Katheryn Howard, The Scandalous Queen by Alison Weir is a well-researched fictional account of Henry VIII's fifth wife. The book is fifth in Weir's series that chronicles each queen.
Weir writes with an eye for the underlying details behind Katheryn's life and reputation. An exploration of Katheryn's life - a life of abuse and tragedy - puts to rest the standard trope about her "scandalous" life. When she captures the eye of the middle-aged king it seems that she has found a safe haven for her life. Henry's notorious anger turns itself on Katheryn as rumors of her sexual life prior to their marriage meet his ears.
This portrait of a well rounded young woman living in the dangerous world of Henry Tudor deepened my understanding and sympathy for her. It also reminded me of the horrors of his reign.

Katheryn Howard is the fifth wife of Henry VIII. In this new novel, Mrs. Weir chronicles Katheryn Howard’s short life from her early beginnings to her tragic death. Katheryn Howard is from an impoverished but noble family. She longs for love. When two handsome men confess their love for her, she gives them her heart. When she becomes a lady-in-waiting to Queen Anna of Kleve, she catches the eye of Henry VIII. Shortly afterwards, she marries him. As queen, she falls in love with Thomas Culpepper. Katheryn tries to keep her romance with Thomas Culpepper and her past a secret. Katheryn fights to hold onto all that she holds dear at the cost of her own life.

Katheryn is not a likable character. She seems to be a selfish character. She does not realize that her actions hurt others. She makes many foolish decisions and does not have any common sense. I find it odd that she did not learn her lesson from Anne Boleyn. Therefore, I had no sympathy for Katheryn Howard. This is because the novel shows that it was Katheryn herself who caused her own downfall. Katheryn also was unprepared as queen and did not seem to be a good queen. She does not seem to want to establish a close relationship with her stepchildren. Instead, she seemed interested only in pretty clothes, jewels, and dancing. Thus, Katheryn does not take her queenship seriously but only uses it to pursue her own personal pleasure.

Overall, this story is about betrayal, secrets, and trying to conceal one’s past. Out of all the Six Tudor Queens series, this is the worst. The characters are very flat and many of their actions do not make sense. For instance, why would Jane Rochford help Katheryn Howard make clandestine meetings with Thomas Culpepper? What was her own gain? The book does not explain motivations. The writing of the book is very stilted and some lines were so awful that I laughed. Also, there were many repetitive scenes and the story was very drawn out. Thus, this novel seemed more like a rushed first draft hoping to meet a certain deadline. Mrs. Weir is usually an experienced writer that is known for meticulous details and attention to history. Her books, both nonfiction and fiction, are usually a treat. However, this was not her best work, and I expected more. I recommend this for those fans of Tudor Queens. However, I find The Rose Without A Thorn, The Boleyn Inheritance, and The King’s Rose to be far superior historical retellings of Katheryn Howard’s life.

I knew the least about Katheryn Howard of all of King Henry the eighths wives. She like many women of the time were caught up in men’s power plays as pawns. The book reads well without that “classroom” feel that some historical books do. There are clarifying author notes in the end of the book
#alisonweir #ballentine #katherynhowardthescandelousqueen #netgalley

I couldn’t get into this one but others have enjoyed it and I will say it just might not have fit me.

I highly enjoyed this book. I love reading historical fiction especially about the wives of Henry VIII. This book tells us the story of Catherine Howard. I believe it is a good book for all fans of Allison Weir.

Alison Weir has again written a touching, realistic account of the life of a queen. Weir's ability to see into the heart and lives of those long dead brings history to life for her readers. Using the brief historical facts available to us, she coaxes out the humanity and emotions that must have driven these women.

Liked but didn’t love this latest addition to the series. Decent voice, strong sense of place and time. Doesn’t do too much outside the well-known parameters of Katheryn’s life; gives credence to some of the rumors that plagued KH8’s second-to-last wife. ★★★

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Katheryn Howard, The Scandalous Queen
By: Alison Weir


REVIEW ☆☆☆☆

I have read extensively, in both fiction and nonfiction, about Henry VIII, his wives and his court. What a fascinating and terrifying time to be alive! I always enjoy Alison Weir's insightful stories about this particular era, and Katheryn Howard, The Scandalous Queen was no exception.

Of all the wives, Kitty was so very young and easily manipulated by her powerful, grasping, devious (uncle) family. Honestly, did this child ever stand a chance of surviving the rantings of a madman? I do wish Katheryn Howard had a happier story, but Alison Weir writes her well and boldly in this book. I love the excellent mix of facts and fiction that mesh to create such a compulsively readable story of unwarranted heartache and tragedy. I encourage you to read more of Alison Weir's work regarding each wife of Henry VIII. So unbelievably tragic!

