| Henry VIII is married to Katherine of Aragon. She has produced only one heir to the throne out of many pregnancies, a nearsighted girl named Mary. Henry begins to believe that God is judging his action of marrying his older brother's widow. The Catholic Church ruled that since Katherine vowed that the marriage to Henry's older brother was never consumated, she was free to marry Henry, her junior by several years.
At first the couple were very much in love even though Henry had affairs, they are physical and not affairs of the heart. Katherine turns a blind eye to these escapades, believing that she isn't threatened by them. Henry has an affair with Mary Boleyn, and discards her as soon as he's had her. Enter her younger sister, Anne, who had been in the Frence court. Henry is determined to have Anne, just as he had Mary. But he didn't figure on Anne's self discipline and determination. She will be queen or nothing. And Katherine is determined to refuse an annulment, declaring their daughter, Mary, a bastard. If you're impatient with lengthy forays into court politics and intrigue of England in the Middle Ages, this book isn't for you. However if you enjoy the rich panoply of English royalty and the colorful pictures that Norah Lofts paints so exquisitely with words, you will love this book. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - depressed Time/era of story - 1600-1899 - Romance/Romance Problems Yes Kind of romance: Life of a profession: Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Job/Profession/Status story Yes Married, fooling around? Yes Main Character Gender - Female Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 7 () Europe Yes European country: - England/UK Writing Style Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog |
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