Tab Article

Ratings: ★★★★☆(4.3/5)
Genre: Historical Fiction, Tudor History

Book Review:
Philippa Gregory reimagines the life of Katherine of Aragon in ''The Constant Princess,'' offering a fresh and sympathetic portrait of Henry VIII's first wife. The novel begins with Katherine as a young girl in Spain, the daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Betrothed to Prince Arthur of England at the age of three, she is raised with the knowledge that she will be Queen of England. When she arrives in the cold, wet country, she faces humiliation and a husband who seems little more than a boy.

Gregory's strength is her ability to bring historical figures to life, and Katherine is no exception. She is portrayed as a woman of immense strength, pride, and conviction. The novel's most compelling section is the tender and passionate love story that develops between Katherine and the studious Arthur—a relationship history has largely overlooked. After Arthur's death, Katherine's determination to marry his younger brother, Henry, and fulfill her destiny as queen drives the narrative. ''The Constant Princess'' is a captivating and thought-provoking re-examination of a woman often relegated to the sidelines of history.