The Waiting Game: The Untold Story of the Women Who Served the Tudor Queens

by Nicola Clark, Karen Cass (reader)

Who taught Catherine of Aragon English, helped Anne Boleyn get dressed in the morning, discussed sex with Anne of Cleves, or pushed religious revolution with Kathryn Parr?

Every queen had ladies-in-waiting. Her confidantes and chaperones, they are the forgotten agents of the Tudor court. Ever present and yet hidden behind the scenes, these women held the secrets and the hearts of some of the Tudor period's most powerful men and women. Experts at survival, negotiating the competing demands of their families and their queen, the ladies-in-waiting of Henry VIII's wives were far more than decorative 'extras': they were serious political players who changed the course of history, and four of them became queen themselves. The Waiting Game is the first to tell their story.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Biography, Tudor Period, British Literature, Adult

1 pages, Audio CD

First published April 25, 2024

Reviews

[Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

we love a book about girls’ girls

Also!!!! This quote!!!! Women’s history does not need to be exceptional to be relevant

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more I read about King Henry VIII, the more I am convinced that he would be termed a "fuck boy" if he were alive today.

Having multiple mistresses and fathering children by them - ✅
Forcibly changing his subjects' religion and putting himself at the head of the English church just so he could divorce his wife and marry Anne Boleyn - ✅
Becoming engaged to Jane Seymour the day after executing Anne Boleyn - ✅
Making gross, derogatory statements about Anne of Cleves when his marriage to her became politically inconvenient - ✅
Marrying a naive teenager young enough to be his daughter, getting the ick at her being "used goods" (rich coming from a man with a festering leg), and having her beheaded for alleged adultery - ✅
Changing the English law at whim to suit his circumstances and satisfy his thirst for revenge against any perceived wrong - ✅

Ginormous fuck boy confirmed.

This book looks at the Tudor court through the eyes of the various queens' ladies-in-waiting. I appreciated the author's exploration of women's rights and liberties (or lack thereof) during this time. Though a queen's ladies were ostensibly her closest confidantes, this did not always mean loyalty. Many became mistresses to the king and even bore his children, and the queen was simply expected to put up with it (any indiscretion by the queen would be high treason, though). Ladies in waiting were also used as spies against the queen and, when it came down to it, their testimonies were used in court to condemn the king's enemies (aka anyone who fell out of his capricious favor) to death.

One of the most poignant sections was the devotion of Catherine of Aragon's servants. Though she was diminished in social standing and lost the title of queen, many of her ladies stayed with her until her death and refused to think of her as anything other than their sovereign. Maria de Salinas, one of Catherine's closest ladies-in-waiting, even defied strict orders to stay away from the former queen and came to be at Catherine's side upon her death.

All things considered, the profession of a courtier was not for the weak hearted - one's fortune could plummet as quickly as it could rise. Doubly so for a courtier at Henry VIII's court.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Women’s history does not need to be extraordinary in order to be relevant”

[Juliew. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historically accurate and very well written but my only wish was that it would have focused more on the mudane every day existence of these endlessly fascinating women.They were chronologically ordered starting with Catherine of Aragon's ladies in waiting and ending with Kathryn Parr's.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

My April audiobook and I was obsessed! This tells Tudor history through the ladies in waiting and goes on as much detail that is available about their lives. Really fun way to learn about the Tudor court.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the topic and learning more about the Tudors but so hard to follow as everyone has the same name.

[Kiera ☠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 (rounded up for GoodReads) full review to come

[History Today]

It’s tough to find a new angle on Tudor history but Nicola Clark has an excellent one in The Waiting Game: The Untold Story of the Women Who Served the Tudor Queens (W&N). Clark explores the lives and fates of the ladies-in-waiting who witnessed the drama of the Tudor court, with a sharp eye for the different ways they navigated the ebbs and flows of fortune.

Read History Today’s Books of the Year 2024 at https://www.historytoday.com/archive/...

