Katheryn Howard: The Tainted Queen
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- Create Date：2021-07-28 09:53:30
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Alison Weir
- ISBN：1472227778
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Summary
Alison Weir， historian and author of the Sunday Times-bestselling Six Tudor Queens series， relates one of the most tragic stories in English history: Katheryn Howard， Henry VIII's fifth queen。
A naive girl， thrust forward by her ambitious family。 A pretty girl， who has captured the heart of the King。 Katheryn sings， she dances， she delights in the pleasures of being queen。 The King tells the world she is his rose without a thorn。
But this young woman has a past of which Henry knows nothing。 It comes back increasingly to haunt her， even as she courts danger yet again。 For those who gather roses must beware of the thorns。
A naive girl， thrust forward by her ambitious family。 A pretty girl， who has captured the heart of the King。 Katheryn sings， she dances， she delights in the pleasures of being queen。 The King tells the world she is his rose without a thorn。
But this young woman has a past of which Henry knows nothing。 It comes back increasingly to haunt her， even as she courts danger yet again。 For those who gather roses must beware of the thorns。
Reviews
Stephanie
，
Alison Weir always provides a great read。 Fascinating perspective on a naive parentless teenager caught up in the political intrigue of Henry VIII’s court with a disastrous end。
Beauty♡ AndtheBooks
，
I love this series so much I am so sad that I am almost done with it！
Maja Helena
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In many ways， the life Katheryn Howard is the saddest of King Henry’s wives。。。。After having lost her mother at an early age， she was sent to live with relatives and grew up without having true mother and father figures; to most of her relatives， Katheryn didn’t seem to be an actual person but a commodity and while this was the case for many women of the upper class， Katheryn just wasn’t cut out for a life of service to her family in this manner。The book depicts Katheryn acting in ways that seem In many ways， the life Katheryn Howard is the saddest of King Henry’s wives。。。。After having lost her mother at an early age， she was sent to live with relatives and grew up without having true mother and father figures; to most of her relatives， Katheryn didn’t seem to be an actual person but a commodity and while this was the case for many women of the upper class， Katheryn just wasn’t cut out for a life of service to her family in this manner。The book depicts Katheryn acting in ways that seem highly questionable; she may have been seriously neglected during her upbringing but was she really that stupid？ From not knowing the ins and outs of hand-fasting to allow a former lover a position in her household after she has become Queen？ I never read or seen a depiction of Katheryn Howard that shows her to be more than a young， stupid girl who was too much of a flirt and extremely reckless her position considering。 There must have been more to this young woman than the overly sexual cardboard character Weir is giving us in this book。 Is this a case of Howard being made worse than she actually was for entertainment or is this depiction true to her actual character？ I have liked Weir’s other books on the Tudor Queens because we got a well-rounded look at these women but Howard wasn’t given the same courtesy as she was never depicted as anything else than a stupid girl who had a bit too much sex。 It's just sad that she has been reduced to this。Akso。。。 It's one thing to have one stupid character; but Mr。 Dereham gaining position in Katheryn's household and than starts talking about their previous relationship。。。 How stupid can you be？！ 。。。more
grace
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although i didn't read the fourth book （which i feel effected my reading experience）， i really， really， really enjoyed this one。 there's so much we don't know but katheryn is such an interesting figure and was wronged in so many ways。 i genuinely believe that she was the victim of her situation and， because of her upbringing and societal standards at the time， it would have never changed。 although i didn't read the fourth book （which i feel effected my reading experience）， i really， really， really enjoyed this one。 there's so much we don't know but katheryn is such an interesting figure and was wronged in so many ways。 i genuinely believe that she was the victim of her situation and， because of her upbringing and societal standards at the time， it would have never changed。 。。。more
Andrew Whelan
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There’s just not enough of a story to create a 400 page book。 Huge expanse of her early life in great detail before she ever gets near to be queen。 Yes this sets up part of the later story and the problem for Katherine but given the scant source material it’s fairly flimsy。 Some reviewers seem to be confusing this series of books with Alison Weir’s actual non-fiction work （which I much prefer！）。 This is the only one of the series I’ve read but no desire to read the others。 Expected it to be much There’s just not enough of a story to create a 400 page book。 Huge expanse of her early life in great detail before she ever gets near to be queen。 Yes this sets up part of the later story and the problem for Katherine but given the scant source material it’s fairly flimsy。 Some reviewers seem to be confusing this series of books with Alison Weir’s actual non-fiction work （which I much prefer！）。 This is the only one of the series I’ve read but no desire to read the others。 Expected it to be much better than Phillipa Gregory but wasn’t。 。。。more