This book was so bad. Way too long and the characters did not sound authentic at all. It was a chore to finish

I have been fascinated by Henry VIII and the Tudor period for a long time. Alison Weir’s books, in particular, have been a favorite. I always knew Katheryn Howard was silly and foolish, but until reading this book, I was not aware of how badly she was manipulated by others. The Howards, once again, showed how blindly ambitious they were in setting Katheryn up in getting her married to the King, knowing full well her past indiscretions could cause a lot of trouble if Henry ever found out. I still haven’t figured out Jane Rochford’s endgame in continuously harassing Katheryn in meeting Thomas Culpeper. All in all, Alison Weir’s series about each of Henry’s wives have been very fascinating and I am looking forward to the next one. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Very highly enjoyable book. I have loved Weir's retelling of The Six Wives. All have been enjoyable and full of twists, which is hard to do. Read them from the beginning!!

I’ve been reading Alison Weir non- fiction since The Six Wives of Henry VIII was published in 1991. And I’ve read every one of the non-fiction books. When Ms. Weir began writing historical fiction, I was a bit disappointed because I believe the English monarchy during the medieval through Tudor period was fascinating enough without embellishment. So I gave myself a break after reading Innocent Traitor.

However, I’ve remained enthralled with all things Henry VIII and his wives since PBS televised The Six Wives of Henry VIII nearly 50 years ago. So I could not resist Alison Weir’s novel about each wife.
Katheryn Howard in particular was an unfortunate girl who was used., abused by the Howard’s as a political pawn, & executed because of her family machinations and immaturity. Yes, she was embroiled in scandal, but she was the least intelligent and least politically astute of his wives.

The book is well researched and tells a tragic tale about Katheryn Howard, the queen I knew the least about. I love how Alison Weir writes. I love the historic details.. can’t wait to read about Catherine Parr.

I have read books by Alison Weir in the past, both fiction and nonfiction. I enjoyed this one the most. In fact, I have read a lot of Tudor fiction over the years, and this is the best Tudor fiction I have read in a long time.
The author successfully developed Katheryn's character. I wanted to shake Katheryn and tell her to stop being so reckless and stupid. I desperately wanted things to turn out differently for her. I liked her. Weir created a sympathetic, likeable young woman whose family took advantage of her. She was young and wanted a relationship with a man. She wanted love, like any other young woman. She was a bit of a party girl. And all of that might have been okay had she not been maneuvered into marrying Henry. She liked the prestige, drama, and rich lifestyle. Katheryn behaved like a kid acting out a fantasy until it got old (just like Henry) and she wanted a young attractive man in her life and bed. I felt the tension building as Katheryn continued to foolishly press her luck with her lover. I felt her anxiety and hysteria as she wondered who ratted her out and how much the king actually knew. And, of course, would Henry be merciful or not? Weir's writing and storytelling evoked these reactions in me as a reader.
Weir told a powerful story. This was an excellent book.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another hit about the wives of Henry the 8th. Weir does a famous job of drawing her reader into the Tudor Court and showing the lives of this not very known Queen. Her mastery of history is impeccable. A must read.

I love Ms. Weir's writing and I was glad I was able to read this book. Ms. Weir is able to give these historical figures a wonderful voice and I really enjoy reading them.

I loved reading about Katheryn Howard. She was so fascinating through the eyes of this book. I felt so bad for her, having to marry a much older man that reportedly smelled very bad! She was not very worldly, and certainly didn't deserve her fate. Alison Weir has done an amazing job of portraying each of the Queens in this series.

Allison Weir delivers enthralling history and drama again. Could not put it down. The details in years of history come alive and characters that were a footnote in history are written anew.

Alison Weir just knows how to kill it every SINGLE time she writes a book! I've always loved reading about the Tudors, and getting to read about Katheryn Howard's life was amazing! Weir writes this historical fiction with just the right details to really captivate the reader.

I highly recommend this book for any historical fiction fan!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

I enjoyed this author's writing. Fans of Philippa Gregory will enjoy this series. This book is part of a series of 6 but can be read as a standalone. A lot of juicy details so it reads like a cross between history and the National Enquirer. Katheryn Howard is a girl with no dowry from a powerful family. As she grows and makes mistakes that teenagers do, the mistakes take on a larger to significance as she rises to power. The story of her rise and fall is one that is powerful about how your past mistakes can come back to bite you!

*received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review*
I actually really enjoyed this glimpse into Catherine Howard. I know that there was mostly creative license on this in certain aspects but to look at it from this perspective, I do agree as I always have honestly that Catherine was a naive child who was truly the victim here.