The Autobiography of Henry VIII

By: Margaret George

Narrated by: David Case

Length: 41 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

An extraordinary novel that brings into vivid focus the larger-than-life King Henry VIII, monarch of prodigious appetites for wine, women, and song. This is a readable, entertaining, tour de force that captures the essence of the 16th century, in all its drama and atmosphere. A can't-miss for listeners who delight in wonderful historical fiction perfectly rendered.

"It doth brim with lust, violence, cruelty and lively conversation...Margaret George has found a new and fresh way to tell the story." (Detroit Free Press)

©1986 Margaret George (P)1998 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"A remarkable achievement....Magnificently researched and admirably written." (Mary Stewart)

"Her novel is a...banquet feast for most readers...astonishing. There's rousing drama, robust atmosphere, and consistently solid characterization; and finally, Margaret George's triumph is anchored in the urgent rhythm her writing attains." (Forth Worth Star Telegram)

"It doth brim with lust, violence, cruelty, and living conservation....Margaret George has found a new and fresh way to tell the story." (Detroit Free Press)

One of my favorites hands down

I love this book. It is one of those I have listened too more than once. I love that this book doesn't only focus on what a monster he was... but more how he became that way. So many stories regarding Henry focus only from his brides point of view. This speculates from the other side and the author did her research. I actually found myself taking his side on my listen occasionally

absolute pleasure

wouldn't be as special or may I say, even great without the narrator! this was by far the best.

Masterpiece novel. Notable performance.

Brilliant work of history. Richly detailed work, excellent drawing of characters, compelling.
David Case is sublime in his performance, capturing every nuance, really an amazing performance.

INNOVATIVE PRESENTATION OF AN OVER-WORKED STORY

Where does The Autobiography of Henry VIII rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Of the over 1,500 audiobooks that I've listened to in the past 7 years, this book definitely rates among the top 10 percent.

What other book might you compare The Autobiography of Henry VIII to and why?

The only writer who delivers this innovative, interesting, and entertaining kind of historical fiction is Margaret George so I have to compare this another of hers in the same genre, "The Memoirs of Cleopatra". George takes hashed over subject matters and presents them in a different manner that gives the reader an entirely different perspective.

Which scene was your favorite?

The death of King Henry's childhood friend Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. Although it was a very sad time for the King, the author did a masterful job of pulling the listener in to the shattering loss that Henry felt.

If you could rename The Autobiography of Henry VIII, what would you call it?

There is no other name that fits. How often do writers think to present a story written, filmed, and enacted a kazillion times by switching up the perspective into a first-person autobiography? And, on top of that, the sidebar comments by Henry's fool, Will Somers, (and closet confidant) adds another layer to the life of the King. The cool thing about Will's commentary is that he puts Henry often egotistical musings in the proper perspective - like the "audience" robots Tom Servo, Crow, and Gypsy on the cult television show "Mystery Science Theater 3000".

Any additional comments?

I wish Margaret George had provided more "notes" from Will Somers. His comments are amusing, wry, and insightful. The book starts out with Will giving a pretty steady commentary but by Parts 5 and 6, he starts to fall off, leaving the listener with page after page of Henry's senile rambling and hallucinations (the reader is given no medical or psychological explanation as to why Henry suddenly becomes haunted, paranoid and sees visions). One would think that the still mentally competent Will would have continued to provide much needed insight about Henry's last days to Catherine Carey Knollys (Henry's illegitimate daughter by Anne Boleyn's sister, Mary) to whom Will sent Henry's annotated autobiography. However, we hear less and less from him as Henry gets older. Other than that small issue, this is a well-written and well researched account of Henry VIII.

The Autobiography of Henry VIII

I loved this! The narrator was wonderful, the author equally as wonderful and Henry the VIII "human". I recommend all to read or listen.

An interesting first person travel in history

I am a fan of history and historical fiction, but this book is a little bit more that that. The author interweaves what we know about Henry's personality, historical accounts of his behavior and their impacts on Europe within the cultural history of the era. The sociological nuances George uses within this book lend to an understanding of a period of history within the context in which it occurred instead of looking at it from the present. The addition of the character Somers, the court Jester, contributes to the story by providing different perspective of Henry as viewed by someone in his court and community within the same historical context. I wish all history books were written like this. The narration took me awhile to get used too but by the second chapter I couldn't stop listening and it contributed to a feeling of the period it was immersed in. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history.

fantastic it's one of my faves!

well worth the read I love this time period and this book delivers better than most

You can always count on...

Narrator was good. was great. Kept my attention throughout. You can always count on Margaret George!

Retraction

I would like to take back my earlier review. Once I became used to the voice inflection that the narrator chose to use for King Henry the book became very enjoyable. I found that it suited King Henry's personality very well after awhile. King Henry was protrayed as a conceited, self-centered, egocentric narcissist in the book. Also, I think that it must be very difficult to narrate several voices in a book and the narrator did an excellent job.

Give us more!

I concur with the other reviewers. I listen on my commute, and couldn't wait to get back to the car for the next installment.
David Case was much more than a narrator, he acted the parts with his voice and attitude. He brought out the personality of King Henry and the other characters. Quite remarkable. I'm searching around for more books narrated by David.