The Queen's Secret

Queens of England #7

by Jean Plaidy

At the power and mercy of the court her life was a struggle to keep the Queen's Secret.

Katherine of Valois is born a princess, the daughter of King Charles VI of France. But by the time Katherine is old enough to know her father, he is called "Charles the Mad," given to unpredictable fits of insanity. Aged 19, she marries Henry V of England in what was a happy but tragically brief union ending with his untimely death.

As Joan of Arc incites the French to overthrow the English, Katherine's loyalty to England is intensely scrutinised so much so her baby son, the new king, is taken from her and she was forbidden to re-marry. The young Queen is alone and desolate. But when she meets handsome Owen Tudor, her life is changed forever as she is drawn into a dangerous but irresistible love.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, British Literature, France, Royalty, Romance

417 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities.
-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Anna Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have memories of always enjoying Jean Plaidy's historical fiction, but this one fell flat for me.

It had momentum in the beginning, during Katharine's childhood with her mad King father (Charles VI of France) and her seductress mother (Isabeau of France). It kept that momentum when Katharine was given in marriage to the new conqueror of their country, Henry V of England. It lost that momentum after Henry's death, which disappointed me because at that point in the story Katharine enters into an illicit relationship with one of her servants, Owen Tudor (that last name sounds vaguely important) and they have to keep their marriage and the multiple children that they have an absolute secret, hence the title "The Queen's Secret". It should arguably be the most interesting, suspenseful part of the book at that point.

The problem for me was that this is written from Katharine's point of view, and she is very blah. I'm sure that the actual Katharine wasn't blah, but Jean Plaidy drops the ball in portraying her. Her only thoughts are how much she loves Owen and her children and how scary it would be to lose Owen and her children. Makes sense to think/feel these things, but when you just read POV variants of those same 2 thoughts for 300 pages it. Gets. So. Repetitive. I kept checking back to make sure Plaidy wasn't copying/pasting because so many of the sentences sounded familiar and similar and just so uninteresting. If the Katharine of this book were a color, she would be the most boring beige.

I gave this book an average 3 stars because the first 1/3 really is adequately interesting and I enjoyed reading both about the royal family of France at that time and about Katharine's arranged marriage with Henry V, the enemy of her country. I am going to have to read more Jean Plaidy to figure out if this was just an anomaly book, or whether my reading tastes have matured and changed so much that Plaidy's writing no longer appeals to me.

[Bonnie Wilson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the "mystery books" that's been laying around the house for years .... have no idea where it came from - some bag sale years ago? Someone left it? I'd never picked it up because I knew that Plaidy was Victoria Holt, but it somehow never made it into one of the donate bags. I finally decided to give it a try.

All I can say is how on earth has this writer sold many millions of books - as of the publication of this edition in '07 was "over 14 million" -? The writing is unbelievably flat and boring. Opening at random:

I knew so well by now the story of Jacqueline's second marriage to the Duke of Brabant who had foolishly allowed himself to be tricked by her scheming uncle, who had made a treaty with the Duke that all the property left by his late brother to his daughter should pass to him.

And it's all like that. Or worse. The love scenes are quite hilarious:

There were times when we lay in bed when Owen would whisper to me of what was going on in France.
"It is always dangerous," he said, "when a country extends its dominions. Communications have to be kept up. Armies have to be sent to guard the outposts. It is never easy."

Such passion! And so convincing as 15th century pillow talk! Just like the protagonist referring to "the ruling class" and constantly wishing she had been born in a "humble cottage" and not a princess.

There are best-selling authors in every genre who are bestsellers because they deliver well-written, engaging tales that allow the reader to suspend disbelief and become immersed in the story. If this book is typical of Plaidy/Holt, she is not one of them.

[Claire Eastin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This seemed written on a juvenile level. It was just a little too "cheesy" for my tastes. Although billed as historical fiction, so much of the book is contrary to the history books of this time period. I am not sure I am interested in reading more by this author, even though I had very high hopes.

[Stacie (MagicOfBooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will also do a video review here at my channel: http://www.youtube.com/magicofbooks

"The Queen's Secret" by Jean Plaidy tells the story of Katherine of Valois, daughter of King Charles VI of France, wife of King Henry V, mother of King Henry VI, and grandmother to King Henry VII. Katherine grows from a princess to a queen and witnesses the wars between France and England and the inspiration of Joan of Arc.

