Step into a world of untold wealth, rampant excess and endless parties. This could be the tell-all of a modern day rock star but Suzannah Dunn’s absorbing chronicle of Henry VII’s fifth wife Katherine Howard vividly captures all the drama of one woman’s rise to the top of the Tudor Court.
Told through the eyes of her childhood friend and Lady-In-Waiting Cat Tilney, Dunn’s account has the benefit of giving the reader an objective view of Katherine’s prolonged and calculated seduction of King Henry, while also allowing us the insight of a close confidant into the fears and insecurities that drive her wilful behaviour.
Cat’s first meets Katherine at the tender age of twelve when they both reside at the house of the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, a callous and dispassionate woman whom is charged with the enhancement of their future marriage prospects .
The future queen soon sets herself apart from the other girl’s in the Duchess’ care with the artful styling of her modest gowns and early awareness of men and sexuality. It is also where she begins the promiscuous lifestyle which will be her undoing. A juvenile affair with friend Francis Derham and alleged romance with her music teacher encourage a penchant for excitement that will colour her life as a monarch.
Katherine must walk the perilous line between flirtation and treason that her first cousin Anne Boleyn failed to: keeping the amorous attentions of an ageing king while remaining a loyal and dutiful wife.
In a twist of fate Cat is impelled to choose between Francis Derham (her now lover) and her loyalty to the rebellious Katherine when powerful enemies conspire to put them both in the tower.
For those who loved Phillipa Gregory’s book and subsequent film “The Other Boleyn Girl” this tale is a must.
No comments:
Post a Comment