I liked this book on the last Tudor Queen. It wasn’t the best of the series. I felt that some of the narrative seemed rushed. A good historical book

Much like Katherine of Aragon, her namesake, I really admired and liked Katherine, as she is a powerful force for clemency and reform, and her love and influence was also key to bringing all Henry’s children back into the succession. All the while dodging arrest, keeping her neck and finally, outliving Henry. As with all (but perhaps one) of the instalments in this series, Weir has beautifully weaved together history and her imagination to bring this wonderful woman to life. And at the end had me choked up again, at the fateful ending of Katharine’s fourth marriage and longed for pregnancy.

So overall, I thought Katharine Parr, The Sixth Wife was a well written historical-fiction, which I struggled to put down, as Katharine’s life was full of loss, rebellion, reform, love, danger and a fateful, bittersweet ending. I highly recommend this and this amazing series, but I am left feeling a little bereft with no more for me to read! A Great Read! ⭐⭐⭐

A fitting end to a brilliant series, I’ve enjoyed getting to know each of the wives and Katharine Parr was perhaps one of the most surprising. Well-written, intensively researched and captivating.

I thought this would be more historical bio than fiction. I didn’t really enjoy it because of that but I find her an interesting queen nonetheless!

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

What a series! Katherine Parr, The Sixth Wife is the final book in Alison Weir’s Six Tudor Queens series retelling and it completely lived up to my very high expectations.

I have been a huge fan of the Tudors since we learnt about them in school when I was about seven or eight years old. I always found the stories of the six wives fascinating and this series really brought them to life for me all over again. I love the level of detail and learning about the life Katherine Parr led before she met Henry VIII.

Absolutely compelling, I was hooked the whole way through. Highly recommended to anyone who has an interest in this period or historical fiction in general.

Well that was emotional. I am really going to miss this series!

I've loved this collection from the start but must admit I had some concerns regarding the books based on the less well-known wives of Henry VIII. But again and again Alison Weir has allayed those concerns fully. Katherine Parr always feels a bit of a footnote in the story of the six wives, but this books brings her tale to life. It's a sad story of longing both for love and family put aside for duty. It's also good to see that Weir doesn't feel it necessary to paint Henry as an ogre in all things, merely as an old ill man facing his own mortality. It humanises him in a way other authors fail to do.

This series has been well worth the time dedicated to following it, looking forward to reading
In the Shadow of Queens.

This is the final book in Alison Weir’s Six Tudor Queens series retelling, in fictional form, the stories of the wives of Henry VIII. Katharine Parr, the subject of this sixth novel, has never interested me as much as some of the other wives, yet this book has turned out to be my favourite of the series, not just for what we learn about Katharine herself, but also for the depiction of the political and religious situation in England during the later stages of Henry’s reign.

I have read other novels about Katharine Parr, but none of them go into as much depth and concentrate almost solely on her time as Henry’s wife and her relationship with Thomas Seymour. This book starts at the beginning, with Katharine’s childhood, and then takes us through her entire life, devoting plenty of time to her earlier two marriages, first to the young Edward Burgh and then to John Neville, Lord Latimer. I particularly enjoyed the section of the book where Katharine is married to Latimer; although it’s not a passionate romance, Katharine comes to love and trust her husband and they have a happy nine years together despite the religious turmoil going on around them (the uprising known as the Pilgrimage of Grace takes place during this period and provides one of the most exciting episodes in the novel).

Although Lord Latimer remains faithful to the Catholic Church, Katharine becomes a supporter of religious reform. When Latimer dies in 1543 and the King, having recently had his fifth wife beheaded, asks her to marry him, Katharine reluctantly accepts, knowing that turning down his proposal would be very unwise and hoping that her influence at court can further the cause of the reformers. Over time she becomes quite fond of Henry, engaging in lively debates with him on the subject of religion, but there is always an undercurrent of danger and Katharine knows that if she is to avoid the fate of her predecessors, she can’t allow her sympathies for the new Protestant religion to become too obvious. Somehow, Katharine manages to survive and outlive the King, free at last to marry Thomas Seymour, the man she really loves…but their time together is tragically short and marred by Seymour’s inappropriate behaviour with the young Princess Elizabeth.

