At the time I requested this book I was very interested in it. Obviously, it has been a few years since I requested this and I am no longer interested in it now. It doesn't match my current reading tastes and I apologize that I didn't enjoy it and thank you for the kindness you showed offering it to me.

Fatal Throne a great start for those just starting out with wanting to know more about Henry VIII and all six of his wives. I’d say Anne Boleyn is the one that usually comes to mind when thinking of Henry VIII. To me anyway.

This was interesting. Each written by different authors about each of his wives. Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boelyn, Jane Seymour probably the least interesting to me. Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Katherine Parr.
First, let’s start with the fact that Henry was a horrible person and King, but I thought it interesting that at the end of each story there was a short story about him at the end.

I didn’t enjoy each story, but didn’t hate them either. Interesting enough, but I wished it was more story. I don’t know how to explain it, but it read sometimes more like a day in the life diary rather than reading someone’s story, but also not.
I usually enjoy history stories, but the author needs to keep my attention right away or I lose interest. I will continue to get through and finish the book, but when it takes me longer than a few days… I know it’s not a re-read book for me.

This one was hit and miss for each author.
I wouldn’t say not to read it, but it wasn’t what I expected.

Did Not finish. I was not able to get into this storyline or characters. Characters really carry a story for me and I just didn't have a connection with these characters.

WHAT DID I THINK OF FATAL THRONE: THE WIVES OF HENRY VIII TELL ALL BY M.T. ANDERSON, CANDACE FLEMING, STEPHANIE HEMPHILL, LISA ANN SANDELL, JENNIFER DONNELLY, LINDA SUE PARK, AND DEBORAH HOPKINSON?
I feel like I have seen Fatal Throne: The Wives Of Henry VIII Tell All by MT Anderson, Candace Fleming, Stephanie Hemphill, Lisa Ann Sandell, Jennifer Donnelly, Linda Sue Park and Deborah Hopkinson get mixed reviews. From my perspective, I really enjoyed this book. There were things about it that made me uncomfortable. However, I also think that is kind of the point. Like, I should be incredibly uncomfortable reading about Kitty Howard and how she’s trying to use her body to please Henry VIII. For me, this book was a unique experience. I liked that different authors took on the five queens whom Henry was married to, as well as Henry and his daughter Elizabeth. My favorite perspective was from Catherine of Aragon – because I just felt so much empathy for her with regards to her pain from miscarrying so many times. I also did like reading Anne Boleyn’s perspective as well. I barely cared about Henry.

If you’re looking for a deep dive into the lives of these queens, you won’t get it with this book. It is just too short to really explore EVERYTHING about the queens. However, if you want a quick overview of the juicy bits, you will hopefully walk away pleased. I do think that the audiobook format lends itself well to this story.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
Just as the book itself has multiple authors, the audiobook of Fatal Throne has multiple narrators. The audiobook is narrated by Jayne Entwistle, Justine Eyre, Fiona Hardingham, Elliot Hill, Elizabeth Knowelden, Ann Marie Lee, Katharine McEwan, and Heather Wilds. It is 12 hours and 24 minutes. I think that the multiple narrators factors into keeping from confusing the queens with each other. I didn’t really care much for Elliot Hill’s narration, but that is because he’s Henry and Henry is the WORST, so maybe that was a factor? Regardless, give the audiobook a chance – it really genuinely is well narrated and pretty stellar caliber.

Absolutely stunning and engaging historical fiction, and I love how each wife's personality shines. Henry VIII's interludes in between each wife serves as a palette cleanser. (Plus he's a total douchebag, except when it comes to Jane Seymour). I've read some YA about Catherine Howard before, and Linda Sue Park portrays her flightiness perfectly.

I think this collection of stories — each section pairs a first-person story from one of Henry’s wives with a first-person account from Henry himself — would be a lot of fun if it were your introduction to the wild and wacky world of the Tudors, but if you are already a big Tudor nerd, it’s going to feel flat and superficial.

Henry VIII married six fascinating women, and his justifications for loving, leaving, marrying, and occasionally executing them are fascinating. Having a different author tackle each wife’s section was a good approach because it helped make each wife’s voice sound unique (Jennifer Donnelly’s Anne of Cleves story was particularly nice, I thought, though I kind of love Anne of Cleves, so I may be biased. I felt like Lisa Ann Sandell’s section on Jane Seymour was the weakest link.), but I didn’t think the Henry sections had the oomph they needed to transition between the wives’ stories. Henry was a bigger than life character as a husband and a king, and not having him take over the story must have been a challenge, but I think it erred too far in the other direction. It might have made more sense to eliminate Henry’s sections entirely and have no transition between stories or some kind of historical scene as a transition.