Lynn
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What a ninny。 For someone who lived so few years there were so many pages。 I’m understand the author was trying to capture the youth and naivety of Kathryn but up would pop a “big word” that was completely out of character。
Rebecca Johnson
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I'm absolutely loving this story！ Brilliantly told， and very easy to follow。 I'm absolutely loving this story！ Brilliantly told， and very easy to follow。 。。。more
Clarissa
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I had to call quits at 50%。I know some folks frown upon reviewing something they haven't finished， but this。。。I had to say， this series has been largely miss for me。 My dislike of the Anne Boleyn one is pretty well known， but I think this one is second in how much I disliked it。 Kathryn is vapid and not fleshed out very well。 She is one dimensional and she doesn't get better the more you read。 Every man falls in love with her it seems。 And they also kiss as if their lives depended on it。 That ph I had to call quits at 50%。I know some folks frown upon reviewing something they haven't finished， but this。。。I had to say， this series has been largely miss for me。 My dislike of the Anne Boleyn one is pretty well known， but I think this one is second in how much I disliked it。 Kathryn is vapid and not fleshed out very well。 She is one dimensional and she doesn't get better the more you read。 Every man falls in love with her it seems。 And they also kiss as if their lives depended on it。 That phrase is used a lot。I enjoy a lot of Ms。 Weir"s works but I'm not even going to bother with Catherine Parr。 。。。more
Jennifer
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I'm honestly trying to process this。 On one hand I understand that the majority of the dialog and events are fictionalized with the back bone being actually documented。 Katheryn got married young and then got executed for treason after a year of marriage。 Simple。 On the other hand， I really can't believe how stupid this girl was， fictional or not。Like maybe it's hindsight that we know how ruthless henry became later in life but I mean come on！ If you've seen how ruthless he was with his past wiv I'm honestly trying to process this。 On one hand I understand that the majority of the dialog and events are fictionalized with the back bone being actually documented。 Katheryn got married young and then got executed for treason after a year of marriage。 Simple。 On the other hand， I really can't believe how stupid this girl was， fictional or not。Like maybe it's hindsight that we know how ruthless henry became later in life but I mean come on！ If you've seen how ruthless he was with his past wives I would think any lady would take extra care not to pass him off。 Then again his court really were good at fabricating stories to make the king look virtuous and all that nonsense。 Its a good story and i really did feel bad for the girl。 It sucked to be extraordinarily beautiful at that time with almost every man trying to own you and most of the women spreading gossip to character assassinate you。 If you've made it this far with the wives books you'll get the same great story telling with the author's notes on her research。 。。。more
Margaret
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I wanted to read this book because I knew very little about Henry VIII’s 5th wife， except that she was beheaded on the grounds that she had committed adultery and treason。Having read it， I don’t think I know much more， except that Katheryn Howard comes across as a very shallow character， obsessed with sex， with luxury in all its forms， naive and easily manipulated。 Alison Weir excels in her descriptive writing， bringing the Tudor court to life in all of its settings， locations， clothes and jewel I wanted to read this book because I knew very little about Henry VIII’s 5th wife， except that she was beheaded on the grounds that she had committed adultery and treason。Having read it， I don’t think I know much more， except that Katheryn Howard comes across as a very shallow character， obsessed with sex， with luxury in all its forms， naive and easily manipulated。 Alison Weir excels in her descriptive writing， bringing the Tudor court to life in all of its settings， locations， clothes and jewellery。It has glowing reviews on Amazon full of praise and it is based on extensive research。 Clearly other people love this book， but I didn’t。 For me it came across as a romance novel， primarily focused on Katheryn’s imagined thoughts， emotions， and sexual encounters。 It is simply written， but with too many cliches and modernised text。Alison Weir’s Author’s Note is much more interesting than her novel， in which she acknowledges her sources， including Dr。 Nicola Tallis’ unpublished DPhil thesis， All the Queen’s Jewels， 1445 – 1548， and a number of biographies of Katheryn Howard。 She refers to original sources she used as the basis of the book – contemporary writers and wills， portraits showing her rich clothes and jewellery – jewels that have been tentatively identified in Katheryn Howard’s inventory。She used these sources for the narrative of the book， weaving them into the dialogue and modernising the speech ‘where Tudor English looks out of place in a modern text。’ She states that ‘apart from fictionalising the historical record’ she has invented very little。’ There is also a Dramatis Personae， usefully indicating which characters are fictional and a Timeline， which is also very useful。I think the Author’s Note is the best part of the book。 There is rather too much of ‘fictionalising the historical record’ for me in the novel。 I don’t like writing about a book I didn’t enjoy when I know so much work has gone into it and clearly other people have loved it。 But this is just my opinion， for what it is worth。With thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers for my review copy。 。。。more