My first Jean Plaidy novel. I've heard nothing but good things about her historical fiction. "The Queen's Secret" was well researched and well written. I think my only negative about the book was that it was a rather short read. I'm used to more lengthy historical fiction. I felt like many of the events in this book, like Katherine's childhood and the death of Henry V, flew by and then she's married to Owen Tudor. I felt like Plaidy took her time with the middle of the story, with Katherine's second marriage and the turmoil going on between France and England and the arrival of Joan of Arc. After the middle, I felt like the entire ending flew by. Owen, Katherine, and their children are separated, they're all imprisoned, and then Katherine dies days after childbirth. The good thing is that this book is in no way boring, nor does it read like a textbook. Just read much too quick for me. I would have liked events to have slowed down and Plaidy to have taken time with the narrative and the development of the characters. Other than the speed of the novel, I had a fun time reading this. I'm still a bit unfamiliar with this bit of the Plantagenet dynasty, though I'm slowly gathering more and more information as I go. Every now and then facts would pop up that I found myself going, "oh, I didn't know that." For instance, I don't think I ever connected the dots that Katherine's sister Isabelle was married to King Richard II.

Overall, a lovely, quick read. I definitely think I want to check out more of Jean Plaidy's novels. I have a feeling they might all be similar in style and length. I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a nice starting point when it comes to Plantagenet/Tudor fiction. Plus, if you don't like numerous, graphic sex scenes, this book was incredibly tame (which I wasn't particularly a fan of, but that may be just me). If you are in need of a quick historical fiction fix, this is certainly a perfect book to pick up.

[Carolina Casas · Rating 5 out of 5]

To this day, Jean Plaidy (real name, Eleanor Hibbert), remains one of my favorite novelists because while she did take liberties, she did a good job making her characters human. And while it has become very popular to make villains or heroes out of these royals, she added a lot of nuance to her novels, especially when it came to forbidden relationships like Owen and Catherine of Valois.
It remains the best depiction of Catherine and Owen Tudor to this day.

[M. Langlinais · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I picked this up because (a) I have a friend who loves this author, (b) I love historical fiction, and (c) this is a period I know little about so wanted to read more about it. But the writing style was so bland to me... There was so little emotion... It was mostly dialogues taking place in settings that weren’t even described much, so it was impossible to picture any of it. No real depth of character, all surface. Really, it felt like the author was using a timeline and just writing dialogue scenes for each event on the timeline—if and when Katherine of Valois wasn’t there for said event, a convenient messenger or some gossip filled in. Just so, so dull. Could not get invested.

[Mandy Moody · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Katherine of Valois, from her childhood in France to her death. I really loved this book, it's my favorite Plaidy so far.
I did find the writing a bit formal and stilted feeling, but that didn't take away from the story. I felt like it actually made Katherine come alive more - as if it was her upbringing and strict manners that influenced the writing.
This book clears up where the Tudor claim to the throne came from...and boy was it tenuous! Not that it ended up mattering, but it was very interesting!

[Heather Mims · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic retelling of the life of Katherine, wife of Henry V and later mother to the Tudor dynasty. One thing I particularly enjoyed about her story is that unlike the majority of other women you read about in this genre, she wasn't particularly concerned with power or advancement. Nothing wrong with those stories either, of course, but I do enjoy a little variety in this respect. I found it lovely to read about her devotion to her family and enduring love for Owen Tudor.

[Elaina Osteen Beatt · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was horrible. The writing style made my eyes bleed. The entire book was completely passive. There was no action, little dialog, no emotion and little to no character development. I wouldn't wish this book on anyone.

[Donie Nelson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was hoping to get a sense of who Catherine of Valois & Owen Tudor were, but instead got cardboard characters and a story that skims the surface of a relationship that changed the course of English history. Very disappointed in this writer.

[Sara W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katherine of Valois, wife Henry V, then (once widowed) started the Tudor line with Owen Tudor

[Alexis (Erlbaum) Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read on Henry viii

