The Favored Queen

A Novel of Henry VIII's Third Wife

By: Carolly Erickson

Narrated by: Kate Reading

Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

From The New York Times bestselling author of The Last Wife of Henry VIII comes a powerful and moving novel about Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII, who married him only days after the execution of Anne Boleyn and ultimately lost her own life in giving him the son he badly needed to guarantee the Tudor succession

Born into an ambitious noble family, young Jane Seymour is sent to Court as a Maid of Honor to Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's aging queen. She is devoted to her mistress and watches with empathy as the calculating Anne Boleyn contrives to supplant her as queen. Anne's single-minded intriguing threatens all who stand in her way; she does not hesitate to arrange the murder of a woman who knows a secret so dark that, if revealed, would make it impossible for the king to marry Anne.

Once Anne becomes queen, no one at court is safe, and Jane herself becomes the victim of Anne's venomous rage when she suspects Jane has become the object of the king's lust. Henry, fearing that Anne's inability to give him a son is a sign of divine wrath, asks Jane to become his next queen. Deeply reluctant to embark on such a dangerous course, Jane must choose between her heart and her loyalty to the king.

Acclaimed biographer and bestselling novelist Carolly Erickson weaves another of her irresistible historical entertainments about the queen who finally gave Henry VIII his longed for heir, set against the excitement and danger of the Tudor Court.

©2011 Carolly Erickson (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“A delectable serving of Tudor dish.” —Kirkus Reviews

Great story

The story was wonderful!! I loved hearing about Jane Seymour as I have heard numerous stories of Anne Boleyn and Catherine. This was a precious love story that leads up to the marriage of a sweet woman to Henry VIII.

Great storyline

Loved the storyline and how they mixed it up. Story was well written and didn’t linger.

Great historical entertainment

I love this audiobook. It’s listed as “historical entertainment” and that is exactly what it is. It never claims to be a historical fact-only book. It’s a fictional account of a real person, Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII. The basic facts and timeline are correct. The fiction comes in with how the author chooses to depict how the choices and end results came about. The poor reviews on here may have resulted from the readers failing to thoroughly read the book description. There are many, many popular books of this type and genre for good reason: they’re a great combo of history and fiction! I highly recommend it.

Not what I expected

The story over all was good. the Narrator as well. However I was looking for a story about Jane Seymour. More details about her and her life. Instead it was a story told as if Jane was writing it. it focused primarily around Cathrine, and Anne, though told through Jane's perspective. the last two hours of the book were all that was written directly about Jane. Perhaps it is the way it was written, diary style that made if feel less like a story about her and more about her telling the story for Henry's first 2 wives.

jane

this was a very good book I enjoyed every minute of it,Jane was the type you would want as a friend, quiet faithful and devoted, it was a shame she died after giving birth as I feel she would have been a wonderful mom, I recommend this book,

Another perspective on the Wives of Henry the Eigt

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would if they liked history in the court of Henry the Eighth. The book was slow moving and lacked excitement, however I learned alot of new things I didn't know before .

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Favored Queen?

The discription of the childbirth, and how she was allowed to bleed to death and also die from a severe infection.

What about Kate Reading’s performance did you like?

The preformance as excellent. She was easy to listen to

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It did not cause Any strong reactions except sadness when Jane Seymour died

awesome book

loved it...narration was great...love how the two worlds come together for a wonderful book...I have listened to it three time already...highly recommended

Favored Queen-A different take......

What made the experience of listening to The Favored Queen the most enjoyable?

Hearing a woman narrate it, and hearing her emotion in her telling of this story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Obviously, Jane Seymour!!

Have you listened to any of Kate Reading’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've not heard any other performance by Kate Reading.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, when Jane continued to care for her nephews after their father declared them not his own.

Any additional comments?

Most descriptions of Jane Seymour that I've read portray her as a mousey, dull, frail woman who had no personality...a drone....But this narrative gave me a different perspective, in that she was shown to be a young woman who was passionate in her beliefs, and was quite intelligent. She knew what she wanted and didn't seem afraid to get it, all the while maintaining a sense of self-respect. She was genuinely an honest woman who made the best of what she faced in a time when women were only bargaining tools in a world of greedy, self-indulgent rich men.

Yes! It is historical fiction!

Before I bought this book I read some of the reviews. People complained that there were many historical and factual errors in the book and that ruined the book for them. I believe they expected to be reading a history book, a non-fiction book.

This book is a novel, very loosely based on historical people of the Tudor era. It is interesting because the author uses her imagination to create situations and conversations that would be impossible for us, in the 21st century to know. She invents a possible world creating how Jane Seymour could have become the third wife of Henry VIII. The story is chocked full of real people relating to each other in ways that we could not have know about. She has padded the story with fictional characters to round out the story.

In actuality, we know very little about the private lives of these people. We do not know what they said to each other or anything about their most private moments. This is fiction.

As a scholar (I have a PhD) I have read many novels and histories. I know the difference. When I choose a novel, I do not expect that it will be factual. I expect it will be full of imagined information and characters. The author is telling a story, not relating historical fact.

This is an excellent historical novel.

The performance makes up a little of the story

Perhaps it's because I'm a fan of Alison Weir and others, but I found this novel to be basic; an attempt to make a story while still showing this short wife of Henry VIII to be stupid and insipid. I was not impressed and am now hesitant to listen to any other novels I've purchased by this author.