The Unfaithful Queen

A Novel of Henry VIII's Fifth Wife

By: Carolly Erickson

Narrated by: Stina Nielsen

Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

From New York Times best-selling author of The Last Wife of Henry VIII, a novel about Catherine Howard, wife of Henry's later years

Amid the turbulent, faction-ridden late reign of the fearsome Henry, eager high-spirited Catherine Howard caught the king's eye - but not before she had been the sensual plaything of at least three other men. Ignorant of her past, seeing only her youthful exuberance and believing that she could make him happy, he married her - only to discover, too late, that her heart belonged to his gentleman usher Tom Culpeper.

As the net of court intrigue tightens around her, and with the Tudor succession yet again in peril because of Prince Edward's severe illness, Queen Catherine struggles to give the angry, bloated, and impotent king a son. But when her relations turn against her, she finds herself doomed, just as her cousin Anne Boleyn was, to face the executioner.

The Unfaithful Queen lays bare the dark underbelly of the Tudor court, with its sugared rivalries and bitter struggles for power, where a girl of noble family could find herself sent to labor among the turnspits in the kitchens or - should fortune favor her - be exalted to the throne.

©2012 Carolly Erickson (P)2012 Macmillan Audio

Wonderful narration

Sad story beautifully read. Narrator was very captivating. Brings another side of this queen to ponder.

Enjoyable, not a masterpiece

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The heroin is shallow and one dimensional. The dialogue is not authentic.

Would you be willing to try another book from Carolly Erickson? Why or why not?

Yes, but her fictional writing lacks great character and ambiance development

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

she just was not a good choice for the period

Was The Unfaithful Queen worth the listening time?

it was ok

Personality Given to Kitty Howard

Great fictional story. I enjoyed the performance and the personality given to poor seventeen year old Catherine Howard. She was a child, make no mistake about that. This story is well written and very well told.

worth the read

loved it excellent narration the story was not exactly factual but still enjoyed reading

Catherine Howard

Intriguing but there were several historical things not mentioned such as Catherine’s speech about Thomas Culpepper and the execution of Jane Rockford.

Great listen, tragic story

I walked into this book knowing Catherine Howard’s fate, as well as other things about her life. Still, this book kept me listening and intrigued. The narration was excellent and a piece of me kept hoping that the story would end differently than the way I knew it would. Great listen.

I loved it!!!!!

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

I would definitely recommend this audio book if you like stories from the Tudors era.

Which character – as performed by Stina Nielsen – was your favorite?

My favorite character would be kathrin of course :)

Such a tragedy...

I've read many books about this time period but still is so sad. Well written, entertaining, and good reader. Not sure it's very historically accurate but it was an easy book to listen too

Worst historical fiction book I’ve ever read or listened too.

Phillips Gregory or Alison Weir lovers don’t waste your $. I’ve never reviewed a book here and this was such a let down. No substance at all. Horrible!