Katherine Howard: The Tragic Story of Henry VIII's Fifth Queen

by Josephine Wilkinson

Katherine Howard was little more than a child when she married Henry VIII, and just 18 when she was beheaded in the Tower of London. this sympathetic biography sheds new light on the life of a kind, intelligent young woman trapped by sexual abuse, family ambition, religious conflict and political intrigue.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Tudor Period, Royalty, Historical, British Literature

320 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2016

About the author

Dr Josephine Wilkinson received a First Class Honours degree from the University of Newcastle. She was the winner of the Third Year Prize for her work on The Little Apocalypse, which placed Mark chapter 13 into its historical context, and the Jewish Studies Prize for her historical study of the community at Qumran. She remained at Newcastle, earning an MPhil for her thesis on the historical John the Baptist (as close to a biography as is possible to do); her PhD traced historical traditions and legends of John the Baptist across several cultures as well as art, literature and film.

She was a scholar-in-residence at Gladstone's Library in Hawarden (formerly St Deiniol's Library), Britain's only residential library. This was founded in 1898 by the great Victorian statesman, William Gladstone. Great Britain's only Prime Ministerial library, it is based on Gladstone's personal collection. Dr Wilkinson has also held an honorary post at the University of Glasgow.

The recipient of a British Academy award, she is the author of a two volume biography of Richard III, the first volume of which, Richard III, the Young King To Be, has been published by Amberley. She is currently writing volume two. Other books are Mary Boleyn: The True Story of Henry VIII's Favourite Mistress, The Early Loves of Anne Boleyn and The Princes in the Tower. She lives in the attic of a mediaeval house within the city walls of York.

Follow her blog: http://josepha-josephine-wilkinson.bl...

Reviews

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always had a soft spot for Katherine Howard, the young girl caught up in the political machinations of her family and married off to Henry VIII when she was still in her teens. Views of her oscillate between the slutty girl and the victim - and Wilkinson comes down strongly on the latter side. She supports her reading with evidence of the generalised cultural misogyny of the times though perhaps overplays it given the prevalence of powerful Tudor women who managed to co-exist alongside the negative stereotypes of femininity..

The issue, as so often is the case in this period, is that evidence is sparse, and what there is is very open to interpretation. Wilkinson is far from impartial, and is selective in her evidence, for example choosing the latest of Katherine's possible birth dates (1520-5) in order to make her as young as possible - but she writes a great story, navigating easily through the complexities of the period.

Where this sometimes falls down is in how things happen? How does a well brought up and chaperoned Howard girl of 11 manage to be seen walking out alone with her music tutor who is forcing his unwanted sexual attentions on her? How, in Lambeth, can we believe that Francis Dereham is routinely forcing her into unwanted and uncomfortable sex when they are in full view of a dormitory of female companions who joke about their relationship? Wilkinson is sometimes so keen to push this view of Katherine as unwilling child victim with no-one to talk to that she trips over her own evidence.

Inevitably, this is as much about the Howards, the Culpeppers, and the Tudor court as it is about Katherine herself. It certainly won't be the definitive or last word on Katherine but it complements all the fictional re-tellings of her story and is a very enjoyable read.

[V.E. Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The traditional portrayal of Katherine Howard, the second of Henry VIII's wives he had beheaded, has always tended to paint her as a ditzy, silly, somewhat sluttish girl who largely brought her fate upon herself though her lasciviousness and lack of guile. I've always found that portrayal to be incredibly unfair so I approached this latest biography of her with a touch of apprehension. Happily though, Josephine Wilkinson has gone against the grain and produced a book that is, in my opinion, a sympathetic and even handed appraisal of an enormously tragic historic figure. I found the chapters on Katherine's neglectful 'upbringing' by her relative, the Duchess of Norfolk, and the abuse she suffered at the hands of both Henry Mannock and Francis Dereham, especially interesting and insightful. After her experiences with those men, especially Dereham, Katherine was doomed as far as surviving Henry VIII was concerned. Few did of course but the deck was especially stacked against her. The recurring thought that went through my mind as I read this book was 'poor kid'. I'm glad that Josephine Wilkinson has redressed the balance a bit for her cause.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting biography of Henry VIII's fifth wife Katherine Howard.

