Falling Pomegranate Seeds: All Manner of Things.

i really enjoyed reading this book, I really enjoy the Tudor era and that was one of the reasons I requested this book. I'm glad I did as it was an enjoyable read.

#FallingPomegranateSeedsAllMannerofThings #NetGalley My third read from this author and perhaps I will read the prequel also. The Light in the Labyrinth was my favorite, this one was more complicated and a bit sadder. I do so enjoy Tudor books and I am sure I needed to know more of Catalina's origins and her history before the Tudors.

I found Marina Salinas' own story more interesting, perhaps because I was not as aware of the details.

"Friendship, betrayal, hatred, forgiveness – All Manner of Things tells a story of how love wins out in the end" from the publisher.

I was aware of Maria de Salinas before reading this but had little knowledge of her own story. 

Dunn has written such a beautiful story of the love and friendship between Katherine of Aragon and her lady in waiting Maria de Salinas, from the viewpoint of Maria as she recalls her life in a letter to her daughter as she nears death. Through Maria the reader experiences Katherine's story as well as Maria's. Both lived exceptional lives and their bond of friendship is beautiful to read about. 

Maria left Spain with Katherine and remained with her most of her life. This book really brings Katherine's story to life, from leaving her family, marrying Arthur, many heartbreaking miscarriages and her marriage to Henry. Maria is by her side through it all whilst also facing her own disappointments and heartbreaks and battling her dislike for Henry. 

It's a tale of two sides, there are some extremely happy moments and some really sad, I almost had tears in my eyes towards the end. 

If you have a love of the Tudor court then this is definitely one you should read, the gowns, jewels and court are all described so vividly. 

I thoroughly enjoyed how the narrative switched between the letter to the time of the memory, it was a great way of transporting the reader back in time. 

I think this book will actually stay with me for a while but I was pleased to note this is actually the second in the series so will be reading the first shortly!

Dunn takes us through most of Catalina of Aragon's life in England through the eyes of her devoted lady-in-waiting, María de Salinas. Maria makes for a great observer - she shows the reader events in England with a realistic amount of access to both the court and the wider world; she hears reports from Europe, and she is right there in the room when a lot of major players walk through. 

We see Margaret Beaufort and Elizabeth of York and Henry VII and, of course, Henry VIII. Maria has doubts form the very beginning about Prince Henry, and Dunn suggests that Henry was foul right from the start, rather than any long progression of corruption.  

The time between Catalina's two marriages is handled well, considering some writers will just say "and 7 years passed", to hurry up to "the good stuff" but Dunn does a good job showing the politics and in-fighting Catalina's little court went through inside the larger Tudor court.  Dunn perhaps goes a little overboard on details and events here, but it is about showing how time dragged at this point.

Interestingly, Maria is an honest enough observer to see that Catalina is hurting herself by being too stubborn in her decisions, and too blind to how the men around her hurt her. 

Dunn shows how much people's hands are tied by those in power, and does a good job showing us the early Tudor court and all the people running around it.

Wendy J Dunn never fails to please. Catalina and Maria have been friends since childhood and when Catalina had to leave her homeland to marry the Tudor heir, Maria although desperately missing her family, followed her friend to support and be with her in this alien land.  This is an example of true friendship.

Ms Dunn's research and insight into Tudor life is incredible. She is a genius.

Thankyou for this Arc.
   
Best wishes.

Wendy J. Dunn is a brilliant author of historical fiction, dealing with Tudor times and, I have to say her knowledge of the period and the ins and outs of Henry VIII and his marriages, is encyclopedic.  In her latest novel,  Falling Pomegranate Seeds: All Manner of Things, it is 1539 and Maria de Salinas is dying. Too ill to travel, she writes to her daughter, Katherine,  Duchess of Suffolk telling of her life which has been intertwined with her friend and cousin,  Catalina of Aragon (Henry's first wife, Queen Katherine of Aragon).

This is a brilliant novel, it makes the historic figures involved, human. As I said the author's knowledge of the period is encyclopedic but this doesn't mean that the book is a dry history book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. This is book two in her series about Katherine of Aragon, it is preceded by Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters and you would be doing yourself a huge favour to read both books. However, if that is not possible for some reason,  you can read book two without having read the first one without losing enjoyment.

I was given this ARC by NetGalley and BooksGoSocial in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. 

This is a touching book about Katherine of Aragon, friendship and loyalty. Maria de Salinas is the storyteller in this final book of the Falling Pomegranate series and where it may have helped to read the first book I did not. I was able to follow along with the characters and the writing. Part of this may have been because of my interest in life in this time and the wives of Henry VIII. 

