[M6C]⋙ Libro Free The Wives of Henry VIII Antonia Fraser 9780140132939 Books

The Wives of Henry VIII Antonia Fraser 9780140132939 Books

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The Wives of Henry VIII Antonia Fraser 9780140132939 Books

For me, it’s Fraser. When I read these two books side by side, Fraser’s came across as more objective compared to Weir’s more opinionated text. Weir tended to use verbs and descriptors with strong emotional or evaluative connotations, such as “violently raged,” “furious,” and “cunningly misrepresented,” which make for great reading in a novel, but color historical accounts with the author’s own interpretations. If Weir were a professional historian with the training to critically evaluate her sources, I would welcome her conclusions, but she is not, and according to one history professor specializing in the Tudor period, this “gets her into trouble.” He left her book off his recommended reading list, but included Fraser’s with the comment that it was “authoritative.” This speaks volumes to me. I have to say, too, that Fraser’s suppositions tended to be more convincing than Weir’s.

All this is not to say that Weir’s book isn’t worth reading. On the contrary, she brings each woman to life and includes as many details as she can get her hands on. In terms of reading enjoyment, it was wonderful and I actually enjoyed it more than Fraser’s. But I want a non-fiction book to be accurate, and on that count, I’m not confident about her conclusions, especially when they differ from academic opinion.

Getting back to Antonia Fraser, I do trust her presentation. She provides readers with a thorough study of each wife, portraying them as real, complex people rather than stereotypes or “tarot cards.” There is a certain degree of sympathy for these women that tugs at Fraser’s objectivity. As she herself says, they all had to put up with Henry! She does not judge her subjects, but still sees their flaws, such as Anne Boleyn’s tempestuous and jealous nature and Katherine Howard’s tragic naivete. Along the way, she considers various interpretations of events and discusses their merits and possibilities, making for thought-provoking reading.

In the end, both books are well worth reading. But asked to choose between them, I’d pick Fraser’s.


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The Wives of Henry VIII Antonia Fraser 9780140132939 Books Reviews

I love how Antonia Fraser is able to write biographies that read like a story instead of being dull. The book is a bit outdated but the research and information is still solid.
I'm a big fan of Antonio Fraser. Her Marie Antoinette biography was sensational. "Wives" is good, but can be really tough going most of the way through because of the incredibly complex genealogy of the English nobility of that age -- and she leaves hardly a single ancestor, cousin, brother-in-law or grandfather out.
Lady Antonia does it every time. She delved into the history of these six women in a way that made this European history nerd very happy.
An extremely readable biography of the women who married Henry. My only complaints are that the family tree showing the Plantagenet descent of Henry and his queens is error-ridden; that in the time since the book was published, the identities of a few of the portraits included have been reconsidered; and perhaps her judgement of Bessie Blount and Katherine Howard is a bit cold--tho not without pity. Well worth reading, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone who is a Tudor beginner.
I've read numerous books on Tudor history and this is one of the best. The subject is difficult to follow at times, due to the nature of the family relationships, which can be hideously complicated by virtue of the inbreeding involved in 16th century European royal families. It is interesting to note that every one of Henry VIII's wives were related to him and to each other through ancestry dating back to Edward I.

I've recently read several books from this period written by Alison Weir. While I found many of these to be revisionist and quite dry in their style, I thought Antonia Fraser did a superior job in detailing the history of the era in a style more friendly to the reader.

Most readers are familiar with the history of Henry's first two wives (Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn). Far more obscure are the backgrounds and life histories of the next four Queen consorts. As Fraser points out, each of the wives have been neatly pigeonholed, however the truth and the entire story is never as simple as the legend. Most interesting to me was the story of Anna of Cleves, Henry's fourth wife and the only one married for political advantage.

Divorced (Catherine of Aragon), beheaded (Anne Boleyn), died (Jane Seymore), divorced (Anna of Cleves), beheaded (Catherine Howard), survived (Catherine Parr) is the old school child rhyme utilized to keep the various queens straight. The story of each is fascinating in themselves and even more so when read through the prism of 16th century English politics and royal intrigue.
I watched “The Tudors” and wanted to find a non-fiction account to ascertain how much was accurate vs Hollywood. In reading reviews of several Tudor Wives books, this one, rated highly, appeared to be the answer to my questions. This history by Antonia Fraser did an excellent job of telling the women’s stories from their point of view, not just as interchangeable female pawns in Henry VIII’s chess game of life. All the other relevant figures are described well and brought to life. She presents Henry and his successive wives as real, colorful people. She dismisses the old myths and misassumptions and paints each woman as her own individual.
I was very impressed with the completeness of her research and the desire to humanize each of the wives.
For me, it’s Fraser. When I read these two books side by side, Fraser’s came across as more objective compared to Weir’s more opinionated text. Weir tended to use verbs and descriptors with strong emotional or evaluative connotations, such as “violently raged,” “furious,” and “cunningly misrepresented,” which make for great reading in a novel, but color historical accounts with the author’s own interpretations. If Weir were a professional historian with the training to critically evaluate her sources, I would welcome her conclusions, but she is not, and according to one history professor specializing in the Tudor period, this “gets her into trouble.” He left her book off his recommended reading list, but included Fraser’s with the comment that it was “authoritative.” This speaks volumes to me. I have to say, too, that Fraser’s suppositions tended to be more convincing than Weir’s.

All this is not to say that Weir’s book isn’t worth reading. On the contrary, she brings each woman to life and includes as many details as she can get her hands on. In terms of reading enjoyment, it was wonderful and I actually enjoyed it more than Fraser’s. But I want a non-fiction book to be accurate, and on that count, I’m not confident about her conclusions, especially when they differ from academic opinion.

Getting back to Antonia Fraser, I do trust her presentation. She provides readers with a thorough study of each wife, portraying them as real, complex people rather than stereotypes or “tarot cards.” There is a certain degree of sympathy for these women that tugs at Fraser’s objectivity. As she herself says, they all had to put up with Henry! She does not judge her subjects, but still sees their flaws, such as Anne Boleyn’s tempestuous and jealous nature and Katherine Howard’s tragic naivete. Along the way, she considers various interpretations of events and discusses their merits and possibilities, making for thought-provoking reading.

In the end, both books are well worth reading. But asked to choose between them, I’d pick Fraser’s.