I loved reading about Katharine’s life before she became Queen, as so much of this was new to me – and unlike the book on Anne of Cleves, where Weir admits that she invented a lot of Anne’s story, this one seems to be more grounded in historical fact. Once the novel moves on to her marriages to Henry VIII and Thomas Seymour, I was on more familiar ground and found these sections slightly less interesting to read – particularly as I have never liked Thomas Seymour and wished I could reach into the pages of the book and stop Katharine from marrying him!

Something that has intrigued me throughout this series is the way in which Alison Weir has chosen to portray Henry VIII. She shows him in a much more positive light than usual, to the point where she almost seems to be absolving him of any responsibility for his actions, putting the blame on the people around him instead – Thomas Cromwell, Bishop Gardiner, even some of his victims such as poor Katheryn Howard. On the one hand, it’s interesting to see a more nuanced depiction of Henry, but on the other I’m not convinced that his wives would all have viewed him as favourably as these books suggest!

Katharine Parr herself is portrayed as an intelligent, well-educated and compassionate woman; her previous marriages and experience of life have given her a maturity and common sense that some of Henry’s other wives lacked. She makes an effort to befriend her stepchildren and plays an important part in persuading Henry to restore his daughters Elizabeth and Mary to the line of succession. She gains the King’s trust and is named regent while he is away on a military campaign, as well as becoming the first queen to have books published in English under her own name. Katharine’s life is maybe not as dramatic as some of the other wives’, but because I liked her so much I was able to become fully invested in her story.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great storyline with excellent characters. I would highly recommend this book as it was a great read.

In Six Tudor queens the parts detailing Katharine's earlier two marriages were really interesting to me and filled a void of knowledge.
She has two contrasting marriages where in the first she was unhappy then in the second the opposite and we see how she changes and develops a interest in religion, reformation and independence.
A widowed Katharine then went on to become Queen at a volatile time by marrying Henry VIII.
Weir helps explain the complexity of religious beliefs at this time.
Katharine comes across as a likeable character and loving supportive wife & Step Mother.
The story is really brought to life and well crafted, a book I was immersed in.
I enjoyed this final instalment and would recommend it for fans of this genre.
My thanks go to the author, NetGalley and publishers for providing this arc in return for a honest review.

When Katharine is married for the first time her husband is young and unsure. She loves him but her marriage is not blessed with children. When he dies Katharine is an eligible widow and she remarries to a bluff, older nobleman. She dotes on her stepchildren but longs to be a mother herself. When he dies Katharine feels that she can choose her next husband and she falls hard for a powerful man but a more powerful man has his sights on Katharine and she must tread a fine line - duty and her convictions.
This series has been a joy from beginning to end and Weir continues to show her eminent historical scholarship as she writes a fictionalised biography of Henry VIII's final wife. The knowledge of historical fact is woven through with imagined feelings and dialogues so seamlessly and the image of Katharine as little more that a nursemaid is laid to rest. I will miss these novels and look forward to the next challenge.

Thankyou to Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this book.

I am a huge fan of The Tudors and read anything I can about them, so I was so excited to read this book, and I was not disappointed. I enjoyed reading about Katharines childhood and her first two marriages, which covers a good chunk of the book. I know this is historical fiction, but I feel I learnt alot about Katharine, and I think Alison Weir did a good job of finding Katherine's voice.
The only negative point I have is that I feel that her life as Dowger Queen was a little rushed in comparison to the rest of the book.

Overall I really enjoyed the book and feel it was a wonderful book to finish the six wives series.

This is not a quick read. It is a book that deserves you spending time to digest all the detail. Alison Weir has once again brought the 6th queen to life in this book. Fabulous research has led to a riveting book. This is the final instalment in the Six Tudor Queens. Haven’t read it I feel I know so much more about Katharine Parr.
I knew she was a widow when she married the king but I didn’t know she had lost two husbands. I also feel that Henry VIII actually me his match in his Queen. No it wasn’t a love affair. However, there was a mutual respect that led to a loving relationship.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC

Engaging and involving, this book tells the story of Katharine Parr, Henry VIII's sixth and final wife.

The book follows Katharine's life from birth to death. It starts with her childhood and early days, progresses through her first two marriages, explores her journey to becoming queen, and finally, examines her fourth and last marriage.

