Henry VIII: The Heart and the Crown by Alison Weir - #bookreview @AlisonWeir

 

1503 - He had cried for hours. Mother, his dearest Mother, was dead. It had been the most hateful, dreadful news, broken to him by Mrs Luke, his old nurse. Not, thankfully, by Father, who was too broken by his own grief. Harry could not have coped with witnessing the King's distress. He had enough to bear. He had wept and wept on Mrs Luke's broad bosom, and now, aware that great boys of eleven were not supposed to give way to wamanish tears, he struggled to compose himself and went to find his sisters, who were sitting desolately on the rug before the fire in Mother's bedchamber. He stared in horror at the bed, which had already been hung and draped with the black velvet of mourning. Mother would never sleep here again; he would never more hear her sweet voice, feel her gentle arms around him, her golden boy...

***

Six wives. One King. You know their stories. Now it's time to hear his.

A second son, not born to rule, becomes a man, and a king...

In grand royal palaces, Prince Harry grows up dreaming of knights and chivalry - and the golden age of kings that awaits his older brother. But Arthur's untimely death sees Harry crowned King Henry of England.

As his power and influence extends, so commences a lifelong battle between head and heart, love and duty. Henry rules by divine right, yet his prayers for a son go unanswered.

The great future of the Tudor dynasty depends on an heir. And the crown weighs heavy on a king with all but his one true desire.

HENRY VIII. HIS STORY.

***

This book is the second part of The Tudor Rose series. The first, The Last White Rose, follows the life of Henry VIII's mother Elizabeth of York . I have not read that book and it did not hinder my reading and enjoyment of this second one. I am assuming that the first covers the time up to Henry's birth as The Heart and the Crown picks up the story in 1503 when the young Henry would have been about twelve years of age.

Of course, the story of Henry VIII and his six wives is a familiar one but it was interesting to read this which is told from his own perspective. Having read several of the books in the authors Six Tudor Queens series, this is the perfect companion book.

Ms. Weir describes Henry in a way which is compelling and believable. This comes as no great surprise as her books, both fiction and non-fiction, are always expertly researched. She has previously written much about the Tudor period, and as readers we can rest assured that she will present the world with a book which is as historically accurate as is possible within the realms of fiction.

It is a lengthy book at 640 pages and is sedately paced. What I appreciated most about this book is that we see Henry VIII in all his guises. Not just Henry, the tyrant king of popular history, but we also observe Henry, the man, lover, husband, father, king and politician. We see the human side of Henry that can only come alive in this way in a fictional retelling of his story.

It is an ambitious novel which the author has pulled off successfully and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

If you would like to read my reviews from some of the Six Queen series, you can read my review of Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession by clicking here, Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen  by clicking here, my review of Anna of Kleve: Queen of Secrets by clicking here.

ISBN:  978 1472278081

Publisher:  Headline Review

Formats:  e-book, audio and hardback

No. of Pages:  640 (hardback)

Support Independent Bookshops - Purchase from Bookshop.org

About the Author:

Alison Weir is a British writer of history books for the general public, mostly in the form of biographies about British kings and queens, and of historical fiction. Before becoming an author, Weir worked as a teacher of children with special needs. She received her formal training in history at teacher training college. 

She currently lives in Surrey, England, with her two children.

You can find out more about Alison at her website: http://alisonweir.org.uk/index.php

(ARC courtesy of the publisher)

Support Independent Bookshops - Buy from Bookshop.org

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.