12x12: The King's Curse

The King's Curse

by Philipa Gregory

This is a book by my favorite author - she writes about Tudor England almost exclusively, and her historical fiction books are amazing! So when I saw this book (one of the few by her I've never read) at a store and got excited, I was so grateful when my grandma bought it for me! I only had to wait about two months to read it, so this is probably the fastest I've been able to read a book for this project! Also, this was my 8th book of the year out of 12!

What I Loved:

• My first Tutor-related book I ever read was from the perspetive of Mary (Henry VIII's daughter), who was raised by the main character in this book (Margaret). She's one of the only big historical figures in the Tudor times that I haven't read about. She was also an "enemy" of Anne Boleyn, who I fell in love with in high school. Needless to say, it was a very different perspective for me, and in the best kind of way.
• As in all Philipa Gregory books, the writing is phenominal. They're so easy to read while also being complex and interesting, and this book was no different!
• I feel like every time I read a Philipa Gregory book, I get another piece of this complex, social puzzle that was Henry VIII and his wives. It was so political, subtle, dangerous, and I love learning how all those pieces fit together. This book covered a character/person who I had never experienced, but it answered a lot of questions I didn't even know I had about Margaret Pole!

What I Wasn't Crazy About:

• If I had to find something I wasn't crazy about, the book jumps ahead during a few chapters by five years or so. I get it, because Margaret Pole lived a full, long life, and it would be really hard to write a book about her entire life (even the boring days) from her perspective.

Would I Recommend This Book?

• 100% yes!! I absolutely loved this book. I mean, it wasn't The Other Boleyn Girl, which will forever remain my favorite Philipa Gregory book, but The King's Curse was really good! It really changed my perspective about Margaret Pole and Catherine of Aragon. I had never even considered how Margaret Pole influenced the people around her or where she was (literally) coming from.

Have you ever read Philipa Gregory's books? Which is your favorite? Have you ever read this book?