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The Ivy Crown
Retells the life of Catherine Parr, the sixth and last wife of Henry VIII, who grew up at the turbulent Tudor court where as queen she was a peacemaker and a figure of moderation
439 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1984
About the author
Mary M. Luke
7 books18 followersMary Luke was a biographer who wrote about Tudor and Elizabethan figures. Born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Mrs. Luke, whose original name was Mary Munger, graduated from Berkshire Business School and worked in advertising in New York, and later for a documentary film company and RKO Studios in Hollywood.
Mrs. Luke wrote "Catherine, the Queen" (1967), a portrait of Henry VIII's hapless first wife, Catherine of Aragon. "A Crown for Elizabeth" (1970) limned the turbulent years between 1527, when Henry maneuvered for a divorce from Catherine for lack of a male heir, and 1558, when Elizabeth I ascended to the throne.
In a review of "A Crown for Elizabeth" for The New York Times, Lady Antonia Fraser wrote, "To the sympathetic retelling of history, Mrs. Luke has made a notable contribution and one that will give much pleasure to its readers."
"The Nine Days Queen: A Portrait of Lady Jane Grey" (1986) told the story of Jane Grey's brief hold on the scepter in July 1553 and her subsequent martyrdom. Mrs. Luke also wrote a novel, "The Nonsuch Lure" (1976), and "The Ivy Crown: A Biographical Novel of Queen Katherine Paar" (1984).
She died in 1993 at 74 and lived in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Mrs. Luke wrote "Catherine, the Queen" (1967), a portrait of Henry VIII's hapless first wife, Catherine of Aragon. "A Crown for Elizabeth" (1970) limned the turbulent years between 1527, when Henry maneuvered for a divorce from Catherine for lack of a male heir, and 1558, when Elizabeth I ascended to the throne.
In a review of "A Crown for Elizabeth" for The New York Times, Lady Antonia Fraser wrote, "To the sympathetic retelling of history, Mrs. Luke has made a notable contribution and one that will give much pleasure to its readers."
"The Nine Days Queen: A Portrait of Lady Jane Grey" (1986) told the story of Jane Grey's brief hold on the scepter in July 1553 and her subsequent martyrdom. Mrs. Luke also wrote a novel, "The Nonsuch Lure" (1976), and "The Ivy Crown: A Biographical Novel of Queen Katherine Paar" (1984).
She died in 1993 at 74 and lived in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
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February 20, 2024
To quote Mary Luke in her Author's Note at the beginning of this 1984 work of historical fiction about Queen Katherine Parr:
"...many factors led me to believe that Katherine Parr's story could be as inspiring as any of Henry's other queens. In commencing it I chose the novel form rather than biography to avoid restrictions. It allowed me the freedom to 'imagine' what happened - but ALWAYS within the framework of what we know actually DID HAPPEN."
So in this intense novel the author isn't making stuff up, just relating the facts in novel form. What more could any fan of historical fiction ask for?
Mary Luke's research was so exhaustive that I learned many things about Queen Katherine that I'd never heard before but found extremely interesting.
After visiting Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire, England the author was inspired to bring the story of the 6th wife of Henry VIII to life, and she did an outstanding job of doing so. Talented authors that are able to capture the 'feel' of an era and bring it authentically to life are so rare these days that I think many Tudor buffs will welcome this little treasure of a book which was published in 1984.
Katherine Parr had been educated in the classroom of King Henry's daughter, Princess Mary, and his nieces. Her mother, Maud Parr, was a well respected lady-in-waiting and dear friend to Queen Katherine of Aragon. Katherine's father, a childhood friend of King Henry, had died of the sweating sickness when Katherine was around 6 years of age. Also in the classroom was Kate Willoughby, the daughter of Queen Catherine's Spanish friend Maria de Salinas. The author relates that the emotional bonds formed between Katherine, Mary and Kate would last a lifetime. The book begins on this happy note of the 3 lifelong friends and gradually descends into the true horror story that was Henry VIII.
Katherine Parr was a gifted scholar and obsessively read any new information concerning the reformation from an early age. In the first part of the book Catherine's childhood at the royal court was well described and brought to life, down to the smallest detail.
It was the custom then for young women of the nobility to marry young in order to assure their social and financial security. Katherine's happy childhood was cut short when she married at the age of 13 the first of her four husbands, the elderly Lord Borough.