Katharine Parr was a learned, intelligent woman who was so much more than simply one of Henry VIII's wives. From reading this book, it almost seems as though she was a woman born before her time. Katharine was well-educated and enjoyed lively debates on religion, philosophy, and theology. She took a keen interest in education - inherited from her mother - and cared little for the politics of court. This book shows the real Katharine Parr - and she must truly have been someone to behold.

Alison Weir brings Katharine's story to life through her own excellent storytelling. It is masterfully written, keeping to the facts without compromising on enjoyment or readability. As is the case with her other books, Weir writes in a succinct and engaging way, bringing these historical figures into the limelight.

Whether you are well-versed in Tudor history or just curious about Henry's last wife, this book provides the perfect opportunity to get to know Katharine Parr.

A wonderful and fitting conclusion to the Six Tudor Queens series.
Like the other books in the series, Alison Weir's research and interpretation of events really shines through bringing the characters to life.

Despite covering over 30 years of story, Katharine's story is well-paced and the story flows well. I was completely drawn in. There were times I gasped aloud and times I was blinking back tears as the writing was so compelling.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I absolutely love Alison Weir and this is another belter

I love the style and way its been written

If you thing is historical fiction, Alison Weir is an absolute must read

My thanks to Alison Weir, Headline Review, and Net Galley for the ARC of KATHERINE PARR-THE SIXTH WIFE.
I love the Tudors and have read various fictions on their history. Katherine Parr came to be Henry VIII wife when he was in the last stages of his life and increasingly ill. I've always felt she was the most educated of his wives, the most well-read and that although Henry enjoyed this about her he became increasingly concerned about her leanings towards full Protestantism and was prepared to have her arrested. It was only because of the timing of his death that she escaped his wrath. I was under the impression that she and Anne Mayhew were friends, that Mayhew had actually preached to Katherine and her learned women, but in this version it would seem that Katherine tried to put distance between them. I had also though that she and Thomas Seymour were lovers before she married Henry, and these were circumstances that frightened her because of the demise of Katherine Howard. How do we really know?
This version, I felt, lacked the drama I personally look for in historical fiction, but Alison Weir is an accomplished historian and writer and it kept me reading to the end. The quality of the writing and the historical knowledge is on the page.

I usually enjoy historical fiction, especially that focusing on strong females yet I found this book hard to get into. It became tedious at times and the author seemed to devote pages to mundane issues yet scrape over Parr's most interesting events (such as her looming arrest).
I enjoyed the latter half of the book most, although I can't say it connected with me on an emotional level.

I’m a real Tudors nut and have read most of Alison Weir’s fiction and non- fiction around this era. After Anne of Cleeves, Katherine Parr isn’t the wife who gets the most attention paid to her because she didn’t come to a bad end. She is the only one to survive Henry VIII and I think that might have been by the skin of her teeth. It’s possible he died only just before he had chance to raise a plot against her. He seemed to find her more Protestant religious tendencies on the edge of heretical, and it seems no woman was safe from the machinations of Henry’s court - he didn’t commit his crimes against women alone. I knew more about Katherine’s life after Henry died - her subsequent marriage to Thomas Seymour her great love, which happened almost too fast in her period of mourning. I knew that the Princess Elizabeth stayed with her in her teenage years. In fact it was Katherine who tried to bring the King and his children together. I used to feel for her because she had wanted to marry Thomas Seymour before Henry’s proposal, but you couldn’t turn down a proposal from the King. Then she was only with him briefly before dying in childbirth. Yet, Thomas Seymour wasn’t above his own machinations and seems to have had designs on the young Elizabeth.

What I did learn from this solid autobiography was about Katherine’s early life, her nobility and her previous marriages. She had a reputation as a woman who was good with older men who needed a nurse as much as a wife and that was definitely Henry, I loved that this focused on her intelligence and strength, so I got a sense of her as a three dimensional person and not just an appendage of Henry. I have a whole bookcase dedicated to Tudor books and now that all six of these are out I’ll be adding them to my collection.

This was the first fiction book I've read by Alison Weir, after being a big fan of her non fiction for YEARS. Turns out that a serious skill at writing history doesn't translate comfortably into fiction. It was capably written and structured, but the prose was seriously wooden. There was also a lot of information in the novel that I think could have been cut for a more streamlined and efficient read, and interestingly, one of the main tension points (when Katharine is in danger of being arrested) was seriously underused and glossed over quickly.

Essentially, it was ok. I definitely won't be searching out any more of Alison Weir's works of fiction.