I'm not a huge Tudor fan and honestly I can't stand Henry VIII, as in the mere thought of him makes me irritated. However, I thought I would enjoy the perspective of the wives. Sadly, while the perspectives seemed to largely stick to details we know, it all felt rather diminished to fit into YA. It probably would have been a stronger book had it been conceived as a book for adults. At least two of the perspectives felt very cliche YA and it removed the historical fiction feeling. I also felt as though the format did not allow for proper character growth and none of the women felt fully fleshed out. (For example, Catherine of Aragon exclaimed in Spanish constantly and it felt like a crutch the author was using rather than what an actual woman would be speaking like.)

Overall I would say I was annoyed more often than not and just glad to be done. Some aspects of the lives of these women are compelling, but they would be been so in any format. M.T. Anderson's Henry VIII and Jennifer Donnelly's Anna of Cleves were probably the most compelling out of the bunch for me.

This is one of the few books that I did not finish in July, I simply could not get into the stories.  I receive a copy of Fatal Throne from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

I'm usually a huge fan of historical fiction, so when I ended up quitting this book 20% in I was very disappointed.  The first few stories were in a style that made the characters sound like they were from the 21st century, and not living in Tudor London. And the way the characters talked about each other was so cliche, I was skimming after I finished the first story. 

I did try and read some of the other stories further into the collection, but I just think this book was not for me. I couldn't get past the writing style, and was unable to connect with any of the characters. 

In the end I gave it 1 star on Goodreads.

I really enjoyed this look at the wives of Henry VIII.
Each wife's tale is told by a different author, followed by a short note from Henry, written by MT Anderson. (Why does Henry sound so much like 45 to me?).
Anyone interested in this time period would enjoy the book, and there is an excellent bibliography in the back for those interesting in learning more--both fiction and non-fiction.

I loved every story in this book! I teach the history of the Tudors every spring when my class experiences a Shakespeare play, and these would make a lovely addition to the curriculum as extra credit stories or to add color to a mini-research project. Common Core requires students to look at subjects using multi media, and a fictional take would be perfect.

Interesting take on well-trod territory. A different author writes the POV of each of Henry VIII's wives as they face death's door; MT Anderson writes Henry's codas. The stories are, naturally, uneven -- I wasn't a big fan of Katharine of Aragon (Candace Fleming) or Kateryn Parr (Deborah Hopkinson), but I really enjoyed Anne Boleyn (Stephanie Hemphill) and Henry's pieces.

A fascinating collection of stories written by some of the best writers we have in YA today as they tell the tales of King Henry VIII’s six wives. Each queen is compelling and her story is told in a unique and captivating voice, with a rebuttal from King Henry written by National Book Award Winner M.T. Anderson. Well researched and incredibly executed, this narrative holds your attention from the beginning to the end.

It was very easy to become absorbed in the lives of these poor women and the fate we all know would befall them.

I have always been a fan of The House of Tudor, and King Henry VIII, although a jerk, has always been a fascinating historical figure to me. “Fatal Throne” delivers a historical fiction that both a beginner and an expert on The Tudors will enjoy.

Fatal Throne reimagines the wives of Henry VIII. Each queen tells their side of the story of what it was like to be the wife of Henry VIII. Most of these queens met a tragic fate. Only two of his queens outlived him. Two of his queens were beheaded. One died in abandonment, the other died in childbirth.

As big fan of anything Tudor, I was drawn to this young adult novel. There have not been many books that focus on each of Henry VIII’s six wives. The only author who has taken upon this burdensome task is Alison Weir. Thus, while I was waiting for the next novel in the Six Tudor Queens series, I was thrilled to hear that there is a young adult novel that covered the lives of these queens.

Fatal Throne had everything that I had craved in a Tudor novel. It stayed mostly faithful to history. It also portrayed these queens in a sympathetic light. Each of them is a victim under Henry VIII. Some of them had a feminist twist to their stories. One example is Anne of Cleves. Anne claims that the reason why she displeased Henry was not because she was ugly, but because she saw his true self. I also thought that it was cool and quite snarky that after each wife told their tale, Henry gave his own impression about what he thought of his wife. He tells us his motivation about why he gave a few of his wives a bad ending.

Overall, Fatal Throne is a fun retelling of Henry VIII’s wives. The story that I thought was the most well-written is Anne of Cleves. Her story is portrayed as the victor rather than the victim. The story I did not like as well as the others was Anne Boleyn. Anne Boleyn was an undeveloped character. My favorite tale was Catherine of Aragon that chronicles the long years of being married to Henry. Still, it was a short and fast-paced read! I highly recommend this to any Tudor fan who is looking for a bit of light reading!