Maud Parr had tried her best to find an advantageous marriage for Katherine but the best potential husbands for her daughter required an enormous dowry that the Parr's did not possess. Katherine's widowed mother had to focus on finding her only son, William Parr, a wife that would elevate his status in English society which left little when in came to providing dowries for her 2 daughters Katherine and Anne.
Katherine's elderly husband died not too long after the wedding but Katherine would remain close to her grown Borough step-children and their families for the rest of her life. Fortunate for Katherine, her husband had left her well off with several properties so Katherine planned to devote her life to intellectual pursuits.
Since this book has been written some evidence has been uncovered which calls into question which Lord Borough Katherine married, the elder or the younger. The evidence seems to favor the younger Borough now who sadly was a sickly young man and didn't live long past his marriage. This might explain why Katherine never had children.
Once a widow Katherine returned to London and was reunited with her friends and family. Life at the court of Henry VIII had changed drastically while she had been away though with the advent of Anne Boleyn.
The author covered this era from the beginning of Henry's infatuation with Anne to his divorce from Catherine of Aragon and the split from Rome, in a thorough manner. Katherine was devastated by the cruel treatment her dear friend the Princess Mary had to endure from her cruel Boleyn stepmother. Mary was allowed no visitors or messages from anyone until she accepted her new status of being an illegitimate daughter of the King. Naturally the Princess balked at this news and refused to bend to her father's tremendous will.
With the downfall of Cardinal Wolsey to the advent of Thomas Cromwell the sad dissolution of the great abbey's of England began with Cromwell and the King growing richer by the day. Such horrific things occurred to the peasant class in England that it is difficult to believe how cruelly they were treated. The author does not spare the reader from any of these nightmarish events. I found this part of the book difficult to read but it was a learning experience at least.
Eager to escape London Katherine marries John Neville, 3rd baron Latimer who supported the Catholic cause - in secret. They moved to his estate in Lincolnshire and Katherine again became a stepmother to his 2 young children.
During the Lincolnshire Rising in 1536, the rebels seized Lord Latimer and demanded he join with them in their protest against King Henry and his break from the Catholic church. Katherine and the 2 children were held hostage at their Snape Hall home at this time and barely escaped with their lives. In the end Henry VIII ruthlessly crushes the rebellion, but he wasn't sure of Latimer's loyalty to the crown. Lucky for Latimer that Katherine had kin in high places at the English court, her uncle and brother and with their help he was able to barely escape the king's wrath.
The violent crushing of this revolt left body parts all over the place. Dead bodies here, there and everywhere; one of the most revolting things I've ever read. It's hard to imagine how Katherine stomached these sights.
The next 7 years of Katherine's married life would not be easy. The despised Cromwell, the same Cromwell That Hillary Mantel brought to unrealistic life in his acclaimed book "Wolf Hall" (sorry, for some reason Goodreads won't allow me to furnish the link) is hardly a creature to be admired imho.
I find him about as monstrous as King Henry VIII himself.
But the so-called 'sainted' Cromwell proceeds to blackmail Lord Latimer, as well as many other nobles in the realm.
Cromwell arrests one of Latimer's kinsmen and he's headed for the block unless Latimer signs over valuable property to Cromwell. What could Latimer do but beggar himself to save a family member?
Meanwhile Bluff King Hal is living it up in London whilst Cromwell finances Henry's pastime with good company.
Seven years after the uprising Lord Latimer dies and Katherine returns to Court to serve the Lady Mary's (formerly Princess) household. After her mother's death Mary capitulated to the King's demands and formally accepted her fate as the King's bastard daughter. After the King's disastrous 5th marriage to Katherine Howard, the attractive and scholarly Katherine Parr catches his eye.
Katherine Parr was to play a large part in the downfall of Cromwell by personally enlightening the King about the shady financial blackmail of Cromwell and friends.
Katherine seems to have come out of both of her previous marriages with a few estates to her name and was considered a prize for many a impecunious nobleman. The scoundrel Thomas Seymour, brother to the late Queen Jane, commences to woo Katherine and being in her early 30's she is smitten with him. Was romance finally in the cards for Katherine? NO! King Henry decides the well respected Katherine would make a perfect Queen for him and Seymour is banished to some post far, far away from England.
