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.

kept me listening

good read for Tudor fans.. narrators are good and stories are all told in a provocative way. I did not like Anne of of Cleve's in this book as much. the cadence of the narrators voice made it hard to listen to for long periods of time.. not that it was bad it just made her story seem drawn out because i would space out lol. Very entertaining read otherwise

Fun Listen!

I especially enjoyed the writing of Anna of Cleves experience. Such vivid images, and a very creative way of telling her story. I won't be a spoiler, but I think I have a new beloved author. Too bad that the credits on Audible's site do not mention Jennifer Donnelly as the author of this section as the closing credits on the audiobook do. A sad oversite.

a great read!

great book, never dull. giving each Queen her own author as well as her own distinguished voice really made each one stand out as an individual. will read again!

why is everyone cranky?

the performances were amazing, I absolutely loved it. The story itself was really good, but the way the men are written in the story kind of rubs me the wrong way. I highly doubt they would have acted the way they did in some scenes. I don't want to say more in fear of spoiling anything. A good read, I recommend it, but as a fan of the Tudor era I'm not happy how the man were written.