It challenges the commonly held view of Katherine, and puncture all the "facts" we think we know like so many balloons full of hot air.

A must read for anyone interested in the Tudor period.

[G. Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, and finally an author who recognises Katherine Howard's early life as abusive. All too often portrayed as the Tudor 'good time girl', here Katherine is shown as the vulnerable child she was, and portrayed in a sympathetic light

[Saturday's Child · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a well written book. One thing that struck me when I finished it, was how different Katherine Howard's life might have been if only she had not been at the Court of Henry VIII.

[ktheland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't completely unfamiliar with Katherine Howard's story before I began reading this book. It took me a little while to finish it and write this review, but I did it. It's all over the place and jumbled but that's my style. Most of the stuff following are just notes I took while reading.

----
What the author says about how the proceedings against Katherine could not have taken place except if they were direct orders from him (meaning Henry) is very poignant. Because we can also endeavor that it was the same case with AB. Anne wouldn't have been imprisoned, trialed, and executed without Henry wishing it to be so.

I mean look at the stark differences in Katherine's and Anne's imprisonment. He allows the former to surround herself with people she likes and trusts. On the other hand he completely isolates Anne and surrounds her with people who don't like her and who are expressly ordered to report back on the things she says.

More so both Anne and Katherine's case shows how willing and quick Henry is to dispatch his supposed favorites like Culpepper and Norris, which supports my personal theory that Henry VIII was a psychopath.

The way he just "falls out of love" is horrifying. One second, he's completely pledged to you and the next he's ordering your beheading because you hurt his fragile ego by "allowing" yourself to be molested and groomed at the tender age of 13 by adult men.

Do I think Cromwell was involved? Of course, but the reactions of Henry VIII to Anne and Katherine's downfalls are drastically different and paint a clear and cruel picture. With Anne he's quick to believe it, he even says Anne could have slept with hundreds of men. Because who knows what Anne is capable of?!

With Katherine he is in disbelief, he asks his Privy Council to investigate it.

All in all, he's the King, his will is the final will.

I don't think Katherine was guilty of any adultery. She was lonely in a marriage with an old king who was impotent (as attested by Anne and George Boleyn - the latter most likely heard it from his wife who was close to Anne despite popular belief).

There wasn't even some semblance of impartiality in Catherine's case. No sham trial like in Anne's case. They wanted to charge Katherine's elderly stepmother simply because this happened under her roof, and she wasn't paying attention. It's ridiculous.

Don't mistake me. I don't in any way, in the slightest, feel bad for either Dereham or Culpepper. But like the author says, Henry's ego was hurt because he was using Katherine as a way of regaining his lost youth. And that's why he was gonna kill anybody who knew anything about it.

I actually can't believe the SOB Mannox got away with it.

I will say it. Norfolk is a POS. He's literally trash. He would sell his own mother to maintain his position. I mean he did, he let his stepmother get the blame; she faced the danger of being executed.
---

Regarding my feelings about this book: it started a little slow but picked up towards the end. I recommend this book to readers who want more of a story-like history book, there's less of 'facts and figures'. The author also analyses the characters and explains why they do what they do (like seen in one of the quotes below) and I liked that.

Unlike other reviewers I don't believe the author is biased, she's sympathetic to Katherine.

Like I said before, it is almost certain that Katherine wasn't guilty of adultery. Both she and Culpepper swore they had never been intimate except Culpepper said they meant to which is only intent to commit adultery. They also talked about or imagined the king's death which was treason in Tudor England and that was what actually doomed them and sentenced them to death. Some queens had cheated on their spouses but were shut up in nunneries, not murdered.

But Henry VIII was a different kind of king, like I mentioned before. He wanted his council to uncover as much evidence they could for the pretext of executing Katherine. This book isn't about Jane Boleyn, so I didn't mention it, but she didn't do anything except chaperone Katherine and Culpepper when they met. And for that she was killed. This is all about Henry's fragile ego. He would have killed the elderly Duchess if he could have gotten away with it.

