The Constant Princess

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Illegal Religion: Oviedo is a crypto-Muslim, because all Muslims and Jews were forced to convert or leave Spain. He, like those who remained, is officially Catholic. Thus, if this were discovered, the Spanish Inquisition would try him as a heretic, carrying the death sentence if Oviedo didn't repent. The absolute worst is the repetition coupled with the classic violation of "show, don't tell". Catalina repeats herself more times than I could count. She goes on and on about how she is the true Queen of England, the Infanta of Spain, born to be Queen, and on and on. Everyone refers to her as being "constant", in a heavy-handed way of referencing the title. Conversations that shouldn't last more than a couple of sentences are drawn out to several minutes of listening time (such as: Arthur and Catalina discussing plants, Arthur and Catalina whining about how hard their lives are, Catalina moaning about meeting a woman whose brother was put to death by Catalina's family). The absolute worst was the description of Allahmbra, which had to have gone on for 10+ minutes. I know that Gregory was trying to give her audience of how opulent it was, but having Catalina talk to the audience about how opulent it is is BORING and repetitive. Instead, have your characters DO something that shows the opulence.

On two occasions Katherine consults in secret with Yusuf, a Moorish physician. What does she come to realize about Yusuf during their clandestine meetings? How about the Moors in general and her mother's treatment of them in Spain? How does this realization impact her later decision not to lay waste to Scottish lands after she defeats them in battle? Catherine is depicted as being an intelligent, strong-willed and determined woman. She is politically astute and very observant, and skilled at playing the game of court-life. She is a very religious woman and believes in piety and modesty. She uses her Catholic faith as a source of strength during difficult times. She is usually able to remain calm and dignified even during the most trying of times. She is unwavering in her opinions, stubborn to a fault and never surrenders. Catherine is also shown to be very compassionate, as she cares for the common people and works tirelessly to help the poor. She does, however, have a sense of entitlement and being 'above' other people due to her royal status and upbringing, though this was considered quite normal for the upper classes of the 16th century. Culture Clash: The Spanish retinue insist on following their customs, for instance with Catherine taking a siesta in the afternoon, to the annoyance of the English. Nice Girl: There are several. Maggie Pole, Alice More, Anne Boleyn, Bessie Blount, Lina to name a few.

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Lina almost always speaks to Rosa and Oviedo in English, even when they are talking about matters that they might not want an English eavesdropper to find out. I shall keep my promise. I shall be constant to my husband and to my destiny. And I shall plan and plot and consider how I shall conquer this misfortune and be what I was born to be. How I shall be the pretender who becomes queen." She is such a compelling figure, bound to and believing in the destiny arranged for her by others. Remember, she is the daughter of two famous warriors: Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. Make no mistake, Catalina, this Katherine of Aragon is no pawn; she will remain steadfast to her own hopes and beliefs for her entire life. I now fully understand why she was so loved by the English people and I admit I am in awe of her myself. 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.

The author does well in exploring the young Katalina's emotions and the power play in the English court. Daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, Katherine has been fated her whole life to marry Prince Arthur of England. When they meet and are married, the match becomes as passionate as it is politically expedient. The young lovers revel in each other’s company and plan the England they will make together. But tragically, aged only fifteen, Arthur falls ill and extracts from his sixteen-year-old bride a deathbed promise to marry his brother, Henry; become Queen; and fulfill their dreams and her destiny.Double In-Law Marriage: Queen Joanna's son Charles is betrothed to Princess Mary of England, and her daughter Eleanor is betrothed to Prince Henry. Meanwhile, Catherine is angling to marry her own former brother-in-law, Prince Henry. beautiful palace of the Alhambra, to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. With victory over the last of the expelled Moors, Katherine of Aragon (also known as Catalina) has known her destiny since childhood: to wed Prince Arthur of England. The daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, 16-year-old Katherine leaves behind her beloved home to forge a new life in a foreign land and take her place as Princess of Wales and, ultimately, Queen of England. From #1 New York Times bestselling author and “queen of royal fiction” ( USA TODAY) Philippa Gregory comes the remarkable story of Katherine of Aragon, Princess of Spain, daughter of two great monarchs, and eventual Queen of England when she marries the infamous King Henry VIII.

Catalina's first pregnancy isolates her for months until she comes to accept that the fetus was miscarried. Upon her return to court, she eventually realizes that the news of a scandal between two courtiers was actually a cover-up for Harry taking a new mistress during Catalina's lying-in. Harry's mistress, a verified virgin, leads Harry to question Catalina's virginity as she acted differently on their marriage bed, but Catalina lies and they reconcile. Their second child, Henry, is made Duke of Cornwall, but his death two months later strains their marriage. Catalina begins to see Harry as childish and demanding, and manipulates him to make her Spanish Ambassador and unites him with her father to invade France together. During his absence, the Scots declare war on England and Catalina successfully leads the English army to victory when the Scots attempt to invade England. She sends Harry a cryptic message hinting at another pregnancy. You have to have faith that you are doing God's will. Sometimes you will not understand. Sometimes you will doubt. But if you are doing God's will, you can't be wrong, you can't go wrong.” Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: The relationship between the Catholics and Protestant characters is potrayed this way. It's not as intense as the Tudors and Wolf Hall.Renaissance Man: There are several. King Henry VIII, Thomas More, Meg More and Anne Boleyn among others. One of the most beautiful women ever to grace the silver screen, Hedy Lamarr also designed a secret weapon against Nazi Germany.

NOTE: I'm no historian, so if you want to see how historically accurate this book is, you might want to seek another review. Philippa is a member of the Society of Authors and in 2016, was presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Historical Fiction Award by the Historical Writers’ Association. In 2018, she was awarded an Honorary Platinum Award by Nielsen for achieving significant lifetime sales across her entire book output. What I disliked about the book was the political statement by the author who uses the novel to try to praise what she refers to as "the rich beautiful and tolerant culture of the Muslims of Spain." And so to my second point: vocabulary. Apparently the average person has a vocabulary of approximately 30,000 words. Journalists can claim between 50 and 70,000, and Shakespeare’s limit supposedly ran up to six figures (although admittedly he made most of them up himself). Gregory would have trouble bypassing 1,000. The monotony of her descriptions astounded me, especially with such passionate claims on the cover that she is able to “bring the sights, sounds and smells of 16th century England to life”. I wonder whether the critic and I were reading the same book – or if her publisher cannily chopped off the start of the sentence, which began “certainly does not”. She frequently uses the same adjective in one sentence, which is beyond lazy, and into the realm of questionable literary sanity. Shift+F7 will conjure up a list of basic Microsoft Word alternatives for the most inactive of authors, and one would hope that a writer as prolific as Gregory might have a real-life thesaurus to hand. Apparently, however, she does not. Repetition and inane lexicon aside, her descriptions are vapid and uninspiring, as is the fictional love story upon which the entire novel is based. True obedience can only happen when you secretly think you know better, and you choose to bow your head. Anything short of that is just agreement, and any ninny-in-waiting can agree.”

Reader Reviews

Altar Diplomacy: Isabella marries her daughter Joanna to the Holy Roman Emperor's son, and her daughter Catherine to the heir to England. Princess Margaret is married to the King of Scotland, and Princess Mary is married to the old French King by her brother Henry VIII for the same reason. Adipose Rex: Louis XII of France is incredibly fat and Henry is eating himself down the same path as Season 2 goes on.