Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII

Rating:
Summary: Isn't this book about the wives?
Review: As a lover of Tudor history (especially of the six wives) I found this book both poorly written and dull!
Maybe some people are interested in Tudor politics, but the book jacket reads that the book is about the SIX WIVES OF HENRY! All this books talks about is politics! I understand that many people effected the queens' lives (like Crownwell and Wosley)but the book seems more about them then the queens themselves.


Rating:
Summary: Interesting reading, even if the book isn't well written.
Review: David Starkey's 'Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII' is obviously a highly researched piece of work. I've read many Tudor biographies, and this is by far the most extensive I have ever laid eyes on. But unfortunately I have more bad than good to say about it.

What good I can say is trivial. It's a large, long book that takes some concentration and thought to get through. Starkey knew his material well before getting down to business, although I don't believe he wrote about everything he could have. In the space of 765 pages (not counting the index and notes, which took an additional 80+ pages) there is so much information on the politics of Henry VIII's marriages, one cannot help but feel some awe. But that is where the interest ends for me as a reader. Unlike with the Tudor biographies of Alison Weir and Antonia Fraser, I wasn't drawn into the story in the least. And this is where the bad begins.

Where should I start? First of all, the book is completely unbalanced. Well over 300 pages are devoted to the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn, while barely 40 explain the relationship with Anne of Cleves. The same can be said for the story of Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr. Perhaps there really is much, much more to the relationship between Boleyn and Henry Tudor, but I still believe that a balance could have been found and more depth explored with Henry's other wives.

Many reviewers have lashed out against Starkey's language and grammar. While I'm no English expert, I must agree that it's difficult to "get into" the story and stay focused on Starkey's writings. And yes, he does tend to ask too many questions and doesn't hesitate to express his opinion, and stick with it, over historical facts.

And last for this review, but certainly not least and not the truly last of my personal complaints against the book, is Starkey's blatant disregard for other historians and authors. In his introduction, he denounces the books of Fraser and Weir (with author names), which totally lacks class and respect and in my opinion. And that's far from the only time he does such a thing. I remember at one point in the book, just after the birth of Elizabeth (daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn), Starkey denounced, with a bit of cool arrogance, the "unsubstantiated" claim that Anne wanted to breast-feed Elizabeth but Henry wouldn't allow it. I won't deny that I have read about this before and that I really don't know if it's true or not, as I am not a hard-core historian. But I am curious as to why Starkey believes, as he seems to in many sections of his book, that his is the one and only true version of events. How does he know that? And just because there is no hard evidence for certain events, how does Starkey know that they did or didn't happen?

PBS created a mini-series based on Starkey's book (Starkey himself narrated) which turned out to be worse than the book. It's a sorry thing that a book so long and informative should turn out so uninteresting, but it did.

Rating:
Summary: Well researched, superbly written and enthralling!
Review: David Starkey's book is a wonderful overview of the incredible lives of Henry VIII's queens. The amount of research he did, all strictly noted in the end notes, is astounding. However, this is no dry history book. Starkey has the ability to bring the history alive with his well-written book. He does speculate on various events from time to time, but always clearly notes what is speculation on his part and gives the historical back-up for his beliefs.

I am an English history buff, but have very little time to read. I thought I would buy this admittedly long book (765 pages of text) and read it from time to time. However, I finished it in 10 days. It reads like a novel and I was unable to put it down! This would be an excellent purchase for anyone who is interested in this time period and these facinating women.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful biography of all six queens! Reads like a novel!
Review: Everyone knows Henry VIII had six wives, but even most English history courses mention very little about the character of these six women. David Starkey's book gives a wonderful biographical analysis of each wife and especially covers the influence each wife had on the religious situation in the country during her period of favor. The reseach is incredibly well-documented, with scores of quotations from sources from that period of history. When the author speculates, he clearly says so and tells why he speculates the way he does. Best of all, it reads like a novel. I found myself staying up late just to find out what happened next. For anyone interested in this period in history, it would be an excellent read.

Rating:
Summary: Unreadable
Review: My children bought this book for me -- I'm a big reader of English history -- and, despite some reservations (based upon Starkey's sloppy bio of Elizabeth) I did give it a shot. But, it's simply unreadable.

First, the writing is just awful. Execrable. Like a really bad pulp novel. Most sections (not just chapters, but sections in a chapter) end with some inane rhetorical question or similar lame attempt to build mystery. Here are some random samples:

"But, within a few days, the minister was singing a very different tune."

"There was a cloud over Catherine's marriage. But it was no bigger than a man's hand."

"And soon she would have vengeance in kind."

Da da da DUMMMM.

Second, there's supposition and speculation about motives and actions, based seemingly upon how Starkey thinks normal women feel and think and act, as if the actions of these very forceful and determined people weren't enough to speak for themselves. There is absolutely NO context -- as if a 16th century queen, or would-be queen, trying to save her life and sovereignty, would act the way a 21st century suburban person would act.

Third, he simply guesses at things!! And admits it! And then he uses his guesses to weave a fantasy of something that may have happened to explain something that did happen. A quick look at p. 419 -- not atypical -- will illustrate this tactic. Starkey sums it up himself by saying "It seems as likely as not." Really? Why?

This is a shameful effort by someone who is associated with Cambridge (what were they thinking at that university?) or by anyone who purports to be a serious historian. Even Publishers' Weekly had a hard time finding anything good to say about this book. Save your $$, or go get Allison Weir's or Antonia Frasier's book(s). Better written and much more exciting. Or buy a good novel.

