This is the best work of Shakespeare that I have read. It contains jems of wisdom, such as the fall of Cardinal Wolsey, or the sympathetic speaches of Queen Catherine. These are also events of history, not far removed from Shakespeare's own times; tragic events which ultimately reshaped the world we live in.

I am a newcomer to the life of this amazing English king, but this book has been truly fascinating. Well written, informative, and easy to read, I recommend Mrs. Fraser's book to anyone who wants to start learning about Henry. For an expert on the subject, this is probably too basic for you.

This novel is much above the common run of historical novels. It is written with sensitivity, a real gift of poetry in the words. I don't think much of the real protagonists which she was writing about, but Clark manages to create a moving story.

This book takes you back into the childhood of Henry VIII, of the life and times then and of the extradordinary circumstances of his upbringing. It is easier to understand the later events of his life after reading this book. Mary Louise Bruce did a wonderful job of researching and explaining family history.

The stories of the unfortunate Anne Boleyn and the tragic Catherine Howard (Henry VIII's beheaded wives) are linked in this thrilling book by Jean Plaidy. The girls were cousins, and both could be said to have been the wife Henry VIII loved best. Yet he beheaded them. With Anne Boleyn, it was simple. She could not produce a son. False charges were made against her, and she was sentenced to death. Catherine Howard was a young woman, and it is probable that her charges of adultery were true. She was married to an old king and she probably just wanted to marry someone who was her age, a young person. This was evident in Murder Most Royal, and it shows clearly that Henry VIII essentially murdered his wives, but got away with it because he was royal. I liked this book because it had two wives looked at and compared and because of the sympathy shown for both.

Gives history of relations between the Churches of England and Rome, from the beginnings until 1980 (i have the second edition, by Pawley and his wife). Annoying at times, because it assumes knowledge i don't possess (fluency in French, certain historical episodes), and because it sticks strictly to its purpose, refusing to be sidetracked by any of numerous tempting side paths. Nevertheless, a fascinating book, very detailed (at times), and clearly accurate (or a remarkable fraud) where it speaks. Slow reading, because of the detail and the convolutions of history.

This massive, but generally entertaining book has finally arrived after growing from a planned modest TV-tie-in to the largest and possibly the best of recent multibiog coverage of Henry VIII's six queens. But this book is not for the weak of wrist or the Tudor history rookie; the biggest audience will probably be those who have already devoured the lives of the wives by Alison Weir and Antonia Fraiser and know their Tudor history. Starkey hasn't uncovered any new, long-lost documents(although a reidentified portrait of probably a young Catherine of Aragon and one of Catherine Parr, formerly id'ed as Lady Jane Grey grace the book's cover and give us a look at both queens as Henry might have first saw them), but goes back to the surviving original and contemporary sources to attempt to strip off as much of the varnish of previous historical interpretations to get as close as possible to the real women who were Henry VIII's consorts.

This brief but thorough biography of Henry VIII's six wives is simply and effectively written. I first read it as a junior high student, and it has stayed in my mind as an eminently readable, but historically sound analysis of those unfortunate women.

The author, Gladys Malvern, was one of the most prolific writers for young readers in the middle of the 20th century, and wrote a wide range of biographies and historical novels, from Queen Esther in the Old Testament to the lives of actors in the 18th and 19th centuries. Her historical novels, in particular, were mainstays of my childhood, and I would dearly love to see some of them come back into print for my children as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I usually hate history books. It describes all the details of the characters and the time period and really made me feel like I was there, too. I have hated history ever since it was required in college, but this story and the detailed characters have made me long to understand more of the actions of the people involved and I'm now voluntarily going to look into more books on the lives and times of the main kings involved: Henry VIII and Louis XII. I definitely recommend it!

P.C. Doherty brings us another series and another hero, Roger Shallot, who is funny, witty and dishonest. Shallot along with his friend and master Ben are sent on a fact finding mission by Ben's uncle,High Cardinal Wolsey. Shallot and Ben are sent to help Queen Margaret be restored to her throne in Scotland. While doing this they find conspiracies, adultery and murder.

Mr. Doherty continues to be the best writer of historical mysteries I have found