[Jojo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: Katherine is the daughter of the king of France however as a child, she grows up in relative squalor as her father has these bouts of madness leaving her mother in charge and her mother is concerned with all her lovers. Eventually, Katherine meets her father and leaves for a more royal life. Though when there's troubles in the country, she and her sisters are sent to live a in convent for a time. As Katherine gets older, a marriage is arranged for her. She is set to marry the king of England (Henry V). It gets delayed as negotiations are made but finally, she meets him and the two are wed. She enjoys his company and soon finds herself with child, however, Henry is often off fighting in France. When Katherine is due to give birth, she is told by Henry not to have the baby at Windsor, however, she disobeys his request. His reasoning is a prophecy he seems to believe and the prophecy pretty much does come true as he dies not too long after. Katherine is now a widow but still considered the queen. She raises her child (Henry VI) but seeing as he's the king of England and all, he is taken away to learn his duties. Meanwhile, Katherine has fall in love with one of her servant: a certain Owen Tudor. They come up with a plan to marry (seeing as she is royal and she fears being set up for another marriage) after Katherine finds out she is pregnant. The two are wed in secret and move out to the country to live their lives in peace. Of course, it's not that simple. Henry is to be crowned. Katherine manages to get out of the coronation in England by feigning illness (really it's that she's pregnant again) but she has an obligation to make it to the one in France so she, along with several of her house members (including Owen) are off. The process takes a lot longer than expected due to lots of fighting. Finally, after two years it happens and Katherine is unable to return to her children. She has two more children with Owen though it causes problems when court members show up on occasion. Henry is still young however he is being told he should be the ruler, not just in name by one of his advisers (Gloucester) so Katherine requests to see him to advise him otherwise. He listens to her and says he will follow what she suggests. But then Gloucester shows up and he pretty much sniffs out that Katherine has this whole other family and since he made it a law that that was illegal (this was after they wed but what does he care), he has Owen arrested. Later, Katherine and her family are all taken away. Katherine winds up in Bermondsey Abbey. She is once again pregnant but she gives birth prematurely and the child does not survive. The book ends with Katherine's death. Oh, and Joan of Arc is there (not at her death but just in the book lol).
Review : I'm always a fan of Jean Plaidy and this book was no different. There's just something about the way she writes historical fiction that works for me. It's also interesting to read this given I've been re-reading every Shakespeare play and left off with Henry V so this is kinda warming me up for Henry VI. Anyway, yeah no real complaints from me.
Grade: A

[Dayanara Ryelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the sort of quiet, cozy book that I was hoping Jean's writing would be. It doesn't have the same verve or excitement of Pippa Gregory's work, and that's just fine!

My only complaint is that there's no track of time in the book, so I only know that I'm currently in 1421 because Catherine is pregnant with Henry.

It would also be nice to have scene divisions, as I like those for a mental stopping point when I want to put down the book. (The chapters are quite long!)

My only other issue is a quibble and might be due to the era being portrayed. For some reason, the author refers to Jacqueline of Hainaut as "Jacqueline of Bavaria", even though she is better known as the former. But perhaps she wasn't called that until later in life or even after her death? (She was Countess of Hainaut from 1417 and Duchess of Brabant the year following.)

=24 Dec=
This book wasn't as good as it could be and suffered from a rushed plot toward the end.

I wanted to say, "What's with all the authors who are obsessed with having their female protags interacting with Jehanne de Domrémy?", but given that this book was written in 1989, the authors all copied Ms. Plaidy.

(I know I've given her several different names over several different reviews through the years. I should probably standardize it as "de Domrémy", since surnames weren't always used in the fifteenth century, but constructing one based on their birthplace certainly was.)

I can't say Catherine didn't have a daughter named "Jacina" if no one is confident about her children—except for having six and two of them being Jasper and Edmund—however, if the consensus is generally that Margaret was the one who became a nun, then it must have been Jacina that died after birth, not the other way around.

Also, Bedford's second wife was "Jacquetta", not "Jacqueline".

⭐⭐½

[Lori Shafer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Queen's Secret follows the life of Katherine of Valois, Queen of England. When most people think of princesses, they think pampered little girls. Katherine's life was far from easy. She and her siblings were horribly neglected by their mother. Their father was attentive when he was sane, but his sanity was often short-lived. Then, Katherine marries the King of England and her life is so wonderful. Even during the best times, the scars left from her childhood remain. When her husband dies and her son is taken from her, she finds a new love and creates a new family.

One aspect of this book I like best is the subject. I have been reading Phillipa Gregory's books on the War of the Roses and it is nice to read about those people's ancestor. Poor Katherine was a sad figure. It seems she just wanted to be safe and happy. Even her happiness comes at a cost.

I also liked the different writing style of Plaidy versus Gregory. I must say Plaidy was a little easier read than Gregory, but the authors differ on the history.

[Cresta · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I seem to have a bit of a liking for old queens of England and their biographies. This one did not disappoint! It's so amazing to me that we know so much about the lives of these people who lived hundreds of years ago! (and of course filling in the blanks with some nice speculation doesn't hurt either!)

The author transports you to a time where a young woman is thrust into the limelight and then almost callously discarded after she's had her baby and her husband dies. She has no idea what to do with herself, her life, or even how to get what she wants once she figures it out. It's heart wrenching without making the main character seem utterly stupid.

The descriptions and verbiage used made the book setting come alive while not muddling the reader down with middle English. You understand what's going on with a sense of the era that makes it seem all too real.

My heart broke for this woman, she was brave and strong in very difficult times.

