Queen's Gambit

QUEEN’S GAMBIT is an engrossing novel about Katherine Parr’s life as the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII. I enjoyed Elizabeth Fremantle’s portrayal of Katherine as a survivor, an intelligent Renaissance woman, and a woman who longed to find true love at last. Katherine was the only wife of Henry VIII’s to make it out of marriage to him without being divorced, beheaded, or dying, which took true smarts and cleverness on her part. As a steadfast reformist and supporter of the “new religion,” she was disliked by many of Henry’s subjects, a few of whom stopped at nothing to see her arrested for treason and heresy. Katherine had a few scary close calls as Henry’s queen, ones she was sure would send her to the Tower.

Another show more character I loved just as much as Katherine was her servant, Dot. Though she was low-born, Katherine loved her like a daughter, and brought her to court when she became queen. I enjoyed seeing day to day life at court from Dot’s perspective, and also hearing her opinions about certain other characters, like young Lady Elizabeth and Thomas Seymour, Katherine’s true love. Dot was a strong, well-drawn character with her own intriguing story.

I listened to the audio format of this book, narrated by Georgina Sutton. Her performance was amazing! If you enjoy audiobooks and historical fiction, you must listen to QUEEN’S GAMBIT. Ms. Sutton’s charismatic voice brought the intrigue of the Tudor court to life.

Strong female protagonists, beautiful prose, and a perfect blending of historical fact and fiction made QUEEN’S GAMBIT one of my favorite listens this year. Highly recommended!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Audio for a review copy of this book. show less

QUEEN’S GAMBIT – ELIZABETH FREMANTLE

I was interested but not over excited when I received this from Real Readers. I thought it was just another piece of historical fiction featuring the ever popular Tudors. I’m an unashamed Phillipa Gregory fan, I met the lady once and she is delightful. I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t think she could be matched. A little research shows that this novel is the first in an intended trilogy and in the current literary climate that can be a rewarding project (I’m thinking Stieg Larsson, The 50 Shades phenomenon, The Hunger Games…….) but is there a danger of an oversubscribed genre evolving here?
So I settled down to read this without any real expectations. Oh boy, how wrong could I have been? I show more thoroughly and completely enjoyed this book; I was entertained, educated and enthralled. I knew little about Katherine Parr other than the kudos of her being the only one of Henry VIII’s wives to survive him relatively unscathed!!
What I particularly respect about this book was that although the research was immaculate it was not one of those stories where you felt that the author was reluctant to omit any of their investigation. So often a work of historical fiction screams ‘look at the research I’ve done, isn’t it extensive?’ And you are bombarded by detail that does not further the narrative in any way. This writer doesn't fall into that trap at all; everything is crucial and fundamental to the plot.
The characterisations are a delight, rarely have I come away from a work such as this feeling that I really know these people despite the fact that they lived a few centuries ago. Their human qualities dominate over their political functions, even Henry VIII. The atmospheres and emotion created were palpable, I rejoiced when the characters rejoiced, I cried when they cried and I was so fearful for their safety especially Dot at the Tower.
I would suggest that this book is accessible to those people who deign to read historical fiction. There is an almost indefinable quality to this narrative which almost contemporises the historical with a natural and flowing style.
And I have to wait until 2012 for the next one? Bah. show less

Not long ago, I overdosed on Tudor books, films, and shows. There was a ton of it out there, and not all of it good. Then, on a cold January day, I visited Hampton Court Palace. Very few people were there, and I slowly rambled around the palace, often alone (well….except for the staff who had to politely ask me to leave at closing time). It was seriously one of the most magical days I have spent. Of course, it also helped that my husband and boys were not there constantly badgering me with, “This is boring, can we go now?” (I still love you guys!)

That day rekindled my interest in the Tudors, and I have slowly dipped my toe back into the sea of Tudor-related books and films. Queen’s Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle was an excellent show more way to start. The book follows Katherine Parr’s marriage to King Henry VIII, and after Henry’s death, her marriage to Thomas Seymour. As Henry’s sixth wife, Katherine knew her position as queen was precarious. She did not want to marry him, but once he set his eyes to her, she had no choice.

Katherine Parr has always been my favorite of Henry’s six queens. She was undoubtedly very smart and charming. She learned from the mistakes of her predecessors, and successfully navigated the religious and political court intrigues. This was made even more difficult because Henry’s Catholic advisors had her on their hit list due to her Protestant beliefs. Fremantle has done an excellent job of showing us a strong and brave Queen.

