The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

From the Publisher

"I am Catalina, Princess of Spain, daughter of the two greatest monarchs the world has ever known...and I will be Queen of England."

Thus, bestselling author Philippa Gregory introduces one of her most unforgettable heroines: Katherine of Aragon. Daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, Katherine has been fated her whole life to marry Prince Arthur of England. When they meet and are married, the match becomes as passionate as it is politically expedient. The young lovers revel in each other's company and plan the England they will make together. But tragically, aged only fifteen, Arthur falls ill and extracts from his sixteen-year-old bride a deathbed promise to marry his brother, Henry; become Queen; and fulfill their dreams and her destiny.

My Comments

What a wonderful read! After first reading The Other Boleyn Girl, I became completely enthralled with the author and her books about this time period. Having never read historical fiction before, I am so grateful to my online Booklovers Group for suggesting it. It completely opened my eyes to a new genre I adore.

While this novel wasn't quite as compelling as The Other Boleyn Girl, I really hate to compare them. I was so curious about what Katherine of Aragon was like before she came to court. Before she become King Henry VIII's queen. My curiosity has been sated!

And while this is historical fiction, the research the author has done really shines through. There is some debate about the facts, and the author has definitely taken literary license, but history has become enthralling! I look forward to reading The Queen's Virgin, The Queen's Fool and definitely The Bolelyn Inheritance I've heard such amazing things about.

While The Constant Princess takes place first historicially, there really isn't an order to this "series" and can be considered stand alones.

I'll definitely be keeping this on my shelf for a while longer. I can't part with it just yet, but I will be loaning it out to my mother who I managed to addict to Gregory as well. I love sharing a good book!