[Jinni Pike · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book so flat and repetitive. I find it demoralizing that this author has sold "millions of books" when there are undoubtedly much better writers out there struggling to get published. I think the book would only be about a third of the length if the repetition was cut out. She said the same idea multiple times in just slightly different words on the same page. And if the sentiment "I knew these good ole days wouldn't last" were uttered once more I was going to scream. And finally when there's some action and drama, it all wraps up in 10 pages. I'll be passing on any of her other "Queen" books.

[Helen Robare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jean Plaidy is a wonderful historical author. Her subjects are intriguing and because it's history things don't change. Sometimes there are no happy endings but if you back and read more about the subject, you will begin to understand why. Jean Plaidy doesn't get in depth so she is a good author for a first introduction to history (especially British and European history). For anyone who wants to learn about history but doesn't want tons of boring facts listed in order, this is the author for you to start out with.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit disappointing. I'm a big Jean Plaidy fan, and her novel "The Lady in the Tower" is one of my favorite books on Anne Boleyn. In fact, almost all of her Tudor novels were so well done, I had high hopes for this. Instead it sort of ended up reading like a very simplistic, regimented paper written by a high schooler who was unsure on how to cohesively put information together. And oddly enough, it took many more liberties with history than Plaidy (in my experience) is given to taking.

[Sara G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely historical fiction book about Katherine of Valois, and her relationships with both Henry V of England and Owen Tudor. It's told entirely from Katherine's point of view, but manages to discuss the main events of the time, mainly because she was in the middle of most of it! Katherine is a lesser known queen in English history, probably because of her scandalous relationship with the Tudor as well as her short reign, so it was fun to read a decently written book about her.

[Kimberly Watson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a repetition of the same few themes over and over - what a horrible childhood/mother I had, my poor fill-in-the-blank who died, I never knew love until, I was afraid for me/my children/my servants/my husband... and so on. Why say something once when you can say it 25 times and call it a book?

As a lover of historical fiction, this is one of the most juvenile books I've read. Think Tudor Judy Blume without the empathy and charm. Icky.

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had seen Jean Plaidy's books recommended on several historical fiction threads, but her writing style is definitely not to my taste. This book read as though it was a diary with the thoughts of the main character and lacked in providing historical context, descriptive settings, or anything that really helped ground it in a time and a place. It is definitely of its time as well, as the women were portrayed as very passive and shallow.

[Jann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love historical novels but found this one most boring. I just couldn’t get into it. I finally managed to finish it, but I felt like it was supposed to be a love story, yet it was devoid of passion. No characters were developed enough to care much about any of them. And it seemed most improbable that a queen of England could even entertain the idea of marrying secretly after she was widowed, and then thought she somehow could manage to hide five children from public knowledge

[Ann Tonks · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a teenager I was completely addicted to Jean Plaidy novels. Through her books, I learnt so much about English history. I spotted this at a second hand book shop and as it was one of the few of Plaidy's work that I hadn't read, I had to have it. I rather wished that I hadn't - because all of my teenage pleasure is under question. This is so badly written. Endless repetition. Flat tone. Of course, there's great historical research but that's not quite enough for me these days.

[Melissa Everly-kosek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tragic tale of a brave women

Catherine Valois was one of the founders of the Tudor Dynasty. After surviving a horrific childhood, she married King Henry the fifth for political reasons. She then met and married the love of her life Owen Tutor. Although he life ended suddenly and tragically, her offspring and future generations changed the history of the British monarchy. A wonderful book.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really don't think I knew that much about this queen, Katherine. I liked learning about her and her life. The book is written as an memoir, so it only has her point of view. I did not always like the tone and perspective. Also, the description of the book and the actual book did not match, which was rather disturbing to me. I even went back and reread the description. Not a bad read, just not fantastic.

[Vonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Historical fiction is my jam and I am always interested to read about new medieval ladies. Jean Plaidy is a name that I know but now I'm left wondering why she's so well known. The main character was boring, it ended abruptly and there were no notes on what happened (historically) to give it any feeling of closure. Now I have to research to find out because it seriously just ended. Waste of time. I didn't love reading it but at least I wanted to know what happened and that didn't happen either.

[nora · Rating 2 out of 5]

i really don't know how jean plaidy manages to make such fascinating historical figures sound so boring. the only memorable part of this book to me were the couple scenes with henry that foreshadowed his mental illness, and even that was done in a shockingly boring way, considering the subject matter.

[♡ Eri ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I appreciated learning about Catherine of Valois, I must admit this wasn't my favorite book by the author. The writing felt way too simple, lacking the depth and nuance that usually draws me in.
If you're a fan of the author or intrigued by medieval history, you might enjoy it, but it didn't quite resonate with me.

[Briana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great entry into the Queens of England series. The book was a little slower than some of the other books in the series, but it gave a nice look into what Katherine may have been feeling during her very interesting life.