• The Favored Queen

  • A Novel of Henry VIII's Third Wife
  • By: Carolly Erickson
  • Narrated by: Kate Reading
  • Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
  • 3.8 out of 5 stars (107 ratings)

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The Favored Queen  By  cover art

The Favored Queen

By: Carolly Erickson
Narrated by: Kate Reading
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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

What listeners say about The Favored Queen

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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More Fiction than History

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The content became more and more outlandish. I have read several of Carolly Erickson's biographies (Mistress Anne, Great Harry, The first Elizabeth, and Bloody Mary) and I had thought this was a biography of Jane Seymour. Instead it was a wild tale with the "popular" names of the times and situations but pure fiction.

The speaker did an admirable job with the material given. The mistake was mine in not realizing what type of book this was or in reading the reviews before I bought it.

What was most disappointing about Carolly Erickson’s story?

The point where I had finally had enough was when Anne Boleyn came down with the sweating sickness. Instead of the historical tale or even a vaguely possible tale, Anne Boleyn was locked in the castle with Katherine of Aragon and her ladies having just been admitted to the locked down castle after Henry VIII left her in a village when he had learned the sweating sickness had broken out. Anne beat on the castle door to be let in and once inside Jane Seymour discovers Anne has the sweating sickness after inspecting Anne's armpits. They contemplate tossing her out a window into the moat (with Anne struggling and screaming to be let go) when Katherine rescues Anne at the last minute and has her placed in a linen closet to recover. Katherine then states that she will nurse her back to health and bring her food if no one else was willing.

Frankly I am tempted to listen to the rest of it just to see how idiotic it can become. Prior to the sweating sickness incident they had Anne pulling down her top in France in competition with her sister Mary to see who could get men to sleep with them faster.

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

I have never listened to any of Kate Reading's other performances before that I am aware of but she was very pleasant to listen to and made good use of voice and accents for the different characters.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I have studied Tudor history for years and the only redeeming quality this book has is total unpredictability. It seems to hit the highest points in history - Henry VIII is king and he has a first wife named Katheryn and he is interested in Anne Boleyn who is related to the Duke of Norfolk. It also had the name of the gentleman correct who at one point in time was considered a potential prospect for Jane Seymour (plus the other characters did have recognizable names and were in approximately the relationships they should have been). However, other than that it is a wild ride of inaccuracy and speculation filled with intimate details of a lurid type nature (so far though of the PG13 brand when I stopped reading).

Any additional comments?

I am really shocked that the author who wrote the biographies I have read regarding Tudor times (which seemed to match well with other documentation) could have written a book that has little resemblance to the actual history (or at least currently considered history). It most closely resembles a 99 cent throw away novel written by someone with only the basic knowledge of Tutor history and a vivid puerile imagination.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

OK - if you don't care about the truth

Allright, I don't know all the truth of the story, no one does. It all happened a long time ago, but we know a lot. This was a pretty well discussed era, even during the events. This book describes a story that is unrecognisable to what really happened, or at least, what historians and other fiction writers have presented. I have read extensively on this era, the history, the religion, and many biographies, but I do not recognize the Jane Seymour, the Anne Boleyn, nor the Henry VIII presented in this book.
The narrator was pretty good, although most of the women sounded alike.
Maybe the book took a turn for the better, but I doubt it. I only got through a couple of disks, and had to stop. I rarely stop before finishing a book. This one was just too bad.

I look forward to reading what others have to say about it.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Incredibly Inaccurate historical background!!

I very rarely stop reading a book without finishing it. Usually I am able to determine from topic, author, and reviews of other readers whether it will be something worth my time. This book, however, completely caught me off-guard. As soon as I began listening to it, I began to question the authenticity of the historical events in the background. I have read a lot of history, biography, and fiction set in this period so the inaccuracies were especially jarring to me.

Finally, I looked at some of the reader reviews here and on Audible only to discover that many before me had come to the same unfortunate conclusion I had; they also stopped reading it without finishing. I am going to join them. Life is too short to waste any more time on such drivel. There are many excellent books that are worthy of my time--books that will add to my understanding and knowledge of Jane Seymour and her place in British history.

I am most disappointed. This author does not deserve another chance after writing a novel crammed with so many blatant fabrications in the history of this period and these people. No more Carolly Erickson books for me!!

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Extrapolation Beyond Reason - Worse than Gregory

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I cannot recommend this FICTIONAL book to anyone, not even a novice much less a well versed historian aware of the goings on during this time period. It is not a good romance story either. The is not a single redeemable quality of this book and should be avoided as to not lead people astray from the realities. For a Novice starting out in the Tudor Era, fiction or biography, this book stray much father in its extrapolations than anything I've ever see Phillipa Gregory ever do. I'd recommend Gregory over this book when discussing Jane Seymour and THAT is saying a lot. This book is absolutely and utter garbage as far as facts. This book was originally published in 2011. There is NO excuse for the laziness for research and plan misrepresentation of events and timelines. Considering her EXTENSIVE SUCCESSFUL library of research (while a bit date when they were printed in the 1970's and 80's) were still better written than this book. She should have known better and stuck to non-fiction because not only has her imagination gone not only wild, but beyond reason. Its almost like while talking about the Civil Wars in the Americas that Abe Lincoln was actually a slave disguised as a white man trying to change the world. That is how far out her extrapolations are in this book.

Would you ever listen to anything by Carolly Erickson again?

Not her fiction, I have indulged in a handful of her books, however, her facts are dated, and she has road the waves of popular references. Her representation of historical figures is obvious and un-insightful. Despite the era in which Jean Plaidy wrote and the lack of historical context in the 1960's and beyond, she still wrote characters with better appeal and depth than Carolly Erickson. SPOILERS BELOW:The quality of her writing leaves a lot to be desired and I always gave it a pass because the subject matter was and is a keen interest of mine, but I fear that she has proven ESPECIALLY with this book how lazy she is regarding facts and the limits of extrapolation. There are HARD records that prove specific events COULD NOT have taken place in this book. I'm referring to A.B. being at the hunting lodge. There is no account to my knowledge that she was allowed away from the palaces while pregnant ESPECIALLY while a plague was in the air. Henry and her father and her Uncles would have forbid it. Also the date and timing of the fathers death is quite suspect.I could continue to skewer this book and this author, but I cannot in good conscious waste any more of my time on this woman or her lazy efforts to make a dollar on the heals of the current Tudor Craze. I beg her to PLEASE stick to non-fiction because so far her Fiction or Novels leave a GREAT deal to be desired.

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

She is incredible. Her voice does NOT have a whiny pitch that many women performers often do. She is not Shrill, and she does accents very well. Excellent elocution and inflection.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No

Any additional comments?

This book makes Phillipa Gregory's Cousins War with Witches and curses seem FAR more possible in reality than what I just read. I cannot curse this book enough for its disappointing shallow, uninspiring characters. Seriously cannot believe she made Henry VIII out to be a boring old man, and I cannot believe she made Catherine of Aragon such a weak person. And do NOT get me started on how she made Anne Boleyn out to be this wanton, shallow human being. While I'm not a fan of A.B. I am a fan of the strength and courage she displayed while being the puppet of her family. This book makes her out to seem like a spoiled teenager from the days of "Mean Girls". Such a shame.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

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.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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,

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    4 out of 5 stars
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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.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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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.

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