Catherine Fletcher is Professor of History at Manchester Metropolitan University and author of The Roads to Rome: A History (Bodley Head)

[Victoria Sanchez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so ready to get some fresh details of life at court, or learn more of lesser known women but unfortunately, I haven't learned anything new. I don't think this says anything ill of the author (she is a good writer). As she tells us in the beginning, there was little written by or about the subjects during this time period, and the author's information had to be culled from other records not speaking directly to the lives of these women. Fiction writers, on the other hand, are free to add personality and details that a non-fiction writer cannot. This is no fault of Nicola Clark so I leave no rating.

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent

Terrificly interesting look at some of women who were ladies in waiting to the wives of Henry VIII. The Tudor story would seemingly be played out after the multitude of Tudoriana, novels, biographies, television shows, etc. etc. etc. Yet Clark found a new way in, relating the history of the wives through the ladies’ eyes plus writing their own fascinating stories. It’s interesting over the years how Henry’s reputation has waxed and mostly waned; he is portrayed, rightly so, as a misogynist tyrant here. But the wives, for the first time I’ve read, also come in for some skepticism, a perspective I appreciated.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Women's history does not need to be exceptional for it to be fascinating ... women of history do not need to be "girlbossified". If we allow normal women to exist, then they are still worthy subjects of history"

Absolute banger, justice for Catherine Parr and Jane Rochford

[Audri Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Women's history does not need to be exceptional to be relevant."

It was refreshing to read a text entirely centered around women and their relationships with one another and not the men they wed. I did anticipate reading a bit more about the mundane aspects of servitude, but given the remaining records, this book largely centered around political intrigue and extremely influential women.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone familiar with Tudor history has come across the names of some of the ladies-in-waiting of the Queens. In history (as in fiction, TV, and films) about the Tudors, they are ever-present background figures.

Author Nicola Clark has brought the lives of these women into the foreground by telling the story of King Henry VIII's reign through the perspective of some of the women who served his Queens.

Ladies-in-waiting to royalty were not merely window-dressing, as they are so often portrayed. Their access to and intimacy with the Queen made them behind-the-scenes power brokers. They could and did act as advisors, counselors, messengers, and spies for their Queen as well as servants and chaperones. Foreign ambassadors and those seeking favors or patronage often sought out ladies-in-waiting, recognizing them as valuable sources of inside information and influence.

As Henry's reign progressed and resulted in the highest turnover of queens consort ever seen in a single reign, it became increasingly dangerous to serve a Tudor Queen. Some ladies-in-waiting were legally prosecuted and even executed for enabling or trying to cover up their Queen's supposed misdeeds.

This book examines how these women navigated the tightrope of royal service. The first two parts focus on the women who served Queens Catharine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, while the third section deals with the four remaining queens. An epilogue at the end summarizes the experiences of some of the the ladies-in-waiting to Henry's daughters Queens Mary and Elizabeth.

The scarcity and sparsity of the written source materials for Henry's last four queens makes the third section of the book feel rushed. But the author does a good job of dealing with what information she was able to find, pointing out the different ways the ladies-in-waiting dealt with their conflicting loyalties.

Highly recommended for anyone who wants a fresh and different perspective of Tudor history.

[Charley Robson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really, really enjoyed this book; eminently readable, generally well paced, and presenting a nicely balanced view of where historical record simply runs out of the material and the author has to list possibilities rather than being able to share something more definite. Clark can very nicely sidestep massive gaps in information - letters that didn't survive, omissions in records, incorrect or mutable names etc - whilst still holding onto a sense of narrative and pace that keeps things moving nicely.

I did feel the end of the book got a little tight, and some of the more detailed, grounded, 'day in the life' bits of personal and sociocultural commentary were left out as we got to later queens. I'd have liked a bit more of that, even if there wasn't necessarily much to say where things stayed the same - hell, commenting on that kind of continuity would have been interesting in its own right - but it's very clear that Clark was working with pretty scant surviving records by that point, so I can't blame her for sticking to what she had to keep things on track.