It is said that a gypsy at a fair once read Katherine's palm when she was a teen and hinted that her hands were fit for a royal scepter. That might have been thrilling news for the teenage Katherine when the handsome King Henry was a young man but it couldn't have been good news at all once the bloated tyrant hit middle age. Henry had an ulcer on his leg that would not heal and the smell was reputed to be ghastly. Like a cornered rat Katherine accepts the King's proposal and for the duration of her 3rd marriage she plays her part to perfection. A loving stepmother, a kindly nurse that tends the king's leg wound soon makes Katherine truly a blessing to the Tudor family.
Barely escaping with her head before the King sheds his mortal coil she couldn't have been too upset upon becoming a wealthy dowager Queen upon Henry's death.
And guess who's back in town? Fortune hunting Thomas Seymour! After failing to make a match with the Princess Elizabeth he turns to his former love interest Katherine Parr. Her 4th marriage to Seymour would be brief as she soon dies while giving birth to her daughter Mary Seymour. Is there any proof to the rumors that Seymour poisoned her as she recovered from childbirth? Was Katherine just out of her head with fever when she accused Thomas of doing just that as she lay dying? I wouldn't put anything past Seymour.
Queen Katherine was buried in the chapel of Sudeley castle and would rest in peace until the 1700's.
245 years after her death the chapel was in ruins and her casket was discovered there and sadly opened several times over the coming years before being properly reconsecrated.
Thomas Seymour didn't live long after Katherine, losing his head for treason during the reign of his nephew Edward VI. After his death, Katherine's lifelong friend, Katherine Willoughby, took orphan Mary Seymour into her household. Most have speculated that Mary must have died as a child as no definite record has been found of her as an adult. The author has found evidence that Mary Seymour did survive childhood.
When Catholic Queen Mary I came to the throne after the death of her brother, the now devout Protestant Katherine Willoughby with husband and family fled to the continent, taking Mary Seymour with them as part of the family.
Author Agnes Strickland speculated that Mary became the wife of Sir Edward Bushel who was to become a gentleman in the household of Queen Anne of Denmark. When Mary Seymour Bushel's daughter wed she came into a great fortune as Queen Katherine Parr's confiscated fortune was returned to her rightful heirs after Thomas Seymour had long ago foolishly lost all due to his treasonous activity.
It would be nice to think that everything ended on such a happy note at least. And I'm thankful for discovering such a great work of accurate historical fiction.
Edited to add:
Back in 1978 I read a historical fiction, pb by Mary M. Luke, The Nonsuch Lure about the palace built by King Henry VIII shortly before his death. I loved the book so much that it's one of the reason I bought this one by the same author. I wish she had written more books of fiction but I've only been able to find these 2.
"...many factors led me to believe that Katherine Parr's story could be as inspiring as any of Henry's other queens. In commencing it I chose the novel form rather than biography to avoid restrictions. It allowed me the freedom to 'imagine' what happened - but ALWAYS within the framework of what we know actually DID HAPPEN."
So in this intense novel the author isn't making stuff up, just relating the facts in novel form. What more could any fan of historical fiction ask for?
Mary Luke's research was so exhaustive that I learned many things about Queen Katherine that I'd never heard before but found extremely interesting.
After visiting Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire, England the author was inspired to bring the story of the 6th wife of Henry VIII to life, and she did an outstanding job of doing so. Talented authors that are able to capture the 'feel' of an era and bring it authentically to life are so rare these days that I think many Tudor buffs will welcome this little treasure of a book which was published in 1984.
Katherine Parr had been educated in the classroom of King Henry's daughter, Princess Mary, and his nieces. Her mother, Maud Parr, was a well respected lady-in-waiting and dear friend to Queen Katherine of Aragon. Katherine's father, a childhood friend of King Henry, had died of the sweating sickness when Katherine was around 6 years of age. Also in the classroom was Kate Willoughby, the daughter of Queen Catherine's Spanish friend Maria de Salinas. The author relates that the emotional bonds formed between Katherine, Mary and Kate would last a lifetime. The book begins on this happy note of the 3 lifelong friends and gradually descends into the true horror story that was Henry VIII.
Katherine Parr was a gifted scholar and obsessively read any new information concerning the reformation from an early age. In the first part of the book Catherine's childhood at the royal court was well described and brought to life, down to the smallest detail.
It was the custom then for young women of the nobility to marry young in order to assure their social and financial security. Katherine's happy childhood was cut short when she married at the age of 13 the first of her four husbands, the elderly Lord Borough.
