THE KING’S SISTERS

This book moves slowly...but, if you give it a chance to unfold, you will be well rewarded. It is part of the Cross and Crown series by Sarah Kennedy who has meticulously researched the laws, the manners, the dress, the food and entertainments of Henry VIII's England. This book takes place when Henry is already an old king. I was fascinated to read about the domestic work done--even by high-born ladies (as the sisters of the king) and how confined and cloistered their lives were. It was particularly enlightening to learn more about Anne of Cleves (Henry's fourth wife who doesn't really get a lot of ink) who was allowed to live out her life in comfort--neither as a queen or as a consort but as a Beloved Sister to the king. A very good read.

This is the third book in Sarah Kennedy's The Cross and the Crown series, but I enjoyed this book without having read the preceding titles. The series follows Catherine Havens, a healer and nun who found herself displaced when King Henry VIII began reforming the church. In this installment, Catherine is now a wealthy widow serving Anne of Cleves, Henry's fourth ex-wife. As the kingdom reacts to the news of the latest queen's execution, Catherine finds herself unmarried, pregnant, and at the center of an investigation into the household's finances. She must fight to protect herself, her reputation, and her family in a world ruled by the whims of a suspicious king and the relentless greed of his courtiers.

Anyone interested in historical fiction about the Tudor era would enjoy this look at how those church reforms affected the women who had been serving as nuns. Not only were the details of daily life illuminating, the story itself was well-paced and exciting, and Catherine is a bold and clever protagonist.

This is a continuation of a previous story but it does very well as a stand alone. I like historical fiction very much so I would have loved to have read the previous book as well but needs must!

The story follows a group of former nuns during the reign of Henry VIII. Never an easy time for anyone who wanted to keep their head, our heroine Catherine is now a widow (albeit a rich one) with two young children. She is also in a relationship with Benjamin Davies a friend of her husband and to top it all she is now pregnant. Catherine lives in the house of Anne of Cleves who was Henry's fourth wife.

The situation in the country at large is very tense. Catherine Howard has just been executed. She was just a mere child and her death has put everyone on full alert. Henry is in search of a new wife and no one is considered safe. Inquisition like conditions exist everywhere and even Anne of Cleves house is searched, two maids taken in for questioning and the searchlight has now turned on Catherine and her fellow sister Ann.

Catherine and Ann's imprisonment and questioning is the turning point in the life of Catherine. How is she to protect her two living children and the unborn one whose very existence will be called treason and cause for death. Her son is living under the Prince's guardianship and is influenced by the Court as to how his mother should behave and live.

This period of Tudor history is fascinating and however many times told uncovers a facet of life during the time hitherto unknown. The situation of nuns during this period was new to me and this was another aspect of history about which I would like to read more about.

Told in so much detail, one can understand how much research would have gone into the story. I particularly enjoyed the domestic details of the Cleves's household because Catherine was in charge of it and this was very good reading.

Sarah Kennedy’s series featuring Catherine Haven in the time of King Henry takes the reader into a richly detailed and creatively imagined world, much like The Other Bolyen Girl and Wolf Hall do. Once there, you are swept up in the march of history. The third book, The King’s Sisters, finds Catherine in the household of Henry’s ex-wife, Anne of Cleves. The overwhelming sense of apprehension and danger that people lived under was palpable.The lives of women in this time period are richly fleshed out. I haven’t read the first two books, and while each book is described as being stand-alone, I found myself wishing I had read the prior ones first – so now I’ll backtrack! Great writing, interesting POV into this much described historical period.

I honestly wasn't sure what to expect with this book but I really loved it! Historical fiction can be hit or miss but this book was really well written, with lots of details that kept it in the right historical context. I really want to read the first two books in the series now.

Historical fiction is my favorite genre, and I was excited to read a new-to-me author. I have not read the previous books in this series, but this book was fine as a standalone.

The writing in this novel was very well done, including beautiful descriptions that took me right to the time period. Many of the historical books I have read about this time period are written from the perspective of the queen at the time; I appreciated having a different point of view from Catherine Havens. The tension and stress under which these women of the time lived was palpable. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

In England in 1542, Henry the VIII was king. He’d just executed his fifth wife, Catherine Howard. As self-proclaimed head of the Church of England, formed when he denounced the power of the Pope to say he couldn’t divorce his first wife, he had seized the assets of the Catholic churches and dissolved the monasteries and convents. While he made provisions for the care of the displaced monks and nuns, they remained under his authority. Catherine Haven, this books protagonist, found herself married and widowed by 1542 (this is the third book in a series- I need to find those, so I can find out how she got around the proscription against former nuns marrying), and is now serving in Anne of Cleves’s household; she is also pregnant by Benjamin Davies. Given Henry’s state of mind- of distrust of women in general- this could be disastrous. They cannot wed without Henry’s permission, and he is very apt not to give it. Catherine finds herself waiting for Benjamin, trying to hide her growing belly and wondering if they will manage to marry or if she’ll be punished for having sex, while taking care of Anne of Cleves’s household.

The past comes alive in this book. The minute details of everyday life are illuminated. The sights, sounds, and, yes, smells (not good) of living in those days are described vividly. The endless labor that was done if a person was not royal. The subservient position of women- Catherine’s barely teen son finds it his place to tell her mother how to behave. The fact that people’s lives depended on the king’s whim. This realism, and the tension, is the heart of the novel; the plot itself is fairly simple. Wait, then ride horses for days on end, hoping to outrun the King’s agents. It’s a good book, but it has the feel of a sort of ‘bridge’ from the second to the next one.

Hadn't read the first 2 novels about the King's sisters (nuns) but thoroughly enjoyed this book.. Another interesting facet in the Tudor story.

An absorbing read. I had not come across Sarah Kennedy before and I'm now planning to read her earlier books. Loved The King's Sisters. Perfect choice for Hilary Mantel fans!

The King's Sisters by Sarah Kennedy is an extremely well written, as well as interesting work of historical fiction, however it was a little slow starting for me. After I had gotten a chapter or two into the novel, it began to pick up for me. The slow start could be due to the fact that it is book three in The Cross & the Crown Series, so I had to figure a few things out, as I have not yet read books one and two. However, I don't feel that it is necessary to read the first two books in order to follow along with what is going on in the novel. The main character, Catherine, belongs to Anne of Cleves household in Tudor England. King Henry VIII is still King of England, and has just recently beheaded his queen, Catherine Howard. The atmosphere is that of intrigue and conspiracy, and the main character finds herself embroiled in one intrigue, and must use her wits to stay out of the grasp of Martin David Martins, who is after more and more money and power. Ms. Kennedy does an excellent job at staying true to Tudor history with her novel. I really like that she obviously has done a lot of research, and there are no areas in the novel where I had to really suspend my disbelief. The author also is able to take the facts, and turn it into a tale that reads nothing like a history book, but like a fascinating story that takes the reader right into the midst of Tudor England. I will definitely be looking into books one and two of The Cross & the Crown Series. The only reason I am giving this novel a four, rather than five stars, is the fact that it took a little bit to get into the story. I like to be pulled into a story within the first couple pages, but it took a couple chapters for me to be able to get into this novel.

a great read!