I had never heard of most of these women, or their stories, except at most as footnotes in the tales of better-known contemporaries. I thoroughly enjoyed learning their names and stories, and commend the stated aims and beliefs in Clark's epilogue about the value of these stories and these women's lives.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 star 🌟!!! ‘Women’s history does not need to be extraordinary to be relevant’ ❤️❤️❤️

Fantastic book about my favourite era, my Roman Empire the Tudors❤️ such an interesting read about the impact and influence of the true ladies in waiting, also amazing to read as an audiobook

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that I wouldn't be interested in anything else about Henry VIII England, but this was extremely interesting.

[Carly Macdowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading about the Tudor period through the lens of the queens’ ladies in waiting. Further proof that Henry was indeed the worst. “Women’s history doesn’t need to be extraordinary to be relevant”!!!

[aislyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was fine, wished it went more in depth however i did enjoy reading this and was excited to do so. just felt left wanting more and not in a good way, hm, a solid way to pass recovery from surgery. it just wasn’t very illuminating which is fine, i understand there is a lack of source material but still. also it was apparent the author thought anne boleyn somewhat guilty or duplicitous when historical consensus is sure she was not, my girl still rent free in these gworls heads, nearly 500 years later lmao

okay more thoughts: also author seemed to dismiss katherine howard’s very real grooming???
LOOK i know this was not about the queens explicitly per say but a lot of framing in passing is very…yikes to say the least.

the book is fine if somewhat lacking, it will scratch a tudor history itch if you have one.

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t finish this book. The Waiting Game is perhaps best for those who are more deeply fascinated by this period of history. Its subtitle, “The Untold Story of the Women Who Served the Tudor Queens,” is accurate but a little misleading. The actual records are scant, and so Nicola Clark must rely on the few available, which leads her to focus on various individuals at different times, which makes this less than satisfying as a narrative. There is also the matter of the repetition of names (so many Marys and Elizabeths) and the difficulty of keeping the different ladies straight. This is a carefully researched book and one written with an agreeably feminist undertone; Clark cheers on the women who defied convention whenever she can find them. But as someone who has always found the reign of Henry VIII one of the most troubling in the history of English kings, it was a bit disappointing to find these stories not as gripping as I expected.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Women's history does not need to be exceptional to be relevant."

This was an engaging read! While Clark explains the major points of Henry VIII's marriages, this book will be enjoyed more so by readers who have a familiarity of his reign. This shouldn't be anyone's first dive into the fuckery that is Henry and women, in that I'm not sure all the details regarding the women's stories can be fully appreciated without an understanding of the traditional narrative -- how the women's stories are usually told (or, rather, not told).

For example, while reading, I learned about the shifting political alliances that likely determined Henry's decision to divorce Anna of Cleves. In the past, I have encountered two common explanations of this decision: 1.) Her portrait was inaccurate OR 2.) She wasn't nice enough to Henry when he jump-scared her as their first meeting. So, learning about the politics and hearing some excerpts from Anna's ambassador to England (he accused Henry of treating Anna as a prostitute!!) expanded my understanding of their marriage and this period of Henry's reign.

I found Clark's writing to be accessible, though there were two patterns that bothered me:
1.) Clark has a tendency to start chapters in media res, with juicy details to pull the reader in. However, these occurrences were rarely dated -- I had to keep reading for a few pages to determine what year we were in. Clark shared the women's stories mostly in chronological order, but as she discussed many people, sometimes the chronology was not clear. I would have appreciated more signposting whether in the text itself or in chapter headings to know where we were in time.
2.) What makes this book really special is the inclusion of knowledge/gossip/rumors from archival materials -- Clark has obviously spent time close reading letters/poems/etc and shares the deets with us (see the prostitute tidbit above!!!). However, when Clark quotes from these sources directly, she doesn't always interpret or explain the excerpt. I often had to pause to puzzle over the Tudor syntax and diction, and would move on without fully getting the quotation. I wish Clark would have taken a step beyond presenting this archival material to more fully interpret it for those of us who aren't as familiar with Tudor-era language.

Overall, I enjoyed this! Recommend for my Six-listening, Tudors-watching, Royal Diaries of Elizabeth I-reading casual Tudor fans.

