Henry VIII (or Harry as he's styled here) was a big man and this is a big and somewhat daunting book. Fans of Weir know that she writes in great detail and that yes, she does take liberties (who really knows what someone said) but that the reader will always learn something, Here she's finally given the other side of the story, as it were, after telling the stories of his six wives, It's an interesting perspective and allows Weir to stretch a bit. This is historical fiction for those who are willing to commit swaths of time. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Having read and loved most of Alison Weir’s Six Tudor Queens series, I was really looking forward to hearing from the Man himself, KIng Henry VIII. However, I finished this novel feeling that although I read a lot about him, I really didn’t know him all that well, at least not like I felt like I “knew” his queens after each of their books.

The KIng’s Pleasure reads as narrative history, with very little dialogue. It is very informative and interesting, but dry. Any conversations that are recounted are clearly there for a purpose, such as to reveal his views on war, education, women, etc. And actions are described but not “lived.”

I enjoyed this about as much as I would have enjoyed a biography of Henry VIII. It was well-written and engrossing, but there seemed to be very little life in it. I look to historical fiction to bring life to historical events and characters, and I didn’t see that here. It is well worth reading, but not engaging or emotional at all.

I received this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I rate it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

I really love Ms. Weir writing and I love everything Tudor, but this one was just a bit slow for me. Thank you netgalley and publisher for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

Alison Weir knows her Tudors. Whether it’s non-fiction or fiction, she seems to have scoured all available sources for information and compiled a healthy number of books on the subject. I’ve read or listened to several, and Weir proves herself as a very good historian who also knows how to write a book. Following the six-book historical book series on the wives of Henry VII, she decided it was time to write a book from his point of view.

For the most part, this book works, if you don’t mind minutiae about Henry VIII. Weir’s biggest problem, and my problem reading the 600-page book, is that things move along very slowly. Indeed, you have to get 50% through the book before Anne Boleyn becomes a part of the story.

Weir makes sure to mention key players during “Harry’s” reign (using the familiar name makes the king seem more human, rather than the tyrant he became. The book is a good, detailed look at Henry’s reign in fictional form. There was a lot going on besides Henry’s obsession with a mail heir, and it shows in the work.

Despite my interest in the subject and knowing the plethora of information Weir drew upon to weave her tale, at times I grew bored. I liked the book well enough, the story is interesting and compelling, yet I feel I would have enjoyed this long book a lot better if I listened to it instead of reading it to do it justice.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Ballantine Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

After renowned British royal author Alison Weir wrapped up her "Six Queens" Tudor historical fiction series, I was delighted to learn that she would next write from the point of view of King Henry VIII. What a fitting wrap up to this whole, luxurious collection. At the same time, this is the next installment to its predecessor, "The Last White Rose", which recounted the history of his mother and father.

This tome is over 500 pages and felt like it. It begins as his beloved mother dies and his older brother (and Prince of Wales) Arthur marries Princess Katherine of Aragon, and ends with King Henry VIII's death. The largest breadth of the book covers Henry's marriages to first and second wives Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, taking the reader well past the halfway mark. As an avid reader of Tudor history these past thirty years, I cannot say that I learned anything new here. As a piece of historical fiction, the author took poetic license and piqued my interest in certain areas like pregnancies and pre-marital indulgences with previously thought innocent prospective wives. I also found Henry's thoughts about disrobed Anne Boleyn's body (upon their first coupling) quite original- and it made me chuckle.

The bottom line is, if you are well read on this subject, King Henry's thoughts will mostly be of no surprise.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

I sadly did not love this one. I will read absolutely anything about the Tudor era, so maybe I've just overdone it? Maybe I just inherently don't care about Henry's perspective. But mostly I just had a really tough time getting engaged in this story. It felt like simultaneously too much and not enough - to cover a man as intricate as Henry VIII in one book (albeit a fairly long one) means that a lot of this will end up being surface level. It really felt like it was written more as telling vs. showing, with very basic thoughts interposed on historical events. But it also felt far too long at times, like everything that was known about Henry VIII had to be incorporated, instead of choosing bits to tell a particular angle of the story. I will of course continue reading the series and honestly everything Alison Weir writes, but I'm looking forward to the next book returning to a woman's perspective.

