Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All

By: M.T. Anderson, Candace Fleming, Linda Sue Park, Deborah Hopkinson

Narrated by: Heather Wilds, Ann Marie Lee, full cast, Justine Eyre, Katharine Lee McEwan, Jayne Entwistle, Fiona Hardingham, Elizabeth Knowelden, Elliot Hill

Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Perfect for anyone fascinated by the royal wedding, Netflix's The Crown, or Wolf Hall, this is a pitch-perfect reimagining of the romance and tragedy of Henry VIII and his six wives, told from multiple points of view by some of your favorite authors.

If you were one of King Henry VIII's six wives, who would you be? Would you be Anne Boleyn, who literally lost her head? Would you be the subject of rumor and scandal like Catherine Howard? Or would you get away and survive like Anna of Cleves?

Meet them and Henry's other queens - each bound for divorce or death - in this epic and thrilling novel that reads like fantasy but really happened. Watch spellbound as each of these women attempts to survive their unpredictable king as he grows more and more obsessed with producing a male heir. And discover how the power-hungry court fanned the flames of Henry's passions...and his most horrible impulses.

Whether you're a huge fan of all things Tudor or new to this jaw-dropping saga, you won't be able to get the unique voices of Henry and his wives - all brought to life by seven award-winning and best-selling authors - out of your head. This is an intimate look at the royals during one of the most treacherous times in history. Who will you root for, and who will you love to hate?

One of the NYPL top 10 best books of the year.

"Ambitious and exciting." (Bustle)

"A clever, feminist reimagining of one of English history's most fascinating moments." (Refinery29)

"These stories of love, lust, power and intrigue never fail to fascinate." (Shelf Awareness)

Who's who:

• M. T. Anderson - Henry VIII
• Candace Fleming - Katharine of Aragon, wife #1
• Stephanie Hemphill - Anne Boleyn, wife #2
• Lisa Ann Sandell - Jane Seymour, wife #3
• Jennifer Donnelly - Anna of Cleves, wife #4
• Linda Sue Park - Catherine Howard, wife #5
• Deborah Hopkinson - Kateryn Parr, wife #6

©2018 Candace Fleming (P)2018 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"Seven talented YA authors and gifted narrators embrace the personalities, foibles, dreams, and philosophies of Henry VIII's unfortunate wives.... Together, these perspectives paint a personal, poignant, thoroughly engaging view of history." (AudioFile)

"Romance and intrigue dominate these accounts, as do the frustrations of being female in a time when 'no woman - not even a Queen - can...show her own power'..." (Shelf Awareness)

Wonderful interpretation

Wonderful interpretation. I enjoyed the different readers for each character. I look forward to learning more about this era in history.

Fresh Presentation!

This was so uniquely presented and I loved it. Each wife told her story in first person. Henry gave his viewpoint on the rise and fall of each queen as well. Of course it could only hit the highlights (or lowlights, if you will), but even in a short story format, it managed to give a complete overview of their story.
I’ve read many many many books on the Tudors, and this one is presented differently from all the rest. Definitely worth a credit and a few hours of your time.

Lovely!

Each narrator brought their characters to life. I simply could not stop listening! Loved it!

Delightful

Listened to this on my way to and from work (~30 min one way). I was always excited to hear the next chapter and the fact that each character has it's own voice actor is amazing. I loved hearing the story of each wives and Henry's thoughts and feelings. It kept me interested and not dreading the drive to work.

historical fiction at its finest

A full cast with excellent performances. A story that fills in the gaps of history.

Quite interesting.

Very interesting, hearing the queens version and the kings'version of manipulation. Politics same as today.

An interesting twist

I know this is a little weird but some of my favorite parts were King Henry explaining his choices.

Amazing Real Life Tales of Henry VIII Queens

I really enjoyed listening to all insights on all the Kings loves as well as his own recant of the relationship. Worth listening to. #Intriguing #Fascinating #Eye opening

Wonderful!

kept my attention. would recommend this ebook to everyone. l oi ved the different character voices

Excellent Overview

If you are intrigued by all things Henry VIII, you will enjoy this book. Having read many stories about his wives, it was a treat to hear yet another perspective from them, AND also from Henry at the time of THEIR story. His cruelty towards his wives over things they could not control, namely childbirth, and then listening to him in his own words, makes for an interesting story.

I recommend this book.