Fatal Throne is a collection of stories by seven authors about the wives of Henry VIII. I honestly loved them all, but some of my favorites were Candace Fleming's story about Katherine of Aragon, Jennifer Donnelly's story about Anne of Cleves, and Linda Sue Park's Catherine Howard tale.

I will freely admit that I am the prime audience for a collection like this. I'm an historian. I'm fascinated by the Tudors, I've been to Hampton Court, and I love period dramas. That said, my love for this book was really rooted in the beautiful writing. Many of these stories are so captivating stylistically. My plan was to read one story between other reads, but I was so engrossed I ended up reading them all back-to-back.

Want a book that will break your heart? Fatal Throne allows the Wives of Henry the VII to tell their own stories. My heart shattered with the story of Catherine of Aragon. Anne Boylen's story is full of terror. The problem is, the book also allows Henry to speak. After reading the things the women tell, you may, like me, find yourself disgusted in having to read the justifications of a wealthy spoiled monarch.

I have always been interested in the life and wives of King Henry VIII and I really liked this book! I loved the way you got to know each queen, and having it written by different authors made it even more interesting. I highly recommend this book.

This book had so much potential - a book from the point of view from Henry VIII's wives? Sign me up.

However, this book didn't live up to my expectations. First off, I thought it would just be a short story - a snapshot if you will - of a time in that queen's life. It actually turned out to be more of the diary of the queen's life, starting and ending, with the queen's demise (death or other).

I also hoped that it would make the characters seem more like real people. It did - but it made them seem like whiny, 2D people. I had an especially hard time with Anne Boleyn's chapter as in the other queen's chapters, she's made out to be super calculation and is described as a viper (many times - come on editors, find another metaphor), but in her own chapter, it doesn't really acknowledge her scheming side, making her side of the story seem like coincidence.

I did enjoy that every chapter ended with a short story of Henry's side of the story. Even though he was a terrible person (and a dubious king), it was interesting to hear his side, no matter how self serving it felt.

I could not finish. I got halfway through and decided that I just couldn't finish - which is a shame since I know less about Henry's later wives than his first wives.

Tudors. If you're like me, that's all you need to know to pick up this book. I was slightly concerned the writing would feel uneven coming from multiple authors, but that wasn't an issue at all. I enjoyed reading from each wife's perspective and Henry's, too! Despite knowing all of their stories, it felt like a new experience. I wish it didn't have to end.

There is something truly intriguing about the Tudor era of history. Particularly Henry VIII's legion of wives.

LBR: the ONLY reason we remember Henry VIII is because of his wives. Not because he was a good King. And not even for being the father to Queen Mary or Queen Elizabeth I.

I love that this book let us watch as history unfolded in a very real and captivating way.

Katherine of Aragon: devout, loyal, heartbroken.
Anne Boelyn: liberal, forward thinking, loyal, heartbroken, without a head.
Jane Seymour: YAWN.
Anne of Cleves: fascinating, free.
Katherine Howard: liberal, also without a head.
Katherine Parr: genius.

My favorite of his wives has and will always be Anne Boelyn. Without her, England would look VERY different today. The Bible would still be read in Latin by clergymen only. Catholicism would still reign supreme. She was truly a fascinating character and I love to read anything that has her name in it. Plus, she was the mother of one of England's greatest Queens, Elizabeth I.

I have always felt the strongest dislike for Jane Seymour. IMHO she was this falsely pius person. So "religious", yet was completely fine stealing affections from the King while he was married to Anne. Then was also completely fine when Anne's head was dispatched from her body. Let's call a spade a spade. Jane was a snake. If she had at least been honest in that, I think I would have had more respect for her. Really, the ONLY reason Henry decided she was his favorite wife was because she provided the son. Plus she was almost subservient and obedient to his every whim. AND she had the benefit of dying young. So props to you Jane for not being deposed of like the majority cause you died before that could happen.

Katherine Howard was always the most tragic to me. She was young. She fell in love with the wrong man. She had to marry a gross King just cause he was basically a god back then. Terrible tragedy.

This book gave me a heightened respect for both Anne of Cleves and Katherine Parr. Obviously both of them did something right because they BOTH outlived King Henry. I had always wondered how Anne became Henry's "sister" and this made that story come alive. Katherine Parr ALMOST got the axe, but she was also brilliant. Both of these women learned from their predecessors and honestly don't get enough credit.

