Monday, July 9, 2012

A Constant Princess

So I've decided I am actually going to start using this blog for what I intended it for almost a year ago... to blog about books. So I am going to start with one of my favorite books in my favorite genres. I LOVE historical fiction (and then reading actual factual information to disprove it... hehe).

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory is definitely up there in my favorites. The book is Gregory's ninth book and the fourth she wrote about the Tudor dynasty. The Constant Princess is the first book in the series chronologically, however, following Catherine of Aragon from child in Spain to the divorced, disgraced first wife of Tudor monarch Henry VIII. Catherine of Aragon is my favorite of the Tudor figures because there is the least known about her and because without her none of the lore about Henry VIII would exist. After all, if she had born Henry a son he would not have found cause to divorce her (or so the lore goes).

As far as the factual elements go there are large segments of the book that are not based on historical evidence, but it is an enjoyable book, regardless. The fact that Catherine of Aragon was not only married to Henry VIII, but first married to his older brother adds an element of mystery and attraction to her character. The added dimension that Catherine of Aragon was daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain adds another point of interest for me (too many Christopher Columbus rhymes as a kid maybe).

If you like historical fiction I would definitely recommend giving this book a try.

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