Caitlin
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Katheryn Howard is the perfect example of why May-December romances don't work。 She was a young teenager who was ready to experience life and had very little education or political knowledge。 Henry VIII was a wily but disabled king who probably was attracted to her naivety and her youthfulness。 Weir is able to provide a voice for Katheryn to explain her side and dispels some of the rumors and myths surrounding this tragic queen。 Katheryn Howard is the perfect example of why May-December romances don't work。 She was a young teenager who was ready to experience life and had very little education or political knowledge。 Henry VIII was a wily but disabled king who probably was attracted to her naivety and her youthfulness。 Weir is able to provide a voice for Katheryn to explain her side and dispels some of the rumors and myths surrounding this tragic queen。 。。。more
Katherine
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The more I read these books following the six wives of a bigotry king， the more thankful I am that I wasn’t born during these times…Also…a lot of these characters are idiots。 That’s my conclusion。
Neil
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When you think about it he was possibly a mass murderer， possibly a groomer and certainly a lover of knocking down glorious buildings。 His opinion of himself is also a little over the top。 Basically its a story about men grooming children。
Jana
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Loved this entire series， and loved the insight into the mind of this young woman。 What a tragedy！
Helga Kristjánsdóttir
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A fair reading。 But the least interesting of the series。 Still enjoyed it。 I have always felt sorry for Katheryn and even more so now。 Poor girl。
Thekirkiepirate
，
Another well written novel in the Six Wives series。Although I enjoyed reading this， I don't think it gripped me quite as much as the others in the series。 However， it would be very difficult to maintain such a high standard over six lengthy novels。 As with most historical fiction， you are tempted to side with the main character， although in this case， it is more difficult as she seems so gullible - however， one must remember how young she was and how intimidated she must have been by the court a Another well written novel in the Six Wives series。Although I enjoyed reading this， I don't think it gripped me quite as much as the others in the series。 However， it would be very difficult to maintain such a high standard over six lengthy novels。 As with most historical fiction， you are tempted to side with the main character， although in this case， it is more difficult as she seems so gullible - however， one must remember how young she was and how intimidated she must have been by the court and her husband。Yet another example of one law for men and another for women in Tudor times （and well beyond） 。。。more
Louisa
，
Alison Weir portrays a sweet， foolish but kind Katherine Howard - which is how I’d always imagined her to be。 Her story is probably the saddest of all the wives given her age and nativity， and tragic beyond imagination。 I felt emotional towards the end， particularly as Weir powerfully described the torment Katherine must have experienced during those final days in the tower。 There were moments where I rolled my eyes or felt anxiety at the terrible decisions being made by Katherine， but ultimatel Alison Weir portrays a sweet， foolish but kind Katherine Howard - which is how I’d always imagined her to be。 Her story is probably the saddest of all the wives given her age and nativity， and tragic beyond imagination。 I felt emotional towards the end， particularly as Weir powerfully described the torment Katherine must have experienced during those final days in the tower。 There were moments where I rolled my eyes or felt anxiety at the terrible decisions being made by Katherine， but ultimately angry at the injustice of her execution。 As with many books from the Tudor period， Henry VIII is depicted as extremely persuadable/influenced by those around him， and largely unstable， but I liked the way Weir actually developed a loving relationship （even though Katherine wasn’t in love with him per se） between Katherine and Henry - making the ending all the more tragic。 This is no literary masterpiece but it’s an enjoyable and easy to read novel， although slightly cliched in its depiction and repetitive at times。 。。。more
Tiffany Lawson
，
A little long。 Alison Weir likes to tell the whole story in her fiction books。 They pretty much take you through the person's entire life。 This book is no exception， so if you are looking for a short， quick read I would not recommend it！ It can get a little boring during certain parts talking about Henry VIII's court， her sexual partners at Lambeth， etc。， but it picks up quickly at the end。 Alison Weir is really good at getting the facts first and then creating a story with a realistic character A little long。 Alison Weir likes to tell the whole story in her fiction books。 They pretty much take you through the person's entire life。 This book is no exception， so if you are looking for a short， quick read I would not recommend it！ It can get a little boring during certain parts talking about Henry VIII's court， her sexual partners at Lambeth， etc。， but it picks up quickly at the end。 Alison Weir is really good at getting the facts first and then creating a story with a realistic character around that， rather than building a bodice ripping thriller like other so called "historical" authors of Tudor fiction。 。。。more
