. First, we meet Anne of Cleves, running away from an abusive brother to tyrannical King Henry VII. Second, we meet Katherine Howard, the extremely self-centered flirty teenager, who becomes King Henry VIII's fifth wife! Finally, we meet Jane Boleyn, the one woman who destroys two queens. Gregory presents King Henry VIII as the beloved boy who became a murdering monster! Even knowing the outcome of these wives did not deter my interest in reading this book.