Author: Laura Adkins
Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography
Publisher: Pen and Sword History
Book Release Date: 2024
Pages: 185
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Kateryn Parr is mainly remembered today as being the sixth wife of King Henry VIII, the one who 'survived'. Kateryn was not only a wife but a queen, mother, reformer, and author. Kateryn would face a number of events in her lifetime including being held to ransom during the Pilgrimage of Grace, being placed as regent while Henry was in France, a role which only one of his five previous wives held, her namesake Katherine of Aragon, and overcame a plot which would have led to her arrest and execution. While Queen she was able to unite the Tudor family and establish some form of happiness for Henry VIII's three children. Raised by her mother Maud Parr, under a humanist education, Kateryn was intelligent enough to understand her role in life and was not afraid to do her research. Although raised a Catholic, Kateryn became a reformer and went on to write a number of religious texts, being the first female in England to ever have a book published under her own name. She was loyal not only to her family but her servants and the women of her court. She loved her stepchildren and provided them with a mother's love and a role model which her stepdaughters could learn from. Her views on what was expected of her placed her into an open conflict with her brother-in-law Edward Seymour and his wife Anne. This book explores the various roles she had in her lifetime and the passion and duty she put into them, even if it meant putting others first. It will explore her love for Thomas Seymour and how it blindsided her and led to a sad end of her life, and the book will finally look at her legacy - the influence she had on Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth I.
My Review: Queen Katherine Parr is most famous for being the last wife of King Henry VIII. She is best known to be the wife who survived him. In this biography of Queen Katherine Parr, it shows Katherine as a wife, stepmother, queen, and author. She is also known for having the greatest influence on Queen Elizabeth I.
This biography paints Queen Katherine Parr as a woman who loves her family. She was known to have grown up in a happy and close-knit family. When King Henry VIII married her, Queen Katherine Parr also tried to instill a close-knit and happy family within the Tudor household . She was the only mother figure both King Edward and Queen Elizabeth ever knew. Queen Katherine Parr was also interested in writing and composed three works. She also patronized playwrights. Queen Katherine Parr was also influenced by the reformed religion. Therefore, Katherine Parr was a very intellectual queen. The only time she acted beyond reason was when she married for love.
Overall, this was a very short and comprehensive biography of Queen Katherine Parr. Because it is short, it did not get in-depth into Queen Katherine Parr’s life. I also did not like how this book was not in chronological format. This made the biography to be very repetitive at times. Nevertheless, it was a very easy read, and it proves that Queen Katherine Parr was a very fascinating historical figure! Kateryn Parr is a perfect book for those who do not know anything about Queen Katherine Parr. For those that know a lot about Queen Katherine Parr, this may not be the book for you, and I encourage you to look elsewhere. Still, I recommend this book for fans of Carol-Ann Johnston, Roland Hui, and Anthony K. Martienssen!
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
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