Charlotta Ruotanen
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This was well written， eben though I don’t agree about everything in this with Alison Weir
Holly
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Was this written as a novel for young adults， because I gave up on it in Chapter One。 I was looking for a little more depth and perhaps a bit of expertise。
Jennifer
，
Surprisingly one of the better books in this series。 I appreciate the account of Katheryn's life before she went to court。 I was a little disappointed that Weir did not choose to portray Katheryn's earlier relationships for what I believe they were- grown men preying on a child。 Instead it seemed like none of them acted unless Katheryn encouraged them。 I think the portrayal of her character is a bit outdated now。 Surprisingly one of the better books in this series。 I appreciate the account of Katheryn's life before she went to court。 I was a little disappointed that Weir did not choose to portray Katheryn's earlier relationships for what I believe they were- grown men preying on a child。 Instead it seemed like none of them acted unless Katheryn encouraged them。 I think the portrayal of her character is a bit outdated now。 。。。more
Cassandra
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Katheryn Howard tends to be either completely overlooked along with Anne of Cleves as one of Henry's shortest lived queens， or vilified as a promiscuous girl who got what she had coming to her。 Occasionally， you find a story that presents her as a completely naive， innocent pawn who was pushed into a role she had no desire to occupy。As usual， Weir does an excellent job of bringing an oft one sided character to life。 Katheryn is portrayed as a human being， with flaws and strengths just like any o Katheryn Howard tends to be either completely overlooked along with Anne of Cleves as one of Henry's shortest lived queens， or vilified as a promiscuous girl who got what she had coming to her。 Occasionally， you find a story that presents her as a completely naive， innocent pawn who was pushed into a role she had no desire to occupy。As usual， Weir does an excellent job of bringing an oft one sided character to life。 Katheryn is portrayed as a human being， with flaws and strengths just like any other person。 Her relationships are given life and seem believable， making her a sympathetic and likeable character。 What many fail to remember is that Katheryn was a teenager while these events took place -- so no， her maturity and fortitude cannot be compared to her cousin， Anne Boleyn， who was well into her 20s when the king began to pursue her， or really any of her other predecessors or Katherine Parr， who came after。 In reality， this book depicts her as having emotions and relationships fairly typical for someone her age。 While you may not agree with everything she does， or how she goes about handling her situation， she is far from one dimensional。 A great read if you love Tudor fiction。 。。。more
Christine
，
An excellent novel relating Katheryn Howard's childhood and adulthood！ I knew about her life， but still found the novel captivating。 A great read！ An excellent novel relating Katheryn Howard's childhood and adulthood！ I knew about her life， but still found the novel captivating。 A great read！ 。。。more
Rita
，
The pawn queen， poor little confused and naïve Katheryn。
Jill James
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I've always thought that Katherine Howard was naive and used by the men around her。 Alison Weir has penned an excellent telling of Katherine's story and I enjoyed it very much。 I've always thought that Katherine Howard was naive and used by the men around her。 Alison Weir has penned an excellent telling of Katherine's story and I enjoyed it very much。 。。。more
Margaret Conmey
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I agree with some of the other reviews- this series is getting weaker， possibly because a lot less is known about the later wives of Henry VIII
Miriam
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I felt out of all his wives， my sympathies lie most with Katheryn Howard， She was no match for him and her life bordered on abuse， She lost her mother at an early age and was abandoned by her Father， her half sister being the only constant in her life that cared。 Katheryn was definitely a pawn in her Uncle’s schemes for power and like Anne Boylen ， was left to try and defend herself against Henry when he tired of her。 I have read a lot based on the Tudors but this book gave me a new perspective I felt out of all his wives， my sympathies lie most with Katheryn Howard， She was no match for him and her life bordered on abuse， She lost her mother at an early age and was abandoned by her Father， her half sister being the only constant in her life that cared。 Katheryn was definitely a pawn in her Uncle’s schemes for power and like Anne Boylen ， was left to try and defend herself against Henry when he tired of her。 I have read a lot based on the Tudors but this book gave me a new perspective on her back story。 。。。more
Janessa
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This kind of felt like a Lifetime version of Katheryn Howard， and it got really repetitive at times。 But I did honestly enjoy it， despite the flaws。
Julie
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I very much enjoyed this。 Great read， I feel so sorry for Katheryn， young and in a time where woman were at such a disadvantage。
Sassi Jayne
，