The Last Wife of Henry VIII: A Novel

For the past year, I have been very interested in learning about the lives of Henry VIII and his wives. This interest was sparked by reading some of Phillipa Gregory's novels, and finding myself completely engrossed! However, I could not find one on the life of Catherine Parr, and discovered The Last Wife of Henry VIII.
I cannot tell you how disappointed I was! It was a chore to read this book. It was written in a childish manner, something I could even describe as "cheesy". I don't believe that King Henry would call the Pope "Poop", or that instead of "Pope Clement" he would say "Pope Inclement". I also don't believe that Price Edward was a bumbling idiot that Henry was borderline ashamed of, who seemed to succeed at nothing.
It also veered off into strange directions, such as the several long chapters about Saint Agatha.
A better book to explore on Catherine Parr is Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir. This book does an excellent job describing Catherine. It goes into the details of her marriage with Henry, her love with Thomas Seymore, and even the issues with Princess Elizabeth. Eventhough she is only half the novel, I feel like I got a much better description of her and her life than reading this entire book.

This 2006 novel is one of those books I found almost impossible to put down and that I read in a very short time. Throughout, I kept telling myself that it just could not be true and that this was one of those historical novels that took liberties with history. I was so enchanted however, that I didn't check the facts until after the book was finished. To my surprise, it seems that most of the facts were true even though the author did take liberties with thoughts, feelings and romantic scenes. And it certainly gave me a pretty accurate portrait of Henry VIII and the people around him.

Catherine played an active role in what was going on in England at the time. She held various positions in the court throughout her life and at one time was held hostage along with her two stepchildren and second husband, John Nevil, by Northern rebels who rose up against the King when he broke from the Catholic Church, This scene is actively described in the book, along with all the court intrigues and rivalries at the time.

Henry VIII married Catherine Parr in 1843, four years before his death. She was in her early thirties at the time and had been widowed twice. It's a known fact that at the time she married the king, she had been having a secret romance with Thomas Seymour, the brother of the late queen, Jane Seymour. It's not clear when the romance started, but the book places it quite early in Catherine's life. This timeline might or might not be true, but it is a fact that she married Thomas Seymour after the death of the king and later died in childbirth.

By the time of Catherine's marriage to the king, he was 54 years old, very corpulent and suffering from a leg ulcer that smelled bad and needed daily draining. He was also irrational in his thinking. He had already had many people in his life murdered or tortured and had ultimate power over the life and death of all of his subjects. Catherine was kind to him and was more of a nursemaid and confidant than lover. However, she, too, often feared for her life when the king went into one of his rampages. She is depicted as a strong and intelligent woman whose joys in life were short-lived, but who made the best of her situation.

I really did enjoy this book and give it a high recommendation for lovers of historical fiction.

I understand the last two wives of Henry VIII lives are the least known. Which means this book isn't historically accurate because so little is known. This is my first time to read this author and I liked her style and she caught my attention. What I do wish she would do like my other favorite authors do (Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir) is at the end of the book write what is true in the book and what is fiction. Any how, I enjoyed this book and lended it to other friends to read.

I love any book about this particular time in history, so I really enjoyed this story. Carolly Erickson makes everthing so real, I can see the picture as clearly as if I were watching it on Television.
I have read several of Carolly Erickson's novels and so far I have not been disappointed with any of them. Right now I am reading her novel about Josephine titled "The Secret Life Of Josephine-Napoleon's Bird of Paradise". And once again I am enjoying her story. I read a few comments about this book not being historical accurate. I have not done enough research concerning this period, so even if it is not totally accurate I still enjoyed the book.
I myself write historical novels, and I am very accurate about the historical facts, but then I am writing about my hometown New Orleans and also about my French and Spanish Creole culture, so it is not difficult for me to be accurate. But if the book is good and the history isn't too outlandish, well I don't get too upset.
Arlette Gaffrey author of A World Of His Own-In The Land Of The Creoles.

I am a sucker for all things Tudor, and Erickson's portrayal of Henry VIII's last wife, Catherine Parr, was an entertaining read. It wasn't entirely profound, but still gave some insight into the wife who survived the merciless monarch. The book follows Cat through her first encounters with Henry as a child, through four marriages, and the numerous scandals that come with life at court. Henry is painted as a rough, but sympathetic ruler who wants nothing more than someone to confide in. Cat voices her sympathies of all the preceding queens: her pity for Catherine of Aragon's plight, her distaste for Ann Boleyn, (not much is mentioned about Jane Seymour), her respect for Anne of Cleves, and her impatience with the immature Kathryn Howard who does not heed Cat's warnings concerning Henry's volatility. She also has to deal with the antics of "the Witch's brat," her stepdaughter, Princess Elizabeth, and her fourth husband's scheming to influence his nephew, King Edward, for his own personal gain. There is always some sort of intrigue in these circles, and Cat often experienced them first hand.

Overall, this was a fun read, full of the familiar historical figures I have grown to know and love over the past few years.