Here's some quotes I pulled from the book that I found just super interesting. Just because.

Chapuys confirmed Marillac's report. Henry, he wrote, had 'wonderfully felt the case of the Queen, his wife, and that he has certainly shown greater sorrow and regret at her loss than at the faults, loss, or divorce of his preceding wives'.

In fact, I should say that this king's case resembles very much that of the woman who cried more bitterly at the loss of her tenth husband than she had cried on the death of all nine put together, though all of them had been equally worthy people and good husbands to her: the reason being that she had never buried one of them without being sure of the next, but that after the tenth husband she had no other one in view, hence her sorrow and her lamentations. Such is the case with the King, who, however, up to this date does not seem to have any plan or female friend to fall back upon.

Chapuys's attempt at psychoanalysis captures Henry's predicament perfectly. Quite simply, the much married king had hoped and expected to live out the rest of his days with Queen Katherine by his side. Now that dream was gone, and it took with it the last remnants of Henry's youth. The gallant lover that had been reawakened in the king gave way to a vengeful monster, a tyrant.

[Francis Dereham] had taken Katherine's virginity, her innocence, and ruined her for the king. What was worse, the revelation that Katherine had never really been his had robbed Henry of the exquisite but fragile illusion that he had recaptured his lost youth.

Here's one that starts the epilogue of this book that I feel is good enough to finish this review.

Katherine Howard had not been a queen long enough to allow history to judge her in that role. The evidence she left behind - her eagerness to show patronage, her intercession on behalf of felons, her willingness to fulfil her religious obligations and her kindness - suggests that she would have been as good a queen as any of Henry's wives.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found out quite a bit: more about Katherine Howard, more about how Henry treated her( gentlemanly) and more about the who and why. Another fixed trial, another beheaded woman.

Katherine didn't know how to treat servants.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent biography of an often forgotten queen! If you are well acquainted with Katherine, you might not find many surprises, but it is a great book for any new to this young queen. Very well written and succinct!

[Lucia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book really changed my opinion of Katherine Howard for the better. I was looking for a biography of Jane Seymour in my local library when I picked this up. I had seen it in several shops before, but had never had the urge to read a 'proper biography' back when it first came out. Moreover, previously I had always pictured Katherine Howard as a silly, vain girl who knew no better and was stupid enough to commit adultery even after her cousin, Anne Boleyn, was beheaded for it. So I only borrowed this because I couldn't find a biography of Jane Seymour, only to discover that actually my interpretation of Katherine Howard was almost entirely wrong.

I think I was a little harsh when I judged Katherine, not understanding the circumstances through which she had been born. Truthfully, she was one of the wives who did not interest me as much (though now she is one of my favourites). But her tale is actually a very moving and tragic story.

Katherine did not have an easy upbringing - her father was governing Calais, and she was under the care of the Duchess Agnes Howard, along with many other girls. She was only very young when she was taken advantage of by two possessive young men, and, for her age, I admire the way she tried to control the situation. It is clear that she did not take kindly to this treatment, but I know I, at that age, would have been incredibly afraid, especially in an ear where a woman's purity was cherished.

Upon becoming queen, she was actually a sensible and kind character, who did not try to make religious segregations. She was not as I had imagined. I find it devastating that the evidence used against her was so inaccurate - though her downfall wasn't as orchestrated as Anne Boleyn's, the fact that she was a woman meant that her side of things weren't considered to the full - her personal feelings were never even mentioned. It was very much a man's world. The fact that the king and his council could twist practically anything into treason is horrific. Henry was like a child - and because he loved Katherine so much, it made him hate her more when he thought she had betrayed him.

This was an extremely well written and well researched biography of Katherine Howard that I found relatively smooth and easy to read, whilst it was still complex. I did find it became a little quote-heavy towards the end, when it was exploring Katherine's trial, which slowed my reading a little and made it a little tedious, but mainly, I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend it to anyone interested in the Tudor era.

[Francis Franklin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last week I watched the two-part TV series Henry VIII (2003) with Helena Bonham Carter as Anne Boleyn (Wife No. 2; decapitated) and Emily Blunt as Anne's young cousin Katherine Howard (Wife No. 5; decapitated).

