The Taming of the Queen Book Review
Hello all! Already a new week and the end of July…I can’t believe it! This week is definitely bitter sweet as it’s my last week at my current job. It’s going to be very hard to leave, but I am so excited about my new job and the new chapter I am starting!
So, Kate and I have been doing a good job keeping up with bookclub and we just finished our most recent book, The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory. You probably recognize her name as she has written a bunch of Henry 8 related historical fiction like The Other Boleyn Girl. Typically, her books are scandalous and completely enthralling and while this book was good, it was a little different from her typical novel.
The Taming of the Queen looks at Kathryn Parr, Henry 8’s sixth and last wife. While this novel did not have the scandalous intrigue I first expected, it was still very interesting. Parr was a very intelligent woman who was ahead of her time and was one of the first women in England to publish scholarly writing under her own name.
While I could barely put this book down the last 150 pages, the middle was a little dense as it dealt with the religious turmoil that plagued England at the end of Henry’s reign. Normally I like this kind of historical level of detail, but I think because I was expecting a scandalous love affair to begin on every page, the historical aspect got a little heavy for me in the middle.
I would very highly recommend this book as Gregory is a wonderful and engaging author. Just go into it with more realistic expectations than I did! Until next time, XO