Maud Parr had tried her best to find an advantageous marriage for Katherine but the best potential husbands for her daughter required an enormous dowry that the Parr's did not possess. Katherine's widowed mother had to focus on finding her only son, William Parr, a wife that would elevate his status in English society which left little when in came to providing dowries for her 2 daughters Katherine and Anne.
Katherine's elderly husband died not too long after the wedding but Katherine would remain close to her grown Borough step-children and their families for the rest of her life. Fortunate for Katherine, her husband had left her well off with several properties so Katherine planned to devote her life to intellectual pursuits.
Since this book has been written some evidence has been uncovered which calls into question which Lord Borough Katherine married, the elder or the younger. The evidence seems to favor the younger Borough now who sadly was a sickly young man and didn't live long past his marriage. This might explain why Katherine never had children.
Once a widow Katherine returned to London and was reunited with her friends and family. Life at the court of Henry VIII had changed drastically while she had been away though with the advent of Anne Boleyn.
The author covered this era from the beginning of Henry's infatuation with Anne to his divorce from Catherine of Aragon and the split from Rome, in a thorough manner. Katherine was devastated by the cruel treatment her dear friend the Princess Mary had to endure from her cruel Boleyn stepmother. Mary was allowed no visitors or messages from anyone until she accepted her new status of being an illegitimate daughter of the King. Naturally the Princess balked at this news and refused to bend to her father's tremendous will.
With the downfall of Cardinal Wolsey to the advent of Thomas Cromwell the sad dissolution of the great abbey's of England began with Cromwell and the King growing richer by the day. Such horrific things occurred to the peasant class in England that it is difficult to believe how cruelly they were treated. The author does not spare the reader from any of these nightmarish events. I found this part of the book difficult to read but it was a learning experience at least.
Eager to escape London Katherine marries John Neville, 3rd baron Latimer who supported the Catholic cause - in secret. They moved to his estate in Lincolnshire and Katherine again became a stepmother to his 2 young children.
During the Lincolnshire Rising in 1536, the rebels seized Lord Latimer and demanded he join with them in their protest against King Henry and his break from the Catholic church. Katherine and the 2 children were held hostage at their Snape Hall home at this time and barely escaped with their lives. In the end Henry VIII ruthlessly crushes the rebellion, but he wasn't sure of Latimer's loyalty to the crown. Lucky for Latimer that Katherine had kin in high places at the English court, her uncle and brother and with their help he was able to barely escape the king's wrath.
The violent crushing of this revolt left body parts all over the place. Dead bodies here, there and everywhere; one of the most revolting things I've ever read. It's hard to imagine how Katherine stomached these sights.
The next 7 years of Katherine's married life would not be easy. The despised Cromwell, the same Cromwell That Hillary Mantel brought to unrealistic life in his acclaimed book "Wolf Hall" (sorry, for some reason Goodreads won't allow me to furnish the link) is hardly a creature to be admired imho.
I find him about as monstrous as King Henry VIII himself.
But the so-called 'sainted' Cromwell proceeds to blackmail Lord Latimer, as well as many other nobles in the realm.
Cromwell arrests one of Latimer's kinsmen and he's headed for the block unless Latimer signs over valuable property to Cromwell. What could Latimer do but beggar himself to save a family member?
Meanwhile Bluff King Hal is living it up in London whilst Cromwell finances Henry's pastime with good company.
Seven years after the uprising Lord Latimer dies and Katherine returns to Court to serve the Lady Mary's (formerly Princess) household. After her mother's death Mary capitulated to the King's demands and formally accepted her fate as the King's bastard daughter. After the King's disastrous 5th marriage to Katherine Howard, the attractive and scholarly Katherine Parr catches his eye.
Katherine Parr was to play a large part in the downfall of Cromwell by personally enlightening the King about the shady financial blackmail of Cromwell and friends.
Katherine seems to have come out of both of her previous marriages with a few estates to her name and was considered a prize for many a impecunious nobleman. The scoundrel Thomas Seymour, brother to the late Queen Jane, commences to woo Katherine and being in her early 30's she is smitten with him. Was romance finally in the cards for Katherine? NO! King Henry decides the well respected Katherine would make a perfect Queen for him and Seymour is banished to some post far, far away from England.
