King Henry VIII is one of history most famous characters. Henry managed to marry six times. To accomplish this, he beheaded two wives and had two marriages annulled. One wife died of natural causes after childbirth and his last wife managed to survive him, although there were rumors that he had become dissatisfied with her as well. King Henry also created scandal by taking control of the church, therefore allowing himself to divorce his wives at will.
Philippa Gregory's newest novel, The Boleyn Inheritance, picks up with Henry's third wife, Anne of Cleves. Their marriage is arranged to create an alliance between England and Cleves. However, when the king realizes that his fears of war are unfounded and that he need not have married Anne, who he despises, he turns his attentions to the Queen's maid-in-waiting, Katherine Howard.
Little Kitty Howard, just 14 years of age, is thrilled by the king's interest in her. She can only imagine the wonderful life she'd have as Queen - dances, presents, and people to wait on her hand and foot.
Unfortunately, life as King Henry's fifth wife isn't nearly as grand as Kitty imagined it. Little more than a year passes before she's tired of the overweight, stinking old King, her husband, who is nearly thirty years her senior. And when King Henry discovers her childish behavior and flirting, she find herself threatened with the axe that claimed her cousin, Anne Boleyn.
I love Gregory’s writing style and The Boleyn Inheritance didn’t disappoint. Gregory has a way of making the reader feel as if they are an active part of the story – following the characters throughout the castle halls and being privy to private conversations. This makes it a very exciting read and hard to put down once finished. As with The Other Boleyn Girl, I found myself reading slower as I neared the end of the book, particularly because it’s based on historical events and I knew the fates that awaited many of the characters.
Gregory's vivid portrayal of life in Tudor England made me glad to be a woman of the 21st century. Women of the Tudor era had very little say over their own life and the king and his advisors took full advantage of this.
The characters who make up King Henry's court come alive through Gregory's writing. Filled with lies, manipulation, and intrigue, this novel is hard to put down. I am now eagerly awaiting Gregory's next novel, The Other Queen. If it's even nearly as good as The Boleyn Inheritance it will be well worth the wait.
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