I loved this book. You should too.

Ursprünglich veröffentlicht auf Books on Fire
https://www.booksonfire.de/2018/05/rezi-fatal-throne-wives-of-HenryVIII.html

Zitate
"'We must stand against them,' I said quickly. 'But who will raise an army, Your Grace? Who will command it?' I rose from my throne. 'I will.'" - Katharine of Aragon.

"Ah yes, people like to believe the worst of you. Indeed. Every story must have its villain, whether or not what is said to cast that villain is true or a torrent of lies. Truth is boring, after all, compared to rumour and lechery." - Anne Boleyn.

"I will do the things I have said I would, and I will marry, and I will bear children. And I will become the next Queen of England. But I will not do these things for power or spite. I will do them for love. And maybe, I will suceed." - Jane Seymour.

"There is no beautiful girl in the world who does not have a father, uncle, or brother scheming to profit from her looks." - Anna of Cleves.

"The King rules the people. The Queen cares for them. That's how Lady Nan put it to me, and I like thinking of it this way." - Catherine Howard.

"Henry was so entirely alone. He could only be a king - not a man who loved as other men do. He could never truly trust another human being: not me, not his advisors, not his own children." - Kateryn Parr.

"They all plot against me. The women laugh, the men scheme. Those I do not hate, I still can't trust." - Henry VIII.
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Meine Meinung
Da es sich bei "Fatal Throne - The Wives of Henry VII Tell All" um eine Anthologie handelt, werde ich jede Geschichte einzeln bewerten und am Ende ein Gesamtfazit ziehen. Insgesamt gefällt mir allerdings die Gestaltung gut. So beginnt jedes Kapitel u.a. mit dem Motto der jeweiligen Königin. Des Weiteren gibt es am Ende ein Glossar über die handelnden und genannten Personen.

"Katharine of Aragon" von Candace Fleming
Katharines Geschichte beginnt mit dem Moment, wo sie Anne Boleyn und Henry miteinander sieht. Von dort an wird ihre Geschichte rückwirkend aus ihrer Sicht geschildert bis zu eben jenem Moment. Mir gefiel gut, dass man auch ein wenig über ihre spanische Familie erfuhr und sich auch immer mal wieder spanische Wörter einschlichen. Aufgrund der Kürze des Kapitels geht alles relativ schnell und dennoch spürt man die Verzweiflung der Königin, wenn wieder eines ihrer Kinder früh stirbt oder gar tot geboren wird. Zugleich ist da aber auch ihr unglaublicher Optimismus der mit dem tiefen Vertrauen in Gott einhergeht. Trotz der bereits erwähntes Kürze, schafft es Candace Fleming eine neue Sicht auf die historische Figur Katharine of Aragon zu vermitteln. Aus der verstoßenen Königin wird eine liebende Mutter, eine treue und ergebene Ehefrau, aber zugleich auch eine kluge Regentin in Abwesenheit ihres Mannes.

"Anne Boleyn" von Stephanie Hemphill
Annes Geschichte ist weithin bekannt und jeder hat wohl sein eigenes Bild von ihr. Doch Stephanie Hemphill wirft nochmal ein ganz neuen Blick auf sie. Wie viel Wahl hatte Anne Boleyn eigentlich? War sie wirklich die böse Verführerin oder auch nur eine Schachfigur im Spiel mächtiger Männer. Hemphill überlässt das Urteil dem Leser, zeichnet allerdings mit Annes Rückblicken auf ihre Beziehung mit Henry und das Leben bei Hofe ein interessantes Bild vor der Kulisse des sicheren Todes. In meinen Augen ebenfalls interessant ist, wie die Frauen sich gegenseitig sehen. So bekommt man in Annes Teil bereits einen ersten Eindruck von Jane Seymour, welchen man mit in die nächste Geschichte nehmen kann und vielleicht dann auch überrascht ist.

"Jane Seymour" von Lisa Ann Sandell
Während in Annes Geschichte Jane als hinterlistige Verführerin und herzloses Wesen dargestellt wurde, zeichnet sie ihr eigenes Bild doch ganz anders. Sandell macht aus Jane eine unauffällige und durchschnittliche Frau, die aber Dank ihrer Freundlichkeit Henrys Herz gewinnen und Dank ihrer Klugheit bei Hofe überleben kann. Ich war zuvor kein großer Fan von Jane und bin es auch immer noch nicht, aber dennoch hat diese fiktive Geschichte einen guten Eindruck bei mir hinterlassen. Vor allem wie Jane zu den anderen zwei Königinnen und den (ehemaligen) Prinzessinnen Mary und Elizabeth stand, war interessant zu sehen. Ich wusste vorher z.B. nicht, dass Jane tatsächlich bereits eine Maid of Honour von Katharine of Aragon war und Anne daher bereits vor ihrer Zeit als Königin begegnet war.