It is said that a gypsy at a fair once read Katherine's palm when she was a teen and hinted that her hands were fit for a royal scepter. That might have been thrilling news for the teenage Katherine when the handsome King Henry was a young man but it couldn't have been good news at all once the bloated tyrant hit middle age. Henry had an ulcer on his leg that would not heal and the smell was reputed to be ghastly. Like a cornered rat Katherine accepts the King's proposal and for the duration of her 3rd marriage she plays her part to perfection. A loving stepmother, a kindly nurse that tends the king's leg wound soon makes Katherine truly a blessing to the Tudor family.
Barely escaping with her head before the King sheds his mortal coil she couldn't have been too upset upon becoming a wealthy dowager Queen upon Henry's death.
And guess who's back in town? Fortune hunting Thomas Seymour! After failing to make a match with the Princess Elizabeth he turns to his former love interest Katherine Parr. Her 4th marriage to Seymour would be brief as she soon dies while giving birth to her daughter Mary Seymour. Is there any proof to the rumors that Seymour poisoned her as she recovered from childbirth? Was Katherine just out of her head with fever when she accused Thomas of doing just that as she lay dying? I wouldn't put anything past Seymour.
Queen Katherine was buried in the chapel of Sudeley castle and would rest in peace until the 1700's.
245 years after her death the chapel was in ruins and her casket was discovered there and sadly opened several times over the coming years before being properly reconsecrated.
Thomas Seymour didn't live long after Katherine, losing his head for treason during the reign of his nephew Edward VI. After his death, Katherine's lifelong friend, Katherine Willoughby, took orphan Mary Seymour into her household. Most have speculated that Mary must have died as a child as no definite record has been found of her as an adult. The author has found evidence that Mary Seymour did survive childhood.
When Catholic Queen Mary I came to the throne after the death of her brother, the now devout Protestant Katherine Willoughby with husband and family fled to the continent, taking Mary Seymour with them as part of the family.
Author Agnes Strickland speculated that Mary became the wife of Sir Edward Bushel who was to become a gentleman in the household of Queen Anne of Denmark. When Mary Seymour Bushel's daughter wed she came into a great fortune as Queen Katherine Parr's confiscated fortune was returned to her rightful heirs after Thomas Seymour had long ago foolishly lost all due to his treasonous activity.
It would be nice to think that everything ended on such a happy note at least. And I'm thankful for discovering such a great work of accurate historical fiction.
Edited to add:
Back in 1978 I read a historical fiction, pb by Mary M. Luke, The Nonsuch Lure about the palace built by King Henry VIII shortly before his death. I loved the book so much that it's one of the reason I bought this one by the same author. I wish she had written more books of fiction but I've only been able to find these 2.
January 31, 2019
This is older era forms for classic type of historical fiction. Long and detailed and date exact. Always in progressive and chronological order, it holds the happenstance essence of the 36 years and experiences within the social structures of Tudor England for Katharine Parr's life. Especially and specifically for the years under the reign of Henry VIII and those just after his death.
Because it is of the older, name exact, title and lodging and nuance specific prose which can highlight each and every human intersect or change of local or surrounding "eyes" for 4 or 5 pages at a time, it reads quite differently than the historical fiction or what is genre categorized historical fiction of this current post 2000 period. IMHO, it reads closer to lyrical style non-fiction than it does to the fiction of the present Tudor, period or modern historical fiction.
Katharine Parr WAS an interesting Tudor period noble woman. Not only in her connections to those of a couple dozen closest to the Crown, but as an "outlier" in experiences. She was. This is a period when women were married away when they were barely into their teens. And often dead by their early 20's. It was not at all unusual for a man to go through 3 or 5 wives who had "died young". Not only for infectious conditions (tuberculous primarily but only one of 4 or 5 other "childbirth" associated causes too) in the infectious category alone.
And her path was, despite being married off at 13/14 to someone 40 plus years older than she was, the opposite. She had 4 husbands, and YET! And yet!. So wise in some ways (top notch in calmness of manner, appropriateness and diplomacy) and yet so "unclever" in others. She wasn't a very good judge of character, for instance. And built bridges between factions consistently too. More than she would have been wise to refrain from at times. It was extremely lucky that she was "gone" in the North during the worst of the upheavals- during her Latimer marriage years.
But her treatments toward all of the Tudors- using education, entertainment and pleasant exchanges between all of them whenever possible! It was her genius.