The King's Pleasure is the second book in the Tudor Rose series, the first is about Elizabeth of York and Henry's mother. It is a lengthy book at 590 pages in the Kindle version. It took me several afternoons to finish the book. Each of the books are written in the voice of the primary figure, in this case King Henry VIII.

Henry began his rule under a cloud of whether he can legally marry his older brother's wife, Catherine of Aragon. After they finally marry his primary focus to produce a male heir. As we know Henry had six wives, the majority of which had multiple miscarriages in order to do so.

His legacy is wide and long lasting from expanding Parliament, founded the Royal Navy, modernized medical training, composed music and poetry.

This book is well written and blends historical fact with what could possibly be the thoughts of the infamous King Henry VIII.

It's an interesting idea to infer the thoughts and ideas based on history. It does make the characters more interesting with dialogue. It could not have been easy being the second born and ill-prepared to become King with all the power hungry and scheming of court life.

If you’re interested in the Tudor era and the beginnings of the Royal Family, then you will likely be a fan of this series.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
At long last, after having written novels for each of Henry VIII’s wives, Alison Weir has dared to tackle the life of Henry himself in The King’s Pleasure. It’s not an easy task, with the book covering the majority of his life from the death of his mother (where Weir’s precious fictional work about Elizabeth of York left off) and going through his life and times, including his six eventful marriages. The result, as expected, is of truly epic proportions.
Henry is a truly fascinating figure, and Weir does a great job fleshing him out and depicting the complexities that made the glorious, virtuous prince of his youth turn into the infamous tyrant that he has gone down in history as. From his upbringing by his father who came to the throne based on a claim of conquest and worked to establish a new dynasty, even as claimants from the old one still remained to threaten both their power, to the real dynastic issues Henry’s inability to have a legitimate son caused, I appreciate how all this was explained from his perspective, especially with the stakes rising as he aged. While a part of his character is also very self-serving, he does try to make it so that his own personal interests and that of the realm align. It can be hard to root for someone who is able to justify anything for that purpose, even executing people he once deified, but if you know anything at all about Henry VIII, you pretty much know what you’re getting with this story.
Having read most of Weir’s Six Wives novels and read a lot about his marriages elsewhere, it was fun to get his perspective on things, as I had never read that angle before in any other book. His complex emotions as his wives in succession disappointed him were interesting as well, as it added an element of humanity to him amid the romantic dramas (even if I did seriously question his logic at various times, even though I admit to having the benefit of hindsight and modern knowledge of things science and medicine).
I do have issues with how Weir’s bias has informed some of her choices, and that has impacted my reading experience with her fiction in the past. The anti-Anne Boleyn bias was much less pronounced this time around (an obstacle to my being able to finish Weir’s Anne Boleyn novel), however I object to the theories that carry over from Weir’s book on Anne’s execution, The Lady in the Tower. The idea that Cromwell framed Anne, and Henry believed Anne guilty doesn’t quite fit for me, especially when other historians have pointed out the swiftness with which Henry moved on (actually he’d already moved on to Jane) and the brief timeline from arrest to trial to execution, compared to the long, drawn-out process of the fall of Kathryn Howard. It’s especially startling when the book depicts him being taken off-guard by both his allegedly unfaithful wives’ behavior, with the only difference being Henry still had tender, wounded feelings for Kathryn (vs frustration with Anne). Weir also repeat some other claims, such as Jane Boleyn’s involvement in the fall of Anne and George, while she attempts to at least partially rehabilitate Mary Boleyn. But she has written about the Boleyns before, I assume readers would know what to expect if they’ve picked up any of her Boleyn-related titles in the past.
Other than that, Weir has gained her reputation as a reputable historian of Tudor history for a reason, and she clearly knows her stuff. She blends the facts with fiction expertly here, and brings to life the story of one of the most infamous monarchs in British history perfectly. If you’re interested at all in historical fiction about Henry, the Tudors, or the British monarchy, I’d recommend checking this out!

