From Publishers Weekly
The author of Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne turns his attention to the matrimonial saga of Henry VIII. Antonia Fraser and Alison Weir covered much the same ground in the early 1990s. While they expressed particular interest in 16th-century women and marriage, Starkey dwells at greater length on political and religious subtleties, and develops an imposing cast of supporting characters. The bulk of the book inevitably deals with Henry's first two wives, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Accounts of the remaining queens are fleshed out nicely to suggest their personalities, their place in the family networks and religious currents at court and the overall patterns of the king's infatuations and disillusionments. Mildly railing at historians who have not reached the same conclusions as he, Starkey claims to counter old stereotypes about his main characters, but cheerfully repeats those of other figures and nations, including Catherine of Aragon's "machiavellian" father and "the Spanish talent for turning sadism into spectacle." His tendency to modernize personalities gives Anne Boleyn more autonomy than seems plausible, making her the major formulator of policy in Henry's first divorce. Our understanding of Henry's rejection of Anne of Cleves, however, benefits from modern willingness to examine whether the king's inability to consummate the marriage led to the break. Caught between scholarly work and storytelling, the book gives us high drama at a languid pace, with overwhelming detail often slowing the narrative. For readers who are not put off, this is a strong, entertaining and occasionally audacious interpretation. An associated PBS series in July may make this book popular. 16 pages of color photos not seen by PW.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
From a Cambridge historian. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Intrigue. False piety. Self-serving legalism. Backstabbing (figurative). Beheadings (literal). David Starkey's history of Henry's wives (and their husband, children, allies, and enemies) chronicles their struggles for power and survival. The means to their ends, more often than not, were machination and connivance. Patricia Hodge relates this account in a knowing tone that seems to say, "Try as they might to put a decent face on things, we know better, don't we, my dear?" We are entertained. A minor criticism: Hodge's "foreign" accents, applied to the words of non-English characters, are cartoonish and an unnecessary distraction. Unnecessary because there's no dialogue here--no true conversation between characters-- and because all quotes are attributed. T.J.W. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
*Starred Review* Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived: these are the fates of the six wives of England's king Henry VIII, as taught to British schoolchildren in the form of a rhyme. It is a perennially popular story for history buffs: how the great Tudor king sought a male heir and went to such extremes as establishing his own state religion to ensure the success of his marital plans. But Starkey's account is no rehash; his take on Henry's reign, most specifically Great Harry's sequence of consorts--a "turning point in English history second only to the Norman conquest"--is based on heretofore un- or at least under-investigated documentary evidence. He has new things to say about Henry's queens, especially the first and longest in tenure, Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Spain's king Ferdinand and queen Isabella (their divorce began the whole Church of England business), and the last, Catherine Parr, a noblewoman usually relegated to the status of the least politically important of the half-dozen spouses but here elevated to "one of the most substantial." Detail is profuse but luscious; truly, this is history made as fluent and compelling as excellent fiction. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


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. What could make him marry six times? In this remarkable new study, David Starkey argues that the king was not a depraved philanderer, but someone seeking happiness -- and a son. Knowingly or not, he empowered a group of women to extraordinary heights and changed the way a nation was governed.

Henry took his first bride, Catherine of Aragon, when he was seventeen. They lasted twenty-four years together, but Catherine suffered through many miscarriages and failed to produce a male heir. Henry then fell in love with Anne Boleyn, the mother of Elizabeth I. Their relationship transformed England forever, but Henry had Anne beheaded and married his next wife, Jane Seymour, on the very day of Anne's execution. At last, Seymour gave birth to Henry's longed-for son, Edward VI. What followed was a farcical beauty contest which ended in the King's brief marriage to the "mare of Flanders," Anne of Cleves. Finally, there were the two Catherines: Catherine Howard, the flirtatious teenager whose adulteries made a fool of the aging king and who was the second bride to lose her head; and Catherine Parr, the shrewd, religiously radical bluestocking who outlived him.

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.


About the Author
David Sharkey is a historian and commentator, and Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. He is the author of several works on the Tudoe period, including The Reign of Henry VIII and The English Court, from the Wars of the Roses to the Civil War. He lives in London.

