REVIEW: The Rose without a Thorn by Jean Plaidy

The Rose Without a Thorn, the 11th and final book in Jean Plaidy's Queens of England Series is the story of Katherine Howard, the 5th wife of Henry VIII, told in her own words.

It begins with her imprisonment in the tower where she asks her scribe to aid her in recounting her life before her sentence of execution for treason is carried out. She then takes us back to where she first garners notice in her family and continues on to her upbringing in the house of her grandmother, the dowager Duchess of Norfolk and how the environment there set her on the path to her eventual downfall.

You have to feel sorry for both Katherine Howard and Henry VIII, Katherine because she was so young and did the same things many other girls her age probably did and it only became an issue because she became the wife of the King. You also have to feel for Henry VIII even though he could be quite the tyrant because he was getting up there in years at this point and finally thought he had found true love only to have this illusion completely crushed.

I was already really familiar with the story of Katherine Howard but I really liked how Plaidy told this one. I think this is one of her better books in the Queens of England series and a really fast and easy read too. I admit to being an addict of the Showtime series the Tudors and even though that is pure entertainment, Plaidy's novels give a much more accurate picture of the time period. I'm kind of sad that I'm done with this series. :(

If the FTC is wondering: This book is from my own personal library