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Review
“Exciting. ... Very acute. ... It is so gripping that one finishes it wishing it were even longer.” (Mail on Sunday )
“Extraordinary. . . . With each queen, Starkey offers a vivid character study.” (Sunday Times (London) )
“Acute and imaginative. ... [Starkey’s] communication of subtle points in simple and vivid language is masterly.” (Sunday Telegraph )
“Brilliant. ... Six Wives provides an intriguing new perspective on this key period in English history.” (Daily Telegraph (London) )
“Truly, this is history made as fluent and compelling as excellent fiction.” (Booklist (starred review) )
“Extraordinary. . . . With each queen, Starkey offers a vivid character study.” (Sunday Times (London) )
“Acute and imaginative. ... [Starkey’s] communication of subtle points in simple and vivid language is masterly.” (Sunday Telegraph )
“Brilliant. ... Six Wives provides an intriguing new perspective on this key period in English history.” (Daily Telegraph (London) )
“Truly, this is history made as fluent and compelling as excellent fiction.” (Booklist (starred review) )
Book Description
No one in history had a more eventful career in matrimony than Henry VIII. His marriages were daring and tumultuous, and made instant legends of six very different women. In this remarkable study, David Starkey argues that the king was not a depraved philanderer but someone seeking happiness -- and a son. Knowingly or not, he elevateda group of women to extraordinary heights and changed the way a nation was governed.
Six Wives is a masterful work of history that intimately examines the rituals of diplomacy, marriage, pregnancy, and religion that were part of daily life for women at the Tudor Court. Weaving new facts and fresh interpretations into a spellbinding account of the emotional drama surrounding Henry's six marriages, David Starkey reveals the central role that the queens played in determining policy. With an equally keen eye for romantic and political intrigue, he brilliantly recaptures the story of Henry's wives and the England they ruled.
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First Sentence
Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII, was born on 16 December 1485. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII, was born on 16 December 1485. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Before you buy this book, read the reviews on amazon.com,
By
This review is from: Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII (Paperback)
Although the reviews on this website are positive, a greater diversity of opinion can be found at amazon.com. This is a controversial book.Here's what I submitted to the .com website: I bought this book on a whim, without benefit of these reviews. I should have done my homework. The other reviews on this website are excellent and I won't repeat them here except to underscore two points. First, as an academic myself I was stunned by the extent to which Starkey's scholarship is biased, subjective and speculative. He blithely makes racist comments about other cultures (the Spanish are "instutionalized sadists," for example). Evidence that is accepted by other writers he dismisses out of hand, while other, more dubious sources that are not normally consulted he accepts without question. Ideas that start out as speculation are facts a few chapters later. Starkey may be a respected historian, but this is not a good piece of scholarship. Most significantly, he seems unable to put these women into an historic context. He doesn't appear to appreciate what it was like to be a woman, without legal powers, who attracted the attention of a ruthless and brutal king. For instance, he characterizes Ann Boleyn as manipulative. Maybe she was intelligent enough to realize that if she refused the King, she and her family would suffer the loss of their wealth and possibly their lives. The best she could do was to hold out for marriage which at least gave her some legitimacy. Starkey's failure to appreciate the brutal reality of women's lives at this point in history is a huge handicap in writing their biographies.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
If you like history, you will love this book.,
By lafleurpetite (canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII (Paperback)
It's very long, but so was the list of his wives. Worth reading! If you love 'The Tudors' tv series, read this first before watching :)
5.0 out of 5 stars
Required reading - must be read for fun or in school,
By
This review is from: Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII (Paperback)
This book is absolutely necessary to read! The events that took place in this book, although on the surface they are just marriages - changed the course of the world. Each successive wife in her own way made an impact history. David Starkey did an incredible job!
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