It is through my travels in England and the books I’ve read by Alison Weir and Philippa Gregory that I have a modest understanding of several centuries of British royalty. Weir makes history readable and accessible. And I can count on her books to be well researched with sources documented. She has previously written about all of the wives of Henry VIII so I guess it makes sense that he gets his own book.

At just over 500 pages there is a lot of life to read through. Henry’s mother dies when he is young which impacts his life. His father was strict and distant. His first marriage is to Katherine of Aragon is arranged for political reasons but there is love. Unfortunately there were many still births, miscarriages and no sons. The book covers each of the successive wives; Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katheryn Howard and Katherine Parr (who outlives him).

Henry goes from an athletic, generous king who loves hunts and parties to a man more tyrannical and obsessed with having a son and heir. Weir sticks with knows facts or accepted stories and doesn’t add speculative theories. And not surprisingly, while I was sympathetic to many wives from books I’ve read about them I didn’t have the same empathy for Henry/Harry.

I’m glad to have read this but and I learned some new things about the King Henry VIII. I usually read books straight through but I found it easier to take breaks and read from other books while continuing with this one. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine for the ARC and I’m leaving a voluntary review.

Since I began reading her Six Tudor Queens series, I have been a huge fan of Alison Weir. After collecting all six Queen novels, I went back through Ms. Weir's work and began listening to audiobooks of her historical works on the Tudors, as well as some of her other novels. I believe that Ms. Weir does spectacular work. Although the novels are usually on the longer side, her prose is quick-moving. No chapters feel like they stall or fail to move the action forward.

So as can be imagined, when I heard she was doing a novel about Henry VIII to finish the series, I was thrilled and immediately requested an ARC. I was even more ecstatic when I received approval, dancing around, squealing, and bragging to all my friends about getting to review this book. And as with the Tudor Queens series, Ms. Weir did not disappoint. Seeing events that were previously recorded by each queen from the point of view of their king proved a thoroughly interesting, edifying experience.

The thing that I found most interesting was that Ms. Weir was able through her writing to make me relate to Henry in ways I didn't expect to. Maybe I won't go so far as to say that she made me have sympathy for the devil, but I did find that I could understand his outlook and his decisions, even though I agreed with very few of them. She manages to bring forward the man behind the monarch, even though he is ultimately still a man who finds very little fault in himself and constantly blames his mistakes and flaws on others.

He makes decisions at the slightest whisper of treason, in the heat of the moment, only to realize later that he made a mistake or acted in error and seriously regret his actions. His temper flares. He speaks hastily. Overall, the impression is of a man who wasn't supposed to be king, spoiled and indulged, and unable or unwilling to curve his own appetites or correct his faults. I think a quote that I found in one of the later chapters where Henry is speaking to his last wife, Katherine Parr, sums up his attitude fairly well:
"God willed that I should suffer many mishaps in my marriages - but there were others to blame, of course."

I don't think Ms. Weir could have encapsulated the king better. I enjoyed the read immensely, and I will wholeheartedly recommend The King's Pleasure as a great finishing touch to the Tudor Queen series. I look forward to whatever Ms. Weir has in store next. Thank you so much to Netgalley and to Random House/Ballantine for the Advance Reader Copy!

I am obsessed with Alison Weir’s writing! I’m so glad there is a book based on Henry. Most authors focus on the wives but this was a breath of fresh air hearing his story. I have not read much about his early years and it was so interesting to read about how he was prevented from marrying the one he really loved but then everyone knows how he eventually turns out. You can tell Alison did her research with this book. She is one of my favorite historical fiction authors.

I was so excited to see that Alison Weir had written a novel about Henry VIII. Not many novels about him exist and I am so happy she chose to add his perspective. At the beginning of the novel, I sympathized with him because his dad was holding him back from marrying his "true love". From there, it went all downhill and Harry turned into the royal jerk we all know him to be. I loved every second of it and now and running to re-read Weir's Six Tudor Queens series.

