The Last Wife of Henry VIII

I found this book because I was looking for works similar to the Philippa Gregory books (i.e. "The other Boleyn Girl) and I wasn't disappointed. This is similar in subject matter, but unique in style, and I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and narration, and was caught up in the story from beginning to end. I loved learning more about Catherine Parr, a lesser known wife of Henry XIII, and found myself consulting my historical reference book frequently to get some additional facts as it made me curious about the era..I just love historical fiction and this one didn't let me down!

This is good, I know that it is long, but you never realize it. It kept my interest every minute. I found myself sitting in my driveway not wanting to get out of the car to here what would happen next. It isn't solely based on Cat's time with the king, it is her life story. From when she was seven years old all the way to her death. Her loves, loses and fears are all portrayed wonderfully in this book. The narrater is also wonderful. I could go on forever, if you enjoy these types of books this is a must have.

Well written. Well narrated.
However, I am now convinced that the Tudor Court was a nest of vipers obsessed with religion, sex & violence - and not a scrap of common sense between them!

After listening to other stories about Henry VIII's court I was curious about his other wives. Although the story and narration weren't stellar, I still found it interesting book and had no problems finishing it. If you are interested in this period of English history I recommend this book. It felt like peeking into the lives of the courtiers and political drama of that time period. It recounts all of the king's wives through the eyes of his last wife from the time she is a girl. It also describes Henry's rise and fall from a young handsome man to a bitter and fat old one. Every author adds their own twist to some of the controversial theories surrounding Henry's wives and his justification for killing or divorcing them. I thought this was an interesting take on them.

Overdramatic at times but overall a great audiobook. No matter how many books you read and or audiobooks you listen to, you can`t help but think what a pig Henry was. This audiobook lays that out pretty clearly and it sounds reasonable -so many lives were at least inconvenienced and at most terminated b/c of a self-centered, arrogant, indulgent and royal pain of an excuse. Catherine really had to have her wits about her and this audiobook has it all - as she gets near the end of her life it gets very moving. Definitely recommend to all.

Loved the book - the detail, the story. A bit slow in the beginning - but worth the listen - BUT I found that I had to work really hard to NOT focus on the narrator's irritating way of speaking. I will go out of my way to avoid any audiobooks done by her again. Almost ruined it for me.

I listened to Philippa Gregory's book The Boleyn Inheritance and loved it. So I tried The Last Wife of Henry VIII. It didn't even come close to Philippa Gregory's book. It was too long and the first part was boring. The second part was better, but I still feel that it was a waste of my time.

The "behind the scenes" details and story-line. This book followed what I have known in history about these relationships very closely...some speculation of course, because it's fiction, but very closely ties to the history lessons...

The revealing of the "Saint Fraud"...I won't say more so as not to ruin it for you....

Catherine Parr, The Nurturing Queen

What do you expect me to say? Re-write the book?


The story as such is dragging along. Even though I love the topic - Henry VIII - I fell asleep quickly. But as I know the background well, I could just keep listening till I finally got through.

The book failed to present high lights. Everything was watered down to "and then and then and then".

I found it difficult to listen to the reader and every time I got on to the story, I had to learn to overhear her strange diction. The ongoing raised voice at the end of the sentence and the way she spoke in her head was annoying me. I will surely not buy anything read by her again.

Yes, forget about the author as a history book writer.
And I keep the reader in mind to never buy anything read by her again.

It adds to the long list of: no good stories at audible.com

I have started and stopped so many Audiobooks that didn't hold my attention. This book is fast moving and enjoyable. Well worth the credit. Enjoy!