The Last Wife of Henry VIII by Carolly Erickson

At times, Erickson sacrifices historical accuracy for drama, e.g., when she attempts to elicit sympathy by saying that Alexandra looked middle-aged at 33, although that was not rare for a mother of four in pre-revolutionary Russia. 'Unless help came from a divine source,' Erickson writes, 'he would surely succumb to one of the terrible attacks of bleeding.' Though the rest of the story is familiar-Alexis's illness led the family to an increasing fascination with the occult and the spiritual healer Rasputin-this accomplished historical biographer tells it with style and suspense. Erickson also draws attention to the difficulties the husband and wife faced as they struggled to produce a male heir, first having three daughters before they sired the hemophiliac Alexis.

Erickson humanizes the granddaughter of Britain's Queen Victoria by detailing the romance between the two young cousins, 'Alix' and 'Nicky.' One of the book's strengths is its emphasis on the private life of the court. But in this entertaining, if not completely convincing, account, Erickson ( Bloody Mary) paints a sympathetic portrait of the German-born empress. In The Last Wife of Henry VIII, critically acclaimed author Carolly Erickson brings this dramatic story of survival and redemption to life.The wife of Nicholas III, the tsar who was overthrown in 1917 by the Russian Revolution, Alexandra has long been viewed by Russian historians as narrow-minded, reactionary and hysterical. Catherine won the contest, but at great cost. Her triumph was shadowed by rivalry with the young Princess Elizabeth, whose lands and influence the lecherous Seymour coveted. She was spared by his death and married the attractive but dangerously unbalanced Seymour. She managed to evade execution, but she knew that the king had his wandering eye fixed on wife number seven. King Henry toyed with her, first ordering her arrested, then granting her clemency. While victims of the king's wrath suffered torture and execution, Catherine persevered-until, at last, she came within the orbit of the royal fury. Her story, as Carolly Erickson re-creates it, is page-turning drama: from the splendors of the Field of the Cloth of Gold to the gory last years of the outsize King Henry, when heads rolled and England trembled, Catherine bestrode her destiny and survived to marry her true love.Ĭatherine Parr attracted the king's lust and, though much in love with the handsome Thomas Seymour, was thrown into the intrigue-filled snake pit of the royal court.

Most Popular Audio Between 5 and 10 Hours LongĪuthor of The Hidden Diary of Marie AntoinetteĬourageous, attractive, romantic, intelligent, Catherine Parr became the sixth wife of Henry VIII.Most Popular Audio Between 3 and 5 Hours Long.

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The Last Wife of Henry VIII by Carolly Erickson