ANNOTATION

The six-week New York Times bestselling history of the legendary six wives of Henry VIII--from an acclaimed biographer. "Admirably succeed(s) in bringing to life the six women who married England's ruler. . . ."--New York Times Book Review. 16 color plates. 32 pages of illustrations.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

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. What could make him marry six times? In this new study, David Starkey argues that the King was not a depraved philanderer, but someone seeking happiness - and a son. Knowingly or not, he empowered a group of women to extraordinary heights and changed the way a nation was governed.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Fraser's scrupulously researched recuperative study of Henry VIII's six queens makes a major contribution to feminist scholarship. Illustrations. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

The author of Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne turns his attention to the matrimonial saga of Henry VIII. Antonia Fraser and Alison Weir covered much the same ground in the early 1990s. While they expressed particular interest in 16th-century women and marriage, Starkey dwells at greater length on political and religious subtleties, and develops an imposing cast of supporting characters. The bulk of the book inevitably deals with Henry's first two wives, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Accounts of the remaining queens are fleshed out nicely to suggest their personalities, their place in the family networks and religious currents at court and the overall patterns of the king's infatuations and disillusionments. Mildly railing at historians who have not reached the same conclusions as he, Starkey claims to counter old stereotypes about his main characters, but cheerfully repeats those of other figures and nations, including Catherine of Aragon's "machiavellian" father and "the Spanish talent for turning sadism into spectacle." His tendency to modernize personalities gives Anne Boleyn more autonomy than seems plausible, making her the major formulator of policy in Henry's first divorce. Our understanding of Henry's rejection of Anne of Cleves, however, benefits from modern willingness to examine whether the king's inability to consummate the marriage led to the break. Caught between scholarly work and storytelling, the book gives us high drama at a languid pace, with overwhelming detail often slowing the narrative. For readers who are not put off, this is a strong, entertaining and occasionally audacious interpretation. An associated PBS series in July may make this book a popular buy. 16 pages of color photos not seen by PW. (July 10) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

In 16th-century Europe, monarchies primarily viewed marriages as political alliances. According to Starkey (Bye Fellow, Fitzwilliam Coll., Cambridge; Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne), Henry VIII's views could only be seen then as "curiously modern," as marriage was simply for his own pleasure. Much has already been written about that king's prodigious appetites; however, Starkey focuses more closely on each of Henry's wives, ably interpreting these six different women and their suffering. The majority of the book covers Henry's first two wives, Catharine of Aragon (his longest relationship by far) and Anne Boleyn, while Starkey constantly challenges long-held assumptions about his wives throughout. He contends, for example, that far from being saintly, Catharine of Aragon was actively involved in the brief war against France, and that demure Jane Seymour (No. 3) may have been much more worldly and wise than previously thought. Despite Henry's fickleness in love, showering Catharine Howard (No. 5) with jewels one day and then executing her shortly after, his roving eye would have profound consequences for the political and religious future of England. The rituals and ceremony of marriage and the legal wrangling during Henry's first divorce are also covered. Solidly researched and delightfully told, this is highly recommended for all public libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/02; Starkey narrated the PBS documentary of the same name in July.-Ed.]-Isabel Coates, CCRA-Toronto West Tax Office, Mississauga, Ont. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Fraser here attempts to provide a fuller view of the six women who unenviably danced around the maypole that was the corpulent King of England. Fraser, the distinguished author of many historical studies, including The Weaker Vessel ( LJ 8/84), portrays in fascinating detail the women who sought to be included in and were sometimes destroyed by the power structure of the times. Inevitably, more time is spent on Catherine of Aragon (after all, Catherine and Henry were married 24 years, whereas all five of his other marriages only totaled a little over ten years), and although Fraser claims to have tried to avoid any bias, she betrays a lingering sympathy for Henry's first queen. One cannot help but speculate, as the author does, what history would have been like if Catherine had provided Henry with a male heir. Not only were Henry's wives prisoners of their biology, but also Henry himself. Fraser's readable style, empathy for her subjects, and piquant use of historical details and anecdotes make this a satisfying addition to the history shelves. Recommended for all public and academic libraries. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/92.-- Katherine Gillen, Denver P . L .

BookList - Brad Hooper