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Smile UK Store - The Constant Princess
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List Price: £7.99
Our Price: £4.74
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
EAN: 9780007190317
ISBN: 000719031X
Label: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Number Of Pages: 528
Publication Date: 2006-05-02
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Studio: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
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Editorial Reviews:
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Splendid and sumptuous historical novel from this internationally bestselling author, telling of the early life of Katherine of Aragon. We think of her as the barren wife of a notorious king; but behind this legacy lies a fascinating story. Katherine of Aragon is born Catalina, the Spanish Infanta, to parents who are both rulers and warriors. Aged four, she is betrothed to Arthur, Prince of Wales, and is raised to be Queen of England. She is never in doubt that it is her destiny to rule that far-off, wet, cold land. Her faith is tested when her prospective father-in-law greets her arrival in her new country with a great insult; Arthur seems little better than a boy; the food is strange and the customs coarse. Slowly she adapts to the first Tudor court, and life as Arthur's wife grows ever more bearable. But when the studious young man dies, she is left to make her own future: how can she now be queen, and found a dynasty? Only by marrying Arthur's young brother, the sunny but spoilt Henry. His father and grandmother are against it; her powerful parents prove little use. Yet Katherine is her mother's daughter and her fighting spirit is strong.She will do anything to achieve her aim; even if it means telling the greatest lie, and holding to it. Philippa Gregory proves yet again that behind the apparently familiar face of history lies an astonishing story: of women warriors influencing the future of Europe, of revered heroes making deep mistakes, and of an untold love story which changes the fate of a nation.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Not bad but not great
Comment: This is my second of Gregory's books I have read, the first book I read was 'The other Boleyn girl' which is much better, it's much more structured and had more depth. 'The constant princess' is interesting enough to finish but it isn't a book I would recommend to people.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very nice filling just the bread was slightly stale!!!
Comment: At the moment I am going through a Philippa Gregory phase. I simply can't get enough of her Tutor novels. 'The Constant Princess' is my fourth Gregory novel to read but while I enjoyed it I certainly don't think it was as good as her other novels.
The main problem with 'The Constant Princess' is that it lacked the consistency to be found in Gregory's other books. It was a painfully slow-starter. Even leaving aside the tedious first chapter, which describes a battle in Spain (Gregory's first chapter is always a tad contentious but at least we get a look into the way young Katharine was brought up) you easily have to read at least the first 150 pages before this story starts to take off. The first 150 pages are long and dull with far too much description than required and basically no where near enough story and aboveall dialogue. Instead we are forced to endure long accounts of Katharine of Argaon's first marriage to Arthur and how despite a rocky start they came to supposedly passionately love each other. What surprised me is that in her other books Gregory has a fantastic ability to write romance. I don't know what happened to this ability in this book. Instead of breath-taking love scenes and witty one-liners we are instead left with 'Tell me a story' where Catherine tells Arthur tales of her homeland in Spain. Interesting if you have an interest in Spanish culture at that time. Dull if you're after a bodice-ripping read that she usually delivers.
The good news is that this book does pick up it's pace after the first 150 pages (strangely after Arthur's death and the introduction of Henry into the picture) and we can then enjoy the more familiar setting of the Tutor Court but just as Gregory has almost redeemed herself she abruptly finishes the novel almost as if she got tired of writing. What annoyed me was that the birth of Mary was completely ignored in this novel: almost as if Gregory simply assumes we know she has a kid. Furthermore the Queen's later years and the problems she endured by Henry's desire for a divorce are not dealt with at all. Perhaps Gregory felt that her account of the Queen's suffering in 'The Other Boleyan Girl is sufficient to cover that part of Katharine's life.
I should also mention that I liked the way she dealt with Katharine's life most importantly the lie she told. Too many productions take the view point that it wasn't a lie but I found Gregory's representation very credible. Yes it is clear that Gregory is very pro-Katharine. Another author could have used the lie against her and blamed her as being overly-ambitious but Gregory's skill as a writer really makes us love and admire Katharine both as a person and indeed Queen of England. Given that so many productions present Katharine as an old, sour hag of a woman incapable of giving the King a son it is refreshing to read a novel which focuses on the moral dilemma this devoted woman faced and the contribution she made to the history of England: something easily overlooked in movies which prefer to focus on Katharine's failure to provide and heir and being just wife number one.
Other than that I enjoyed reading this novel despite the slow start and hasty finish. Other reviewers have complained about her writing style ie: that of narration and then personal reflection. To be honest I didn't find her style a fault in this book. If anything it helped give a very personal feel to the book although I do agree that at times especially the beginning it was a bit repetitive with all the "It is my duty...it is God's will" etc but I don't find this a reason to fault the book.
To conclude 'The Constant Princess' is an enjoyable read if you can get past the slow start and are prepared for a hasty end. Undoubtedly not as good as her previous works or indeed as romantic I wouldn't recommend reading this book first. Instead I'd recommend starting with 'The Other Boleyan Girl'.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Katherine of Aragon - Queen of endurance and courage!
Comment: I never thought that the neglected Queen of The Other Bolyen Girl is such a woman with histry and story - the most loving and moving stories. The love depicted between her and Arthur is so deep and tearful, that no one could blame her for holding on to her great lie. Katherine is such a legend! I love this book more than The Other Boleyn Girl.
Customer Rating:
Summary: repetitious..................
Comment: like other reviewers i have read most of Philippa Gregory's previous novels and was hoping that this one would be as absorbing as "The Queen's fool" and "The Boleyn inheritance". But I have to agree with the majority verdict that it is boring and repetitious - her constancy and her Spanish ancestry was harped upon throughout the novel.
But I did find Katherine believable so it was really annoying that she finished the book where she did ( I'm not saying where as I don't want to spoil it for others) and then tacked a small piece on the end. The book would have been much better had there been less of Catalina/Katherine's childhood and then she could have covered all of her life. Not one of her best
Customer Rating:
Summary: could have been better
Comment: I have one constant complaint about Philippa Gregory, she does not appear to like Henry VIII at all. It comes over in The Other Boleyn Girl but even more so in The Boleyn Inheritance, and very much so in this book.
Whilst it is a 'what if' book, I found it deviated too much from what is known to hold true and the ending was over dramatic and sensationalised. Not one of the better books, although the author says it is her favourite. Not as readable as the other books, either. Good in that it has promoted Katherine of Aragon, but not good in that, like the other books I mentioned, Henry manages to be second best, sidelined, when he is of course central to the whole story.
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