By: Antonia Fraser Publisher: Vintage Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Vintage Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 496 Publication Date: November 30, 1993 Release Date: November 30, 1993
Product Description: The six-week New York Times bestselling history of the legendary six wives of Henry VIII--from an acclaimed biographer. "Admirably succeed(s) in bringing to life the six women who married England's ruler. . . ."--New York Times Book Review. 16 color plates. 32 pages of illustrations.
Amazon.com Review: When we think of the wives of Henry VIII, we tend to think of women who literally lost their heads. But Antonia Fraser opens the door to the political and cultural demands that shaped the destinies of the king and his royal wives. Romance, unfortunately, rarely had anything to do with it. And if you think the modern American media is too tough on political leadership, you oughta READ about the royal court in King Henry's day! That's one family you'd never want to marry into.
The Best of the Six Wives I have read several of the books on the six wives of Henry VIII, however this one by Lady Antonia Fraser is the best, and contains more interesting material than any of the others,
Comprehensive and Intriguing With the recent popularity of Tudor fiction, it is refreshing to read a clear-cut comprehensive biography of the six women who are often inadequately portrayed. Fraser's chronology is smooth and the transition from one woman's history to the next is succinct. While the book sometimes gets bogged down with politics and family lineage, the mood is decisively set for 16th Century scandal. While Henry VIII is a notorious historical figure, known for his tyranny and serial matrimonies, the women in his lives are often stereotyped based on their demise. But there is more substance to Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Kathryn Howard, and Katherine Parr and Fraser does an adequate job of exploring the depths of their hearts and minds.
One interesting aspect I had never considered before, which Fraser discusses in the epilogue, is biological fate. Would Henry have found it necessary to divorce Catherine of Aragon if she had been successful in producing the much desired male heir? Thus, would Anne Boleyn have simply been a royal mistress? The same could be said down the line. Would Anne have met her doom so soon, if at all, if she had given birth to a prince? There are so many fascinating details in this book that often get overlooked in narratives of Henry VIII and his wives and it is a thorough and intriguing look at one of the most fascinating periods in English history.
Of all the books on Henry VIII's wives, this is the best A few years ago David Starkey wrote a book on Henry VIII's three wives which received much publicity. It was even turned into a PBS documentary. I read that book and while I found some of his research compelling, his arrogant style and dubious conclusions irritated me. The book is overlong (880 pages), and lopsidedly devoted to Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Out of the 750 odd pages of actual text, a whopping 600 are devoted to Catherine and Anne! In particular, Catherine of Aragon's seven years of being the sort-of-fiance of Henry VIII after her first husband's death is chronicled in excruciatingly boring detail. Starkey is also fond of making pronouncements such as "In short, it rewrites history." Henry's other four wives are mentioned in a rushed, careless way.
Antonia Fraser's book is half Starkey's length but it's quality, not quantity, that counts. Whereas Starkey holds most of Henry's wives with a fair degree of contempt, Fraser is more sympathetic. You can tell she cares about her characters, even Henry. She too draws some conclusions that I might not agree with (her insistence that Catherine of Aragon's first marriage was not consummated for instance -- I'm on the fence about that one), but overall her book rings true. She surmises, for instance, that Henry and Anne during their 7 year courtship probably used coitus interruptus as birth control. She details Catherine of Aragon's sad descent from a plump and spirited bride into a lonely, embittered woman is poignant. Her style is witty, engaging, and heartfelt. After reading her book I felt like I knew the queens as old friends. The book is beautifully illustrated with a section of photographs for each queen.
But more importantly, she devotes much care to Henry's other four wives, and not just Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. She follows their stories all the way to the end. In Starkey's book, Anne of Cleves is shuttled off to become Henry's "sister" after a disastrous short marriage. And as he writes, "that was that." Fraser by contrast mentions that Anne of Cleves continued to occasionally visit the court, developed rather expensive tastes, and hoped to be "taken back" as Henry's wife after Henry beheaded the sweet but careless and indiscreet Katherine Howard. She mentions Henry's children's relationships with their stepmothers -- Mary and Anne Boleyn were openly hostile to each other, but Mary liked Jane Seymour and Catherine Parr, Henry's last wife. Elizabeth too was fond of Catherine Parr.
I should say that I am not an unqualified admirer of Antonia Fraser. Her most recent work, on Marie Antoinette, I thought veered into hagiography. But none of these faults are in evidence in this book. For a more detailed look at Henry's most fascinating wife, Anne Boleyn, Eric Ives' study is considered definitive, but for a more general book about Henry's wives, I would consider Fraser's the book to get.
Better than Fiction Great book about the many interesting women married to the famous Monarch. Ms Fraser is a great writer breathing life into each one of the Queen's, showing their vulnerability as well as strength. I will be reading more by this author.
Off with 'er head! and other love stories As I described it to my friend, Fraser's work reads like a novel with footnotes. There's definitely research, and she has an excellent grasp on what she is saying, but as a biography of the wives, there isn't much of the usual dense analysis to grapple with. Fraser's strength as an author is in the narrative. Her narrative is lively and well informed - her background in writing novels definitely comes through. She is also successful at ensuring that she has given you all the background information to attempt to explain the context - it was, after all, more than just a husband's wandering eye. This work of popular history is definitely accessible and entertaining, and even though you might already know how it ends, the narrative still keeps you coming back to it, waiting for the next high emotion scene where heads will quite literally roll. For those of you who enjoy history, this will be a delightful, easy read.
If you are considering going to see The Other Boleyn Girl [Theatrical Release] or you're a fan of the Showtime series The Tudors - The Complete First Season, or even if you aren't, I would definitely recommend picking up Fraser's book. At the very least the book will allow you to be watch such recent Hollywood hits and say, "Hey! They totally got the timeline and context wrong on this whole situation." It will also probably make you wonder why Hollywood has bothered to change the story at all - when the real one is dramatic and entertaining enough on its own.
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