The Queen's Mistake [Paperback]

Catherine Howard is probably the hardest of Henry VIII's six wives around whom to build an entire novel, despite the poignancy and tragedy that surrounds her. Beheaded while she was still a teenager, in all probability, she was little more than a bit player in the power politics of the era, whose role was to entertain and amuse the king on behalf of the Catholic faction at court. The contrast to her cousin, Anne Boleyn, could not have been stronger, despite their identical fate; while Anne wielded power directly and indirectly, Catherine seemed to have little interest in anything beyond the frivolities of life.

Kudos to Diane Haeger for undertaking this project, but as I turned the pages, I found myself increasingly unconvinced by the picture she paints of the characters and their lives. Ultimately, the story was unconvincing, from the first pages where Catherine concludes that her fate was determined by her religion -- she was "too great a risk to leave as queen" because of her Catholicism. It was simply inconceivable to me that the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk (no spoilers here, this is in the very first pages of the book) was actually conniving at Catherine's early sexual exploits with the goal of ensuring she was experienced enough to attract and hold a man; that is nonsensical in light of the mores of the times. In Haeger's novel, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey is a "pompous lout" (in fact, he was a noted poet and known for his elegance), Thomas Culpepper is a confidant and even advisor to the king (rather than just a gentleman of the bedchamber, who danced, jousted and changed the dressings on the king's leg), while Jane Boleyn (who had denounced her husband's alleged incest with his sister, Anne, leading to both their deaths) is an amiable and attractive young woman whom Catherine sees as "about her own age". (In fact, Jane was nearly 20 years older, by most estimates.) Catherine was raised in her grandmother's household, but that was at Lambeth, across the river from Westminster, not a day's ride away in Sussex as Haeger portrays.

Some of this would have been less irritating had the story itself been better told. In Philippa Gregory's treatment of the same time period, The Boleyn Inheritance, the narrative switches between Catherine, Jane and Anne of Cleves, with tremendous effect (and far more verisimilitude.) Alas, Haeger's writing is at best pedestrian and at times just silly, as when Jane discusses with Catherine the chance that Anne of Cleves may lose her head if she objects to a divorce. "And we Boleyns do know a little something about that," Jane remarks coyly. The most intriguing element of this book, for me, was the backstory involving the actions and motivations Mary Lassells and her brother, former members of the household of Catherine's grandmother, whose knowledge of her indiscretions would lead directly to her downfall. At times, I felt that the story might have been far more intriguing had it been told through the eyes of the envious Mary.

This is a more sympathetic portrayal of Catherine than in Gregory's novel, but it's also inconsistent - Haeger's Catherine is at once sexually sophisticated and politically naïve, even after many months at the heart of the court. It's inconceivable to me that Catherine couldn't or didn't recognize the risks she was running, however, unless she was as silly as Gregory portrays her. Ultimately, this is a romance novel dressed up as historical fiction, with all the conventions attached to that, such as the hero, Culpepper, gallantly saving the young Catherine from embarassment when someone throws ink on her dress just before she accompanies Anne of Cleves to dinner with the king. Only the fact that it involved Henry VIII and didn't end happily ever after saves it from banality. At the outset, Catherine wonders aloud "why would anyone care about the indiscretions of a country girl from Sussex?" Even after finishing the book - and after that "country girl" had become a queen - I was forced to agree with Catherine; I just didn't care that much.

This isn't a bad book, simply nowhere nearly as good as it could have or should have been. It may appeal to some dedicated HF fans, especially those who can't get enough of the Tudors, or to those who haven't read much about the era. But there are other and better books about the hapless Catherine Howard, particularly Philippa Gregory's recent offering. For a more literary spin on Catherine's life, take a look at Ford Madox Ford, The fifth queen, and then there's Jean Plaidy's Murder Most Royal. Catherine's story also forms a part of My Lady of Cleves by Margaret Campbell Barnes, which has just been re-released. I'd suggest reading any of those first, and then borrowing this from the library only if you've still got an overwhelming interest in Catherine.

In one sentence the fate of Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII is cast: "She shall do as she is told and be proud of it." Niece of the powerful Duke of Norfolk, Lord High Treasurer of England, and cousin to Anne Boleyn, Catherine's future has been decided long before she is sent to the court of Henry's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. An unacceptable match for such a monarch, Anne of Cleves is lucky to escape her union with the king with her head attached, only to be replaced by a flawed Catherine Howard. Young and passionate, Catherine rises from insignificance to unfortunate bride of an insatiable king long past his prime, Henry's hubris growing apace with is physical infirmities. Indeed, Haeger is a master of this historical terrain, using her intimate knowledge of Tudor history to create a tapestry of love and betrayal, the hopeless narrative of Henry's quest for happiness and the ambitions of those who would secure their family's power and position.

