Katharine Parr: The Sixth Wife

by: Alison Weir

Publication: May 11, 2021 by Ballantine Books

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Two husbands dead; a life marred by sadness. And now Katharine is in love for the first time in her life.
The eye of an ageing and dangerous king falls upon her. She cannot refuse him. She must stifle her feelings and never betray that she wanted another.
And now she is the sixth wife. Her queenship is a holy mission yet, fearfully, she dreams of the tragic parade of women who went before her. She cherishes the secret beliefs that could send her to the fire. And still the King loves and trusts her.
Now her enemies are closing in. She must fight for her very life.
KATHARINE PARR – the last of Henry’s queens.
Alison Weir recounts the extraordinary story of a woman forced into a perilous situation and rising heroically to the challenge. Katharine is a delightful woman, a warm and kindly heroine – and yet she will be betrayed by those she loves and trusts most.
Too late, the truth will dawn on her. 

My Thoughts: This sixth book in the Tudor Queens series reads much like the others. Weir has the wonderful ability of making Tudor history VERY readable. As with so many women in history, much of what is known of Katharine Parr’s early life is based on what was common for those of her rank in that time-period. The first half of the book really surrounds around how Henry VIII’s actions impacted others. In comparison with Henry VIII’s other wives, Katharine seems rather bland. She certainly had many hardships to cope with as first a young widow and then as the wife of a Catholic sympathizer. Although she became a wealthy widow when her second husband passed away, she was unable to turn down a marriage proposal from the king. Of all of Henry VIII’s wives, she is the only one who leaves a legacy as something other than a wife due to her religious writings. This book was as thorough and well researched as all of the others in the series. A very fitting conclusion and worth the read.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.