In this adaptation, the first time we see Katherine she is making passionate love to a young man (Francis Dereham). Later she is introduced to the king (approx. age 49) with instructions to catch his eye, which she does, and very soon they are married. However, the young, passionate queen is unable to resist the handsome Thomas Culpeper - or she uses him to do what the supposedly impotent king is unable to do - and embarks on an affair that is her undoing.

In this narrative, Henry VIII is clearly a victim of a 'loose woman', a sexually experienced woman who has tricked the king and seduced him out of ambition, only to commit the unpardonable treason of adultery. Alas poor Henry.

Emily Blunt was approx. 20 at the time of filming, and the date of Katherine's birth is something of a puzzle, but Josephine Wilson (How Old was Katherine Howard? ) argues that Katherine was born in 1525, or possibly late 1524. If so, she was approx. 17 when executed; approx. 15 when she married Henry; and approx. 13 when Francis Dereham was in her bed. And even younger still when pursued and molested by Henry Mannock, her music teacher.

Josephine Wilson's book paints a detailed, compassionate and very different picture of Katherine Howard as a young girl abused and abandoned by those who should have protected her, who chanced to catch the eye of the king and - for a year, at least - lived the dream as Queen of England. But she was unable to escape completely the secret truth of her early life; too many knew of her earlier relationship with Francis Dereham and believed it to have been fully consensual (something emphatically denied by Katherine).

Until two weeks ago, I knew nothing about Katherine Howard. So many books have been written, and films made, about Anne Boleyn, a grand story of romance and world-shaking politics, but Katherine Howard is generally reduced to a scandalous afterthought. The true scandal here is how once again the victim has been painted as the villain.

[Sophie Nixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book on Katherine Howard. In comparison to her, I would say more researched, cousin, Katherine Howard is often portrayed in a manner like that of a harlot. What people often forget is that she was still a teenager when she was executed and this book examines her in a much more forgiving light.

That said it does not shy away from the reasons she was, in fact, guilty and I appreciate that this book covers both sides. If anything I wanted to know more of Katherine as a person, it becomes apparent as you read the book that Katherine is summed up by her mistakes and the unfortunate situations she found herself in.

I highly recommend this if you want to hear the truth behind a true and tragic tale of a young girl raised to a station she was not prepared for and who ultimately lost of her life pleasing the men who manipulated her.

[Lizzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brilliant and brief account of the life of Katherine Howard. I knew hardly anything about her before reading this and now feel I have a good overview of her life, and her downfall. I feel like there could have been more examination of the attitudes towards women, sex, marriage, and the role of the queen in this book, but it is a great place to start.

[BeeBee Weston · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is far too biased. The author decided beforehand what type of person Katherine was and then manipulated the history to match. A good historian will present the evidence and let the reader make their own mind up.

I have read a lot of Tudor history books but found this one very disappointing.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2834617.html

Of the six wives of Henry VIII, Katherine Howard is probably the most obscure; basically we remember that she was executed for much the same reason as her cousin Anne Boleyn, ie alleged adultery, and then we move on. Josephine Wilkinson has shone a light on the sorry tale of this young woman, beheaded while still a teenager after less than two years as queen of England. There is a surprising amount of documentation - the evidence against her was obviously carefully assembled and preserved, to allow posterity to make its own judgement.

It's pretty clear from the evidence that she was an abuse victim who was then framed. At 13 she was repeatedly groped in bed by her music teacher, Henry Mannox. At 15 she was moved to her grandmother's household where she was seduced by one of the secretaries, Francis Dereham; they started to call each other "husband" and "wife", which was to prove (literally) fatal. At 17, in the royal household, she began a flirtatious relationship with her distant cousin Thomas Culpeper, who was a favourite of the king's. This was then turned upside down after a few months when the king himself took an interest in her, having spotted her as one of the attendants of Anne of Cleves during that very brief marriage.

But, even married to the king, Catherine couldn't stay away from Culpeper, and her lady-in-waiting Lady Rochford (whose husband, Catherine's cousin George Boleyn, had been executed along with his sister Anne) facilitated the continuing contact. It's not even clear that the relationship with Culpeper ever became physical, but it is pretty clear that she was very emotionally committed to him.