"Anna of Cleves" von Jennifer Donnelly
Annas Geschichte gefiel mir am besten. Anna liegt bereits im Sterben als ihre Geschichte beginnt und sie der Tochter ihres Gärtners ausgewählte Geschichten aus ihrem Leben als Königin erzählt. Immer wieder wird sie von den Geistern derjenigen verfolgt, die sie erst an den Hof brachten. Donnelly schafft es Annas Fremdartigkeit im neuen Land perfekt rüberzubringen und wie sie trotz der Nichtbeherrschung der Sprache den Hof, um sich herum zu lesen lernt. Ich konnte bei diesem Kapitel einfach nicht aufhören zu lesen, da ich immer wieder wissen musste, wie es weitergeht obwohl ich das Dank meines Interesses an der Tudorzeit eigentlich schon wusste.

"Catherine Howard" von Linda Sue Park
Catherines Geschichte konnte mich nicht sonderlich überraschen, war aber gut erzählt. Man spürt Catherines Jugend und Unschuld über Hofintrigen. Sie ist ein wenig wie ein kleines Rehkitz, dass man vor all dem Bösen in der Welt schützen möchte, während es fröhlich und unbedacht über die Wiese hüpft. Park hat die Achterbahnfahrt von Catherine Howards Leben durch die Extreme in Catherines Stimmung gut dargestellt. Entweder ist sie hocherfreut und sehr verliebt oder melancholisch und tiefst enttäuscht. Auch die Ernüchterung der jungen Frau über ihren alten Ehemann, den sie dennoch vergöttert, wurde nahezu perfekt eingefangen. Ab und zu blitzt ein kleiner feministischer Ansatz hindurch, welcher jedoch schnell von der Herzoginwitwe oder dem Herzog niedergeschlagen werden. Was die Geschichte jedoch etwas schwierig macht ist Catherine selbst, den entweder man mag sie und ihre Naivität oder kommt aus dem Augenrollen nicht mehr heraus.

"Kateryn Parr" von Deborah Hopkinson
Kateryns Geschichte war zwar gute erzählt, aber mir fehlten doch so manche Details. Besonders woher ihre Schwärmerei für Thomas Seymour kommt. Ansonsten gefiel mit die Geschichte allerdings gut, da Kateryn versucht die Fehler ihrer Vorgängerinnen zu vermeiden, um ihren Kopf zu behalten. Wie gesagt, sie versucht es. Leider kommt keine wirkliche Spannung auf, da ein wenig durch ihre Geschichte gehetzt wird. Die Momente in der sich die Autorin aber die Zeit nahm und Kateryn reflektieren ließ, waren sehr schön geschrieben und man kann auch noch heute etwas von ihr lernen.

"Henry VIII" + "Queen Elizabeth I" von M.T. Anderson
Am Ende jeder Geschichte einer Königin gibt es ein weiteres kleines Kapitel aus Henrys Sicht. All diese wurden von M.T. Anderson geschrieben. Während er zuvor meist als launischer Tyran dargestellt wurde, sieht Henry sich selbst doch ganz anders. Meist fühlt er sich von der Welt und den Menschen um sich herum betrogen. Niemals trifft ihn die Schuld. Es sind immer die anderen. Für mich ist dies das perfekte Bild von Henry VIII. Ein durch den Mangel an männlichen Erben in die Unsicherheit getriebener König, der die Schuld bei anderen sucht und sich dieser entledigt, sobald sie nicht so handeln wie er es wünscht.
Anderson hat des Weiteren auch noch ein letztes Minikapitel über Elizabeth I beigesteuert, welches beinahe nicht erwähnenswärt wäre. Jedoch rundet es den Roman nochmal ab und fasst zusammen, was zwischen Henrys Tod und Elizabeths Inthronisierung alles geschehen ist. Es ist auch das einzige Kapitel, welches in der dritten Person anstatt in der ersten geschrieben ist.

Fazit
"Fatal Throne - The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All" ist eine gut geschriebene und äußerst unterhaltsame Anthologie über die Frauen Heinrichs des Achten. Zugleich ist es ein wunderbares Beispiel, wie sehr sich die Eigenwahrnehmung von dem Eindruck, den man auf andere macht unterscheidet.