Maria's cousin, Catalina, was sent to England to make a good marriage to the future king. Both girls are exiled from their homeland and now face many trials. The court in Tudor times was filled with danger and women were meant to listen and obey the men here. The two women are able to support each other through the hardships and fear.

Wendy Dunn writes about the Tudor times with such depth it is easy to see how this time is important to her, also. Her writing is beautiful, and her characters are rich. I loved this book and I highly recommend it.

All Manner of Things by Wendy J. Dunn is the second book in the Falling Pomegranate Seeds series, although it works perfectly well as a standalone. In fact, if you didn’t know it was part of a series, nothing in the pages would tell you. You do not feel as if you are missing part of the story, or need to read the first book in the series, The Duty of Daughters, to grasp what is going on. Which makes it eminently readable for everyone.

And what a fabulous book it is!

All Manner of Things follows the story of Infanta Catalina (Katherine of Aragon) from her journey to the English court to marry Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, to the Field of the Cloth of Gold of 1520, when Henry VIII met Francis I in a spectacular display of pageantry and might. The event also marked the introduction of Anne Boleyn to English affairs; Anne was still in the service of Queen Claude of France but returned to England soon afterwards.

The story tells of the pitifully short marriage of Catalina and Arthur, the lonely years following Arthur’s death, when Catalina was a hostage, in all but name, of the English king, Henry VII, and the early years of her marriage to King Henry VIII. Historically, it documents how the relationship between Henry and Catalina changed over time, how a promising marriage and love was soured by Henry’s frequent infidelities, Catalina’s miscarriages and the many lost infants that turned a loving relationship sour.

All Manner of Things by Wendy J. Dunn is told through the eyes of Maria de Salinas, Catalina’s closest friend and companion, though no fan of Henry VIII, which puts an interesting slant on the story and shows Henry in two lights: how he is adored by his wife, and how his wife’s friend sees him. It is an interesting dichotomy that works wonderfully in the novel and demonstrates the author’s deep understanding of the Tudor court and the personalities involved.

The overriding theme of this book is friendship and love; the sisterly love and friendship between Catalina (Katherine of Aragon) and her childhood friend and almost-constant companion, Maria de Salinas.

Having researched Maria’s story myself, Maria’s life at court, marriage and constant support for her friend and queen, it is obvious that Wendy J. Dunn has done her homework. In All Manner of Things, Wendy J. Dunn captures wonderfully not only the friendship between Catalina (Katherine of Aragon’s name in her native Castilian) and Maria, but also the complications that arise from life at the Tudor court, and a friendship with a queen.

Wendy J. Dunn expertly recreates the Tudor court, the glamour of the royal family and the drama associated with all aspects of their lives – and of the lives of those who serve them. The reader is drawn into the relationships, the intrigues and the underlying falsehoods that accompany any court, expertly contrasting the ‘show’ with the friendships and relationships behind the scenes, of the queen with her ladies. The glamour of court life itself reveals the contradictions, and the changing relationships as the characters grow and are affected by the challenges they face and the secrets they have to keep.

Wendy J. Dunn wonderfully combines the history and fiction to create a gripping drama, where you will find it hard to know where fact ends and fiction begins. The storytelling is first class!

Wendy J. Dunn, this book is the second of a two book series as Falling Pomergranate Seeds,Duty of Daughters is the first book,it's about Queen Isabel and King Ferinand of Spain and their daughter Catalina,the relationship between mother and daughter and preparing her for the role of Queen of England when she is to marry into the Tudor family. This book here is about her life in England and her faithful lady in waiting and friend,their relationship as Maria de Salinas recounts her life in England as she pays dying writing to her daughter explaining to her the decisions she made to stay. Follow a relationship of love, betrayal, hatred and then forgiveness of these two women's lives. See what it's like from a different perspective of what royal life was like with the Tudors and the secrets that were kept and life with her friend and Queen while she was married to Henry the VIII. Found this story different because I never read and known the life of others through the eyes of Maria who was just a lady in waiting. Grab tissues,you will need them as you live and learn the license and friendship of these two women. You can see that very much search went into this historical fictional story.Very emotional story and I dare say that  Wendy Dunn out did herself in this series and it's a very much read but if you don't read the first book,that's ok cause it catches you up for when these two were young and living in Spain before their trip and travels to England.Received from Net Gallery and if your into these kind of history and books you really don't want to miss this story!