This all amounted to high treason, by the standards of the time. Catherine's relationship with Dereham, looked at from some angles, amounted to a marriage which would have made her subsequent marriage to Henry VIII invalid. Culpeper had also a political role, which made his privileged access to the queen a matter of state security (and he and Katherine were foolishly indiscreet, whatever else they may or may not have done).

When Henry found out that his teenage bride was not as virginal as he had imagined (and in a court with many watching eyes, where jealousy could literally kill, he was always going to find out) the end came quickly. Catherine was arrested on 1 November 1541 and stripped of her queenship on 23 November. Dereham and Culpeper were tried on 1 December and executed on 10 December, Culpeper beheaded and Dereham hanged, drawn and quartered. (Mannox, the music teacher, escaped without punishment because groping 13-year-old girls was not a crime.) Parliament voted for Catherine's execution on 7 February and it was carried out six days later. Lady Rochford was beheaded the same morning, almost six years after her husband had met the same fate for his alleged incest with Anne Boleyn.

Josephine Wilkinson has put all of this together very well, but I missed a few things. The documentation obviously does survive, but I'd have liked to know how and where. I'd also have liked to know a bit more about the political and religious context of the accusations, though of course the human drama is compelling enough on its own.

It can't have been much fun being a young woman in Tudor times, even at the highest levels of society. Elizabeth I, ten years younger, was also abused as a teenager, by her stepfather. Katherine had little choice in her relations with older men, never expected that she would be in a position where this would become an issue of life and death, and she had absolutely no protection when it did (those accused of high treason had no access to legal counsel, or indeed any other form of help).

The most vivid image we have of Katherine is that the night before her execution, she asked to have the headsman's block brought to her cell, so that she could practice positioning herself confidently for the next morning. Having been robbed of control for most of her life, she wanted at least to have some control of the manner of her end. It's a tremendously sad image.

[Dannielle Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being Australian born and educated, I didn’t get my fill of Tudor history during my GSCEs like so many of my British friends and colleagues. I have since living here (and since falling in love with the hit musical Six if I’m honest) developed a taste for royal history, particularity the Tudor period and the wives of King Henry VIII. Rather than reading chronologically I felt drawn to Queen 5, the young Katherine Howard, because so little is written about her and because, like Anne of Cleves, her portrait isn’t in the Tudor gallery in the National Portrait Gallery. Josephine Wilkinson does a beautiful job of bringing her complicated story to life with a richness of detail and political context. So often Katherine is reduced to a one line explanation, but this book gives her the depth she deserves despite a shortage of historical sources compared with Henry himself and his other queens. The tone at the book’s end is appropriately somber as it sinks in that this is Queen was a girl, a teenager, and the Tudor world failed to protect her. Somehow with non fiction even when you know how a historical event ends, it’s still tense and heartbreaking to read the fall and death of Katherine, especially the author highlights how little she was guilty of. Her subject is treated with due respect. Vale, Queen Katherine Howard.

I really look forward to reading Dr Wilkinson’s other books on the Tudor queens - women’s stories from history by women are so incredibly important. 5 ⭐️