Because it is so long and intricately detailed, the ambiance is 5 star but the reading itself can be, at point after point, exceptionally dry. Rather similar to reading lists of titles at any one historic or benchmark event, for instance. At points of this association redundancy my eyes would cross. That lost a star. Especially when it went clothing or jewelry or fabric word exotic for pages!
But I'm in awe of Mary Luke's product of putting all the "eyes" of this life into that time and that exact nuance for judgments and equivocations. Especially in the crux of the changing value for the essence of education in ideas. Not only about how religion was interpreted and judged but also where large scale science, physical reality knowledge, ships/weapons of defense and invasion etc. -all of that "value" crux for "important" was changing. In this class and in the lower economic classes too. All of the power and onus to "mind" thoughts/ exercises to logic / reading- it was changing. Not yet from nearly total power coming out of governmental monarchy but far more into the individual worth to "know" arena starting to raise its head with "commoners" and butcher's son becoming "important". Especially for women's lives, this was true. It displayed full blown in Katharine's life with/by/ consistently into the "sides" taken for interpreting what a religious life or belief should contain or display, for example.
And this fiction novel gives you a 5 star look into the core of that "change" onus. Why, where, and how- all across. Parr was a perfect example and prime example- both. And at the same time always her own personality. Took a "learning" role but of a kind quite apart from an Anne Askew, for instance. Because she knew how to play the ball with assists and sleights of hands- without the straight forward aggressiveness to "change".
I just loved that Mary Luke put an excellent, excellent afterward upon this text. Reading those "after" Katharine lives! So many that in Kat's years seemed "lucky" and others in such high, high placements! Many times NOT! It was a difficult period to hide from either the germs or the cracks of power play, religious schisms, or ever forming foments of politics.
Because it is of the older, name exact, title and lodging and nuance specific prose which can highlight each and every human intersect or change of local or surrounding "eyes" for 4 or 5 pages at a time, it reads quite differently than the historical fiction or what is genre categorized historical fiction of this current post 2000 period. IMHO, it reads closer to lyrical style non-fiction than it does to the fiction of the present Tudor, period or modern historical fiction.
Katharine Parr WAS an interesting Tudor period noble woman. Not only in her connections to those of a couple dozen closest to the Crown, but as an "outlier" in experiences. She was. This is a period when women were married away when they were barely into their teens. And often dead by their early 20's. It was not at all unusual for a man to go through 3 or 5 wives who had "died young". Not only for infectious conditions (tuberculous primarily but only one of 4 or 5 other "childbirth" associated causes too) in the infectious category alone.
And her path was, despite being married off at 13/14 to someone 40 plus years older than she was, the opposite. She had 4 husbands, and YET! And yet!. So wise in some ways (top notch in calmness of manner, appropriateness and diplomacy) and yet so "unclever" in others. She wasn't a very good judge of character, for instance. And built bridges between factions consistently too. More than she would have been wise to refrain from at times. It was extremely lucky that she was "gone" in the North during the worst of the upheavals- during her Latimer marriage years.
But her treatments toward all of the Tudors- using education, entertainment and pleasant exchanges between all of them whenever possible! It was her genius.
Because it is so long and intricately detailed, the ambiance is 5 star but the reading itself can be, at point after point, exceptionally dry. Rather similar to reading lists of titles at any one historic or benchmark event, for instance. At points of this association redundancy my eyes would cross. That lost a star. Especially when it went clothing or jewelry or fabric word exotic for pages!
But I'm in awe of Mary Luke's product of putting all the "eyes" of this life into that time and that exact nuance for judgments and equivocations. Especially in the crux of the changing value for the essence of education in ideas. Not only about how religion was interpreted and judged but also where large scale science, physical reality knowledge, ships/weapons of defense and invasion etc. -all of that "value" crux for "important" was changing. In this class and in the lower economic classes too. All of the power and onus to "mind" thoughts/ exercises to logic / reading- it was changing. Not yet from nearly total power coming out of governmental monarchy but far more into the individual worth to "know" arena starting to raise its head with "commoners" and butcher's son becoming "important". Especially for women's lives, this was true. It displayed full blown in Katharine's life with/by/ consistently into the "sides" taken for interpreting what a religious life or belief should contain or display, for example.
And this fiction novel gives you a 5 star look into the core of that "change" onus. Why, where, and how- all across. Parr was a perfect example and prime example- both. And at the same time always her own personality. Took a "learning" role but of a kind quite apart from an Anne Askew, for instance. Because she knew how to play the ball with assists and sleights of hands- without the straight forward aggressiveness to "change".