It is sad to me that she survived her marriage to Henry, only to be betrayed by the man she truly loved and die in childbirth. She deserved so much better than that.

I also liked that along with Katherine’s story, we get points of view from those around her: her physician, her step-daughter, and her servant. Their stories are also intriguing and give a better understanding of life in those times.

Georgina Sutton’s narration is very good, and added to my enjoyment of the story. She is passionate without being over-the-top. She captured Katherine’s voice very well.

After finishing this book, I added Fremantle’s other titles to my wishlist. Looks like I am back into Tudor territory for a while. show less

This is the story of Henry VIII's sixth and last wife, Katherine Parr, who luckily manages to outlive him, because she otherwise would probably not have met a good end. The book does not go into extreme amounts of detail about the machinations of Henry's court and the struggles for power as do some other books about this period, but you get the gist of what is going on. One thing I particularly liked about this story was that Katherine's tale was carried all the way through to the end of her life and didn't stop at her husband's demise - thus, it covers her rapid marriage to Thomas Seymour, her long-awaited pregnancy, the scandal of her husband dallying with a 14-year-old Elizabeth Tudor, and her death shortly after giving birth to her show more daughter. If you like historical fiction, you should enjoy this book. show less

Even if you think you've read everything about the Tudor dynasty and the six wives of Henry VIII, Elizabeth Fremantle manages to come up with a new angle on the story -- the perspective of Katherine Parr, last of the wives and the only one he neither cast aside nor executed. Which would seem to be a triumph on her part, and she even got to marry -- on her fourth marriage -- a man she loved, Thomas Seymour. As anyone who knows history knows, that wasn't exactly a happy ending for her but it makes for dramatic fiction. The book is also enhanced by the perspective of Katherine's servant Dot, who provides the always interesting outsider's view of the court and of the British aristocracy.

An excellent, entertaining and well researched historical novel centring around the life of Katherine Parr, the sixth and last surviving wife of King Henry VIII, and that of her maid, Dorothy Fownten, better known as 'Dot'!

I was gripped by this book from the very first page. I thought it was vividly and imaginatively told, combining fact with fiction. It's wonderfully written in a beautifully flowing style which is easy to read and difficult to put down. There's a good sense of time and place which brings home the reality of the 15th century - I felt I was there.

Both Katherine's and Dot's stories were interesting and absorbing. Their characters came alive for me and they were equally likeable. Some of the events had me on the edge of my show more seat - Henry VIII made me cringe!

All in all, an immensely enjoyable, satisfying and engrossing read which I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to historical fiction fans. I eagerly look forward to Elizabeth Fremantle's next book in the series! show less

Queen’s Gambit gives the reader a very in depth look at Henry VIII’s last queen, Katherine Parr. So much controversy is associated with the other wives that Queen Katherine’s more reticent personality sometimes gets glossed over as being of less significance. Queen’s Gambit shows that Katherine Parr had a quiet power and dignity that not only outlived 3 husbands and a tragic past but could withstand even the changeable moods of this dangerous king as well as navigate a court filled with those who would use her for their own ends or set her up to be disposed of.

Queen’s Gambit explores the many faceted personality of this often overlooked queen. Katherine Parr was highly educated, moreso than many women of her time, she held her show more own political opinions but was savvy enough to when it was safe to speak of those opinions, she had a natural affinity for healing herbs, and the way she interacted with those of differing social statuses was fascinating. I also liked that her relationship with Seymour showed that she was also a woman who only wished to love and be loved despite that other’s ambitions would pull her in another direction.

Fremantle does an amazing job bringing to life, in vivid detail the atmosphere of Tudor England at the end of Henry’s rule. The reader is able to experience the corrupt Tudor court through the eyes of maid, nobility, and other people of the court. It was very easy for me to lose myself in the story, from the dialog to the steady pacing to the writing, Queen’s Gambit was thoroughly enjoyable. If I can nitpick anything at all to find fault with it would be that sometimes I felt overwhelmed with detail, but overall, I found the amount of detail mostly added life to the story.

I would compare Queen’s Gambit favorably with historical novels I’ve read by Jean Plaidy and Alison Weir who are two of my favorite authors in this genre. I would say that this novel is less dramatized and more solidly based in research than some of the more popular Tudor fiction I’ve read recently. I would recommend it to any and all fans of historical fiction and fans of the authors I mentioned above. I look forward to reading the rest of the books in this trilogy show less