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book about the life of Katherine Howard, about whom a lot has been written before. In this book however Josephine Wilkinson reveals her story through all the original sources and gives a very accurate picture of a much maligned character. Katherine was a victim of her time, a time where women were not victims of rape or abuse but seen as wanton girls misguiding the men. Also a time when if a girl did have an affair it was seen as a precontract to marriage.
The numerous quotes from original documents does get tiring to read but at least you know you are reading the actual words written not someone's opinion of them. I do love reading facts about the time but even I got weary of trying to translate into modern English! However the story unfolds and explains many of the modern myths about the poor girl. She died at 17, found guilty of a hurriedly brought in new law that was used to condemn her. She was never brought to trial or allowed to speak out for herself. Such a miscarriage of justice. Brilliant research.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that there are so many books being written about the less well known women of history.
Henry VIII's later three wives are often ignored but they each have their own biographies now.
Katharine Howard is an interesting one - she is remembered as a flighty tart who did silly things and paid for it with her life.
The truth is, of course, so much more. She was abused as a child in the home of a noble woman, her father was a bit of a waste of space, and she was unfortunate enough to catch the eye of the ageing king. But, Henry found a renewed sense of youth in his new bride, and he was extremely affectionate towards her in public. Stories like Katharine's are hard to read sometimes because we know how it ends...but I always hope the shit stirrers will keep quiet this time and she'll live a long and happy life as queen!
The only drawback to women like Katharine is there is often a lack of evidence. Despite this, each of the wives deserve their own books.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting historical analysis infused with the author's opinions. The first half of the book builds the story effectively and concisely, creating a compelling narrative. However, the second half concerning the court proceedings and execution undoes some of this good work. The book then becomes bogged down in quotes and politics. This confuses the flow of the narrative and becomes quite boring. It is also not helped by the author's bias becoming heavily focused on building evidence for her closing arguments and perhaps becoming more speculative as the book progresses. That being said this is a well-written and compelling read of a lesser known part of the Tudor dynasty.

[Kyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read quite a bit about Katherine Howard, so I knew how this biography would end. This was an extremely well written and well researched biography of Katherine Howard, a bit quotey towards the end but I think it was needed to portray the evidence and facts that we already know about Katherine Howard's downfall. Despite that, Josephine Wilkinson manages to go into depth and detail about Katherine Howard and her life, this book is very well researched. I can see why other reviews have mentioned this book seeming biased however the author has given commentary regarding this.  I would strongly recommend it to anyone who wishes to learn more about Katherine Howard.

[Clarissa Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A masterfully executed non fiction account of the tragically short life of Catherine Howard, the fifth wife and Queen Consort to Henry VIII. Sympathetically written and compassionately researched, this account shows Catherine not only as the victim of a tyrannical king, but as a vivacious and charismatic young woman. Historians often credit Catherine as Henry’s silly and naive wife, however it is important to remember that she was executed at age 18. This scholarly work gives Catherine the credit she deserves, it paints her wit and sense of humour just as well as it paints her tragic downfall. As a history student I one day hope to be able to write a book this wonderful.

[Sofie Sieling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wilkinson did not cease to amaze me with this masterpiece of history. Finally, someone has written sympathetically about the life and death of Queen Katherine Howard. As for myself, I have much empathy for her tragic fate which was, undoubtedly, out of her hands and will as female. The heavy use of primary sources made it very much more interesting than otherwise. The reign of the Tudors is something I have always studied privately, but this book learned me things, and secondary names, which I had previously not known much about. Spectacular.

[Lorna Dykstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was slow at times but meticulously researched. I found it to be the perfect length and it shed new light on the tragic life of Henry VIII's fifth queen. Katherine Howard, who was the victim of sexual abuse by men older than she was, paid with her life for circumstances over which she had little to no control. I've always found that because she reigned for less than two years, her story has been glossed over, almost like she never existed. But this book ensures that she will not be forgotten and I am happy to have spent some time getting to know her better.

[Karson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katherine Howard: The Tragic Story of Henry VIII's Fifth Wife is a thought-provoking and dramatic read that follows the rise and shocking fall of the young girl whose beauty and innocence captured the heart of King Henry VIII. The novel paints a compelling portrayal of a young woman swept up in the intrigues and dangers of the Tudor court, ultimately ending in a tragic outcome that captures the spirit of the era. A must-read for historical fiction fans!

[Éowyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good book on Katherine Howard. There's quite a lot we don't know about her, but I felt this was a really fresh look at some of the evidence and it made a lot of sense out of the whole story - recommended!

[Stephanie O'Neill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt too biased. The author seems to think that Katheryn was completely innocent and had all night chats with Culpeper and nothing else. Why were they both closeted in the jakes for hours then? Surely they weren’t just “talking” in there too?

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok read .

[Melody Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have been an excellent biography if it was not so obviously biased.

[Debra N · Rating 1 out of 5]

Slow going.

[Doris Raines · Rating 3 out of 5]

GOOD BOOK.