I just loved that Mary Luke put an excellent, excellent afterward upon this text. Reading those "after" Katharine lives! So many that in Kat's years seemed "lucky" and others in such high, high placements! Many times NOT! It was a difficult period to hide from either the germs or the cracks of power play, religious schisms, or ever forming foments of politics.
October 7, 2010
I think that this one is my favourite of the various novels about Katherine Parre, the sixth wife of Henry VIII, and the one who survived him. Engaging style, no silliness, and well written.
March 18, 2022
This was so interesting and engaging! It was extremely well researched and I loved the attention to detail. A really great example of narrative fiction!
November 9, 2009
I think I have said this before but I am really intrigued by King Henry the Vlll and his six wives. This particular book was about Katherine Parr his last queen. There isn't a lot written about her and I loved how this story was mixed with history a long with a good fictional one to keep it interesting. It was really good and I loved reading it!!! I think those interested in this kind of stuff would really enjoy this book.
Read
January 24, 2016Just waaaay too dry for me.
I really wanted to know what happened to Katherine Parr. Her life sounds fascinating. But this was just soooo dry I couldn't take it anymore and gave up after a hundred pages.
I really wanted to know what happened to Katherine Parr. Her life sounds fascinating. But this was just soooo dry I couldn't take it anymore and gave up after a hundred pages.
Read
October 18, 2009Not posting a review until the group read is over. Sorry I got ahead, but at the same time refreshing myself on Cromwell's history is making Wolf Hall a lot easier.
April 17, 2019
English royalty isn't something I'm particularly interested in. Most of what I know comes from the occasional Jeopardy category about the various Henrys and Richards and Edwards (which I almost always get wrong). But I was looking for something from the 1500-1800 timeframe and The Ivy Crown caught my eye, about Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII. And I was somewhat surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
The Ivy Crown is historical fiction, as opposed to an academic biography, which certainly helped make it entertaining. In the author's note, Mary Luke says that she enjoyed being free from the restrictions of direct quotes and citations, and I think it shows in the writing style. Having said all that, I still think the "historical" part of this book is the primary focus, not the "fiction" part. Luke may have imagined some of the happenings in Parr's life, but it's all in a framework of true history.
The Katherine Parr in this book is an intelligent woman who devoted herself to family and friends. She asked very little from life for herself; only her eventual final marriage to Thomas Seymour really came from her own desires. By all accounts she was well-loved by almost everyone she met, making few enemies and many friends. Even when she fell out with various people over political and religious issues, she did her best to reconcile when the situation changed. When reading historical fiction, I always wonder how much the person's life and reputation has been burnished by the author; in this case, I don't think Parr's life needed much help to stand out.
Parr lived through some very interesting times, with Henry VIII running around on his various wives and declaring himself head of the Church. She wasn't directly involved in most of it, but since she was friendly with many of those involved, all that upheaval played a large role in her life. And then, of course, she ended up right in the middle of it all when she became Henry's sixth queen. That lasted only a few years before the king died, and then Parr herself had only a few more years before dying after her daughter was born.
I knew in a general sense that people's lives in those times had much different norms than we do today, but Luke's writing really brings it to life. Children used as pawns in power games, the casual misogyny that women suffered, people dying from "the sweats" on a regular basis, teenagers married and having children, the nobility living richly while commoners barely survived...it was a very different time and mostly not in a good sense.
There are a bunch of intriguing characters in The Ivy Crown besides Katherine herself. Anne Askew, who became a martyr in the power struggle between Catholics, the Church of England, and Protestant reforms. The Princess Mary, Parr's childhood friend and eventual stepdaughter. Thomas Seymour, who would become Parr's fourth husband. And many more, from the famous to the common.
I highly recommend The Ivy Crown to anyone who enjoys a good story of a life with plenty of drama and intrigue. Even better if you're interested in the specifics of 16th century English royalty, but I don't think you need to care about the historical period to enjoy the book.
The Ivy Crown is historical fiction, as opposed to an academic biography, which certainly helped make it entertaining. In the author's note, Mary Luke says that she enjoyed being free from the restrictions of direct quotes and citations, and I think it shows in the writing style. Having said all that, I still think the "historical" part of this book is the primary focus, not the "fiction" part. Luke may have imagined some of the happenings in Parr's life, but it's all in a framework of true history.