[Taylor M · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐ Read as an audiobook.
"Women's history does not need to be exceptional to be relevant."

Nicola Clark did a phenomenal job telling the stories of these women who had such an intimate and powerful role in the Tudor court. It's not an insight you get much in historical books, if at all, due to the nature of the job as well as lack of surviving documents. For such a short, entertaining read the author achieves a narrative that provides thorough, well-researched information without being bogged down and dry.

I will say that some of the points the author made - pertaining to Mary Boleyn's children's parentage as well as feelings surrounding the innocence of Anne of Cleves- did feel counter to what many reads will convey. Frankly, I don't know how much I agree with her on a few points, however, every argument made is surrounded with salient points and research.

What I really appreciated about this book was that these women were not villainized for acting in ways that are incredibly human. Trying to climb the social ladder, plotting in secret, or even basic disagreements between maid and queen are all very human activities that anyone could relate with. We all have disagreements with coworkers or bosses, we all make mistakes in social interactions. There stakes were higher as well as different due to both their gender as well as the court in which they moved. The queens and the ladies that served them were given room to be flawed and that can be missing from historical reads.

Her writing reminds me of Tracy Borman's books. It was a fast read but also informative. However, having some prior knowledge over Tudor history- particularly Henry VIII's court- would benefit a reader immensely. Overall, Clark does an excellent job handling all the grand to minute details of the lives of women who were meant to fade into the background.

[dany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was enjoyable and informative enough to make it 4 stars, but I'm downgrading it to 3, mostly because only 70% of this book is actually about the ladies-in-waiting. That's to be expected, since most of his queens were former ladies themselves, and we don't have lots of extant records for many of the other women. However, I feel that we could have had more trivial details to fill up the other 30% rather than talk of the king, the military, etc. outside of what was directly related to the ladies. I would not have minded at all hearing more about clothes, hygiene, art...all things very relevant to these women's lives outside of immediate political intrigue.

The other 30% could also have been dedicated to the other Tudor queens, Mary I and Elizabeth I. Yes, despite the title, this book is actually only about the ladies of the six wives of Henry VIII. Perhaps there is too much information about the ladies of the queens regnant, so they wouldn't have fit in this book? I'm not sure, but I would have liked to see it, especially since queens regnant are very different from these queens consort. I can imagine that women under Mary I would have had very unique lives as well as the ladies of Elizabeth I, much different than the ones serving queen wives. I would have loved to hear about Elizabeth's ladies and their views on her marriage prospects and denial of such, since relationship drama was such a big part of this book's content already.

I will say the book made me even less sympathetic to Jane Seymour which can be a pro or a con, whatever you'd like.

[Min · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had fun with this! It's definitely for those of us who study history and wonder what women of the time thought, since no one ever bothers to chronicle their experiences and feelings. Nicola Clark acknowledges this limitation in The Waiting Game, but still manages to deliver a fresh, engaging perspective on Henry VIII's reign.

My only grouse was that it became increasingly difficult to keep up with the number of Catherines, Mary's and Janes as I got further into the book, especially since a lot of them were related by blood or by marriage. A family/relationship tree would have been very helpful

[Azora · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite nonfiction audiobooks in memory— a retelling of Henry VIII’s marriages thru the eyes of the ladies in waiting at court. If you’re a big Tudor history buff you won’t learn much new but you will enjoy the ride!

[Jaclyn Loschiavo · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Waiting Game shows that if we simply allow women to exist in the past on their own terms there is no need for explicit “gilbossification”; they are a fascinating historical lens in their own right. Women’s history does not need to be exceptional to be relevant.”

LOVE

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Women's history does not need to be exceptional to be relevant" 🔥

[ry · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Where once employment in the queen’s service had been merely a route to a better marriage, now it was, quite literally, a matter of life and death.”
4💫
The Tudor era is so chaotic and I love it.

[Jilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

a book for the girlies 💅 we love a good historical era TMZ and Clark came in w the receipts.

[Emma Warrner · Rating 4 out of 5]

really enjoyed this one thanks gia

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this— fascinating to read an alternate perspective of court life in this time period