Rating:
Summary: Nice CD
Review: Now that David Starkey is famous, does this mean that neither he nor anyone else has to proof-read his work? All of the "history" in this book could easily be learned in a children's picture book on the subject, and the writing was just abominable. Mixed metaphors, poor grammar, wrong verb tenses, and not a complex sentence to be seen.

The research was poor and seems like it was done entierly by reading Antonia Frasier books and taking a class in psychology. He openly admits to making things up and is constantly putting words in his subjects' mouths: "That day in the spring of 1489 at Medina del Campo-- was it, perhaps, Catherine's earliest memory?" Who cares? Does it matter? Why make up an "earliest memory" for a character that you are purporting to write a biography of?

I am shocked at the number of positive reviews that this book has recieved. Who is writing them, anyway? I know that ballot-stuffing is a problem on Amazon, but how can anyone get though an 800 page book that reads like a second grade primer? Every third sentence begins with "And," "But," or "Actually," he makes up or mis-uses words on every page, the punctuation is abysmal, and the number of three word sentences is truly apalling. This is an actual example of his writing, not taken out of context:

"In the middle of the celebrations, howerver, came terrible news. The Infante Juan was seriously ill. Ferdinand rode furiously back to Valladolid. But Juan died."

If you are interested in this subject at all, go straight to the source and check out the Frasier book on the subject. For a slightly easier read, without dumbed-down content, try the Alison Weir. But do not, under any circumstances, buy this book for someone unless you want to purposely insult their intelligence. It is completely unreadable and offers EXTREMELY dubious history.

Rating:
Summary: Unreadable
Review: Starkey offers a multi-layered view of the reign of Henry VIII, with much attention to the religious and political aspects of the monarch's struggle, first to wed his brother's widow, then to divorce her when she fails to produce a male heir. While there is great drama in the parade of women Henry marries in his quest for a son, even more fascinating is Starkey's attention to the extremely complex negotiations of statehood.

His choice of women illustrates Henry's attempts to satisfy his romantic nature, unusual in royal marriage contracts in the 16th Century, where political considerations govern the rules of attraction. On the one hand, Henry is driven by the desires of his heart, but also intellectually involved with the political ramifications of his decisions.

Henry's willful pursuit of Anne Boleyn sets the stage for years of negotiations with various representatives of the Pope, balancing the other nations seeking to affect the outcome of the Pope's decision. Ultimately, Henry breaks with the Church, one of the most significant events in English history. In this great battle of wills, while Henry is willing to engage in the elaborate manners of protocol, he is unwilling to accede to the demands of the Church. Henry will have his way.

It is hard to imagine the toll these difficult years would have on the major players, particularly Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Once Henry cuts himself free of Rome, all the other queens represent his constant quest for a male heir, as well as attaining personal happiness. Whatever small happiness he does achieve with each new queen is successively more short-lived, as he moves inexorably toward old age.

The detail is staggering and one can only imagine the unremitting dedication necessary for Henry to reach his ultimate goal. An essential element of the Great Divorce lies in the position of the Church; Henry is caught between two women in a world dictated by religious dogma.

Starkey has compiled a remarkable amount of information in this weighty tome, rebuilding the machinations behind the marriage to Catherine of Aragon, which pales in comparison to the energy invested in the Great Divorce. Although Boleyn is one of the architects of the establishment of Protestantism as the state religion, the other queens embody various religious or moral attitudes, especially the radical Ann of Cleves. All in all, this is a fascinating portrait of one of the best known English kings, his desire for happiness and his determination to control his own destiny and that of England. Luan Gaines/2004.

Rating:
Summary: HORRIBLE!!! Don't bother reading this steaming piece of...
Review: Starkey's writing is terrible! First off, he thinks his view is the one, true, right one and all other Tudor biographers got it wrong! He has an annoying habit of making ridiculous assuptions about the personalities of the queens. He puts them into misogynistic,cartoonish categories--he dismisses Jane Seymour as a boring, mousey doormat, then speculates whether that was all really a *calculated act* on her part! I guess that's the only way she could be interesting to him as he seems to relish the conniving/bitchy/vamp portraits he paints of Ann Boleyn and Catherine Howard. Starkey supposes that 16th c. queens reacted to certain situations in a flippant manner as would modern teenagers, or teens on the "O.C." This is so ridiculous. These were patriarchal times and these queens were literally fighting for their lives. I can't believe some people loved this steaming pile of poop! This book is a waste of time and money! It isn't fit to line my bird's cage!

Rating:
Summary: Immensely readable book
Review: This wonderful easy read gives a good long sketch of each of Henry's wives, with increasingly less detail as time goes on. As with most book on Poor Henry VIII, the women get center stage, ignoring, but not totally, the extraordinary events of the Tudor ruler. Nevertheless this book is sure to be, along with Wier's and Frasers, the staple on the six wives. Catherine of Aragon and he divorce deservedly devour half the book, but important details are given on Parr and Anne of Cleves. This book is not for the expert or the tried English Historian, rather it is a good weekend read of popular history.

Although roundly accused of not writing a `history', only the most snobbish and elitist have been able to condemn this eminently readable account. Those keen on finding grammatical errors may do well to stay away since this book is not of the scholarly nature, but rater reflects the refined English tastes of relaxed fine literature.

The only real downside is that very little context is given to Henry's ambitions or the ambitions of his many powerful councilors. But alas, it is a wonderful history of the Six Wives that makes this all the less necessary.

Seth Frantzman