Patience Princess Catherine-Carolyn Meyer
-
Owl Johnson
- Posts: 11
- Joined: 04 Jun 2014, 21:23
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-owl-johnson.html
Patience Princess Catherine-Carolyn Meyer
Carolyn Meyer finishes writing about the Tudor women in her Young Royals series by writing about Henry the VIII's first wife and the mother of Mary Tudor; Catherine of Aragon.
XXXXXX (Brief Synopsis)
This book covers the life of Catherine of Aragon following her departure from Spain to marry the Prince of Wales, Arthur Tudor. However, things take a tragic turn when Arthur dies mere months after the wedding. Alone in a foreign country with few friends and little money, Catherine has no choice but to wait for Arthur's little brother to grow up so she could marry him and become Queen of England as she's prepared her whole life to be. But there are those who work against her; namely her conniving father-in-law. As the years pass, her allies begin abandoning her and she suffers one setback after another. But Catherine refuses to give up hope. She *will* be Queen, not matter what everyone says...
XXXXX (What I Liked)
Like her daughter in Mary, Bloody Mary; Catherine is a pretty passive character. However, it's made pretty clear that she doesn't have much choice. Her fate is in the hands of her parents and in-laws for a good chunk of the book. That's not to say that all passive characters are bad. It's all in execution and Ms. Meyer writes Catherine beautifully. She's a queenly presence to be sure with a strong loyalty to her family, country and friends, however she is no pushover. She does everything she can to make her first marriage work (such as trying new foods, vowing to learn how to speak English and talking with her husband) and after she's widowed, she fights to make marriage to her brother-in-law a reality. This includes standing up to Elvira (her duenna, basically a chaperon who was sent by Catherine's mother to essentially safeguard Catherine's reputation), the household treasurer as their funds are cut off and even her father-in-law who tries to control every aspect of her life.
Ms. Meyer uses description once again to paint rich portraits of life in not only England but Spain as well. This does more than help the author imagine the locations but gives a look into Catherine's homesickness. It makes her pain that much more poignant. She's not welcome in England but she can never return home as much as she desires to. You can't help but have sympathy for Catherine as she endures so much. I'll be honest, there were times this book was so depressing that I wanted to put it down (again, like in Beware Princess Elizabeth, I knew how it would end). Again, a sign of a good writer to not be afraid to show how much pain the main character endures and the sheer joy experienced when that happy ending finally does arrive. This is an author who takes her audience seriously and I appreciate that.
Another interesting thing that happens in this is that each chapter starts out with a short prologue from Henry's point of view. You see the energetic and playful boy grow into a thoughtful and respectful young man. I can see why Catherine falls head over heels in love with him.
XXXXXXX (What I Didn't Like)
Hopefully I won't be going into spoiler territory here but somebody very close to Catherine ends up betraying her. Now, twists can be fun if they're done right. However, the events have to essentially be planted there so that way it makes sense. The first time I read it, I was just as shocked as Catherine when she learned of the betrayal. Also, I wasn't getting much motivation as to why this character wants to betray her.
XXXXXXX (Overall rating)
While I felt the twist was somewhat poorly handled, I do appreciate Ms. Meyer's style of storytelling, rounded out protagonist and lush historical detail. I would give it Purse (my highest rating).
XXXXXX (Brief Synopsis)
This book covers the life of Catherine of Aragon following her departure from Spain to marry the Prince of Wales, Arthur Tudor. However, things take a tragic turn when Arthur dies mere months after the wedding. Alone in a foreign country with few friends and little money, Catherine has no choice but to wait for Arthur's little brother to grow up so she could marry him and become Queen of England as she's prepared her whole life to be. But there are those who work against her; namely her conniving father-in-law. As the years pass, her allies begin abandoning her and she suffers one setback after another. But Catherine refuses to give up hope. She *will* be Queen, not matter what everyone says...
XXXXX (What I Liked)
Like her daughter in Mary, Bloody Mary; Catherine is a pretty passive character. However, it's made pretty clear that she doesn't have much choice. Her fate is in the hands of her parents and in-laws for a good chunk of the book. That's not to say that all passive characters are bad. It's all in execution and Ms. Meyer writes Catherine beautifully. She's a queenly presence to be sure with a strong loyalty to her family, country and friends, however she is no pushover. She does everything she can to make her first marriage work (such as trying new foods, vowing to learn how to speak English and talking with her husband) and after she's widowed, she fights to make marriage to her brother-in-law a reality. This includes standing up to Elvira (her duenna, basically a chaperon who was sent by Catherine's mother to essentially safeguard Catherine's reputation), the household treasurer as their funds are cut off and even her father-in-law who tries to control every aspect of her life.
Ms. Meyer uses description once again to paint rich portraits of life in not only England but Spain as well. This does more than help the author imagine the locations but gives a look into Catherine's homesickness. It makes her pain that much more poignant. She's not welcome in England but she can never return home as much as she desires to. You can't help but have sympathy for Catherine as she endures so much. I'll be honest, there were times this book was so depressing that I wanted to put it down (again, like in Beware Princess Elizabeth, I knew how it would end). Again, a sign of a good writer to not be afraid to show how much pain the main character endures and the sheer joy experienced when that happy ending finally does arrive. This is an author who takes her audience seriously and I appreciate that.
Another interesting thing that happens in this is that each chapter starts out with a short prologue from Henry's point of view. You see the energetic and playful boy grow into a thoughtful and respectful young man. I can see why Catherine falls head over heels in love with him.
XXXXXXX (What I Didn't Like)
Hopefully I won't be going into spoiler territory here but somebody very close to Catherine ends up betraying her. Now, twists can be fun if they're done right. However, the events have to essentially be planted there so that way it makes sense. The first time I read it, I was just as shocked as Catherine when she learned of the betrayal. Also, I wasn't getting much motivation as to why this character wants to betray her.
XXXXXXX (Overall rating)
While I felt the twist was somewhat poorly handled, I do appreciate Ms. Meyer's style of storytelling, rounded out protagonist and lush historical detail. I would give it Purse (my highest rating).
