Author: Jean Plaidy
Jean Plaidy books flesh out periods/events in history. Hibbert takes historical fact and brings in the details....conversations, thoughts, drama, politics, and intrigue, plus the humanity of the events.. Plaidy books are NOT historical romance, but historical fiction. There is a difference. Plaidy brings life to historical events.....not ripped bodices and naked royalty. For those types of stories, there are many, many other authors to choose from. Not bashing historical romance.....just stating that Plaidy books do not involve jauntily naked Tudors or heaving bosoms. Well, there might be a few heaving bosoms, but they are never the crux of the story. If you want to hear about Henry VIII's manly bits and details of what he did with said bits, Plaidy is not the right choice. If you want a fictional idea of what Henry VIII said to Katharine of Aragon on their wedding day (or his five other subsequent wedding days), then Plaidy is a good choice.
I started collecting Plaidy books (there are 77 of them) about 10 years ago. At the time, some were out of print and a bit hard to find. Several have been re-released since then. I love books and I'm a completist -- I want the entire series on my shelf before I start to read. That can get a bit difficult when dealing with out of print books. So in 10 years of collecting Plaidy novels, I only read one trilogy by her (the Norman trilogy) and the other multitude of books I own by her sat neglected on my shelves. Finally, this year, I told myself that it's ridiculous to have a collection of books for so long.....and never read any of them. I sorted my books and filled in a couple gaps so I could start reading....and found library copies or digital edition copies to fill in other spots. My goal is to read through my Jean Plaidy collection during 2020, and free up all this shelf space! I will donate/trade my copies so others can enjoy the titles too....even those that are now long out of print.
Katharine, the Virgin Widow tells the story of Katharine of Aragon. It starts with her being brought to England from Spain to marry Henry VIIs oldest son, Arthur. The Tudors just took the throne of England and Henry is determined to keep it. His heir must marry and have sons. The Tudor line must continue! But..... (there is always a but, isn't there!) Arthur dies soon after marrying Katharine. Henry VII does not want to return her dowry, but what to do with her? Katharine is suddenly a virgin widow -- the marriage was never consummated because she was young and Arthur was sickly. Cue politics, intrigue, plotting. What will happen to poor Katharine? And now the younger son -- Henry -- is suddenly Prince of Wales, the heir to the throne.
There are three Plaidy books about Katharine of Aragon. Katharine, the Virgin Widow is the first. followed by The Shadow of the Pomegranate and The King's Secret Matter. These books are also books 2-4 in Plaidy's Tudor Saga.
I enjoyed this story. I already knew the facts, but I enjoyed this author's slant on it. Poor Katharine. She arrives in England not even knowing how to speak English. She misses her mother and her home country. She marries, but her husband dies soon after. She wants to go home....but politics and money is involved. She is a pawn in the games of kings. She has no real choices. She must do as she is told. Men hold all the power. Even when she is queen...her husband controls everything. She is just expected to have babies and be quiet. What a life -- spectacular and incredibly sad at the same time.
Great book! I'm obsessed with the Tudor era, so I am enjoying the Tudor Saga series!
On to the next book!
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