The Katherine Parr in this book is an intelligent woman who devoted herself to family and friends. She asked very little from life for herself; only her eventual final marriage to Thomas Seymour really came from her own desires. By all accounts she was well-loved by almost everyone she met, making few enemies and many friends. Even when she fell out with various people over political and religious issues, she did her best to reconcile when the situation changed. When reading historical fiction, I always wonder how much the person's life and reputation has been burnished by the author; in this case, I don't think Parr's life needed much help to stand out.
Parr lived through some very interesting times, with Henry VIII running around on his various wives and declaring himself head of the Church. She wasn't directly involved in most of it, but since she was friendly with many of those involved, all that upheaval played a large role in her life. And then, of course, she ended up right in the middle of it all when she became Henry's sixth queen. That lasted only a few years before the king died, and then Parr herself had only a few more years before dying after her daughter was born.
I knew in a general sense that people's lives in those times had much different norms than we do today, but Luke's writing really brings it to life. Children used as pawns in power games, the casual misogyny that women suffered, people dying from "the sweats" on a regular basis, teenagers married and having children, the nobility living richly while commoners barely survived...it was a very different time and mostly not in a good sense.
There are a bunch of intriguing characters in The Ivy Crown besides Katherine herself. Anne Askew, who became a martyr in the power struggle between Catholics, the Church of England, and Protestant reforms. The Princess Mary, Parr's childhood friend and eventual stepdaughter. Thomas Seymour, who would become Parr's fourth husband. And many more, from the famous to the common.
I highly recommend The Ivy Crown to anyone who enjoys a good story of a life with plenty of drama and intrigue. Even better if you're interested in the specifics of 16th century English royalty, but I don't think you need to care about the historical period to enjoy the book.
January 31, 2019
Another sensational novel by this author! This time she delves into the life of Katherine Parr Henry VIIIs sixth and last wife. Many characters are in this book Maud Parr (Catherine's Mother), Edward VI, Henry VIII, Princess Mary Tudor (AKA: Mary I), Elizabeth I, the Seymour Brothers, Charles Brandon, Catherine Willoughby Brandon (4th wife of Charles Brandon). In this book, you can feel that Catherine Parr was determined to do her duty and marry where her mother wanted her. Each time she married it was to an older man and she put her all into it never shirking her duty. When she finally gets to marry the man she's been in love with before she married Henry, you are happy for her. (I was because when I read this book the first time I was a teenager and knew nothing about her history or the history of the Tudor dynasty.). This time around I knew what was coming but it still didn't make me sad. The end of the book made me sad because the death scene was very well written.
Again if you love history, this is the author for you. If you're like me, you will tear through all of Mary M. Luke's books. My only regret is that the author has died and will not write any more books because I would have loved to read a novel she wrote about Catherine Willoughby Brandon and also Mary I.
Again if you love history, this is the author for you. If you're like me, you will tear through all of Mary M. Luke's books. My only regret is that the author has died and will not write any more books because I would have loved to read a novel she wrote about Catherine Willoughby Brandon and also Mary I.
August 5, 2013
I'm not a fan of historical fiction in general. I don't know which facts are known and which are poetic license. The author's opinions influence the created parts and thus influence the reader. However, I have read several of Mary M. Luke's biographies on Elizabeth and feel I trust her to not get too carried away with speculation.
January 10, 2011
One of the most influential books I read as a girl (my mother's copy). I thought about it frequently and reread it many times. It became part of my dream landscape. I will always think of the Tudors by the personalities in this book, regardless of what else I read about them. I'm imprinted with it!
September 12, 2019
Katherine Parr is probably the least known of Henry the VIII's wives. Here the author presents an excellent & very thorough fictionalized account of her very rich & full life. Though fiction, it is based on original source documents and is very "real". I highly recommend!
July 26, 2009
An enjoyable novel of Katherine Parr. I didn't know much about this period of Tudor history and didn't recognize what a forward-leaning woman Katherine Parr was.
May 1, 2025
A novelization of the life of a woman best known as the last wife of Henry VIII. I had no idea she was on the periphery of the court for such a long time. Highly detailed, it documents the tumultuous Tudor court with a real focus on the often overlooked female perspective.
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July 5, 20191524-1548 England about Katherine Parr, last wife of Henry VIII
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June 17, 2009request from other library
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