This is a sympathetic portrait of a girl caught up in youthful indiscretions and a serious love affair that hinders her ability to protect herself from a hostile environment. Considered foolish and careless by many writers of historical fiction, Haeger shows considerable compassion for her protagonist and an understanding of the psyche of a young romantic with a limited world view and a lack of artifice in a dangerous court. From youth exuberance to fallen queen, without friends, Catherine turns to Jane Rochford, widow of George Boleyn, a woman struggling to assuage her own demons. Certainly, the scheming Duke of Norfolk and the Dowager Duchess, Agnes Howard, are governed by family ambitions, Catherine expected to do as other young women of the 16th century, pawns to history and the greed of their families.

The enmity between the Seymour's and the Howard's continues unabated, as does the struggle between the forces of the Reformation and those who would restore the True Church. Ironically, each faction justifies their actions in God's name, implacable in their surety of the righteous path. As a pawn of her powerful uncle, Catherine has no options, sacrificed on the altar of power. Complicit in her own demise, Haeger's Catherine is a bright young woman easily distracted by romance, realizing too late the stakes of the game she plays. All is passion in Catherine's world, especially her love for one of Henry's trusted courtier's blinding her to the dangers of court intrigue. The reality is politics, Norfolk determined to unseat Thomas Cromwell, placing the Howard's once again in ascendancy.

Catherine is surrounded by the agendas of others: Lady Jane Rochford's confused loyalty; Mary Lassells, privy to Catherine's dalliances before she arrives in court; Francis Dereham, trothplighted to Catherine in her youthful enthusiasm; Thomas Culpepper, hopelessly in love with the girl his king wants to marry; and Henry, a bloated, ageing king desperate to recapture his youth and avoid life's inevitable decay. Haeger's tale comes alive with the intrigue, passion and human failings that attend Henry's court, one of the most vital eras in English history, a king who breaks from the church, greedy for power and heirs, the women who suffer his love and his wrath, Catherine yet another mistake. Luan Gaines/2009.

Catherine Howard has grown up in the country, a relatively insignificant member of an incredibly powerful family. After the death of her cousin Anne Boleyn, the Howard family fortunes fell to some extent, but in 1540, things are about to change. Catherine's uncle, the duke of Norfolk, brings her to court at age seventeen, when she is at her most beautiful, white-washing her reputation and placing her before the king. Catherine is no innocent but King Henry VIII falls in love with her, convinced that she is his rose without a thorn. When the members of her past come to court intent on blackmail, Catherine's road to tragedy is assured.

This story is a familiar one for many Tudor enthusiasts, and clearly I'm no exception. I was looking forward to reading Haeger's portrayal of this young queen. Considering Catherine probably slept with a variety of men, I would think it would be difficult for her to be a sympathetic character, but Haeger makes it look easy. She creates a Catherine that readers will wish had a different ending. Despite her sexual experience, Catherine does seem innocent and naive at times, completely a pawn for her powerful uncle and the Howard family strategy to gain favor. Once she's gained the eye of the king, there is no looking back for this girl. Her downfall is indeed tragic because Haeger's Catherine wishes in every instance for something different. When she finally settles into her role as queen and begins to hope she can be good for Henry and for the country, that hope is snatched away from her by her past.

While most of the third person narrative is focused on Catherine, we do occasionally get glimpses into the other characters' heads, particularly that of Thomas Culpeper. The other characters are not quite so well-defined, but each of them feel intriguing and real, and this is a Tudor world that feels largely authentic and familiar. I enjoyed the rich descriptions, especially of Catherine's dresses, and felt I could picture all of the players moving about the court, ambitions intact. The plot unfolds in a sensible way; virtually everyone who is interested in Tudor history will know that Catherine was beheaded by Henry VIII, so the book opens on the night before the execution. It then returns to the time when everything began to change for Catherine and the author can explain how she got to that point in her own way. It's very well done and the book is a pleasure to read. Perhaps my only qualm with it is that Catherine never seems bothered by the fact that she sleeps with every man who looks at her twice. She does it out of boredom, but surely she must worry about pregnancy at the very least. No one seems to lament the loss of her virginity except as it pertains to the king, which did seem strange to me since surely any other nobleman would like his wife to be a virgin, but it's only a minor part of the story.

Overall, I would recommend The Queen's Mistake to Tudor enthusiasts and other fans of historical fiction. It's a well-written peek into the past, with sympathetic characters and an engaging sense of history.

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