When it comes to historical fiction, especially about the Tudors, Alison Weir is usually one of the best authors. Unfortunately, this time she was a little less than successful with her fictional take on Henry VIII’s life. I found the book rather sluggish and lacking any real sparkle. It just seemed to be a superficial rehash of everything we already know about Henry without any of the insights (real or imagined) into his personality which are normally found in her fiction books. I also thought the book read more like a nonfiction book than one of fiction. Perhaps this larger than life monarch deserved more details, more dialogue, and more than one volume.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

Brilliantly written and well researched. Alison Weir is unrivaled in the historical genre especially depicting the life and times of King Henry VIII and his wives. This book is a brilliant POV from Henry and captures the politics of the time.

What can you say about Henry VIII that hasn’t already been said. After writing about each of Henry’s wives from their point of view, Henry gets his turn. No new revelations come from his side of the story. Henry comes across just as one would expect, at times generous and kind, and at other time vindictive and cruel.

I think the biggest issue is not that there is no insight into Henry but rather the pacing of the book. Wives 4-6 are covered in a very short period of time. I also felt that more time was spent with the politics of the time. While understanding the politics is important to understanding the rationale why each of the wives was treated as they were, I was looking for something that would focus more on the domestic life rather than the political.

Having been a huge fan of Alison Weir's 'Six Wives' series, I was overjoyed when I was given the opportunity through NetGalley and Ballantine to read an advanced digital copy of this title, which is from the perspective of Henry VIII himself. I'd like to thank both for providing me that access.

I'll start with the obvious - Weir's novels are always unrivaled for historical accuracy. When experiencing one of her works, readers can always be sure that if something is on the page, it has been meticulously researched and has basis in historical record. This book is no exception, which is both a credit and a drawback in some cases. I felt that the portions of the book that covered Henry's years with Catherine of Aragon - and, to some extent, Anne Boleyn - tended to read more like a straightforward recounting of a series of events rather than a fictionalized insight into his private thoughts. It felt like we were being told what happened, without being made to feel how Henry felt about any of it. Thankfully, this changes as the book gets further into the emotional side of his tempestuous relationship with Anne. It felt very much like watching a friend stay in a dysfunctional situation for the sake of passion, even when you can tell they aren't truly happy, It was the beginning in this book of the sort of personal perspective I was hoping to find, and thankfully continued to find as the book progressed past its somewhat slow start in the days of Henry's princehood and first marriage.

Possibly my favorite section of the entire book was the period between Jane Seymour's death and the arrival of Anna of Kleve in England, since it was a period of Henry's life not covered by any of the wives' books and included scenes with him that we never got to see from someone else's perspective in Weir's earlier novels. Those moments of just Henry, himself, without him acting through the lens of a woman, were very humanizing and interesting. I also loved the emotional choices made in Kathryn Howard's section, because I think it conveyed well something that many people who only know the basics of Henry's story don't think about: that it is highly likely that for all the importance history places on Anne Boleyn, Kathryn Howard's death probably affected Henry much more deeply. Weir fantastically portrays Henry's love and infatuation for Kathryn, his being blindsided by her betrayal, and his heartbreak over having to condemn her in a way that cuts right to the reader's bone in the best way. This turmoil also paves the way for a feeling of emotional comfort and release when Henry marries and lives out the rest of his days with Katherine Parr, which I think Weir also portrays beautifully.

I do wish that there had been a bit more internal monologue/debate/angst over spiritual matters. As we all know, Henry considered himself a religious scholar and took his faith incredibly seriously, even as he dismantled the concept and practice of religion as the English people had known it. However, much of the decisions about religious reform as portrayed in the book are almost listed out like points on a timeline, not gone over as the life-altering, historically impactful, personally agonizing choices that he would have had to think through before coming to his conclusions.

And down to the nitpicky details, I'll leave off with one bad and one good. For the bad: the number of times he says some combination of "By St. George" and "[You/he/she/etc] has the sow by the right ear!" got so tiresome after only a few chapters. I understand there can be phrases that people are known for saying and say all the time, but in the context of reading it over and over in the same book for every exclamation, it just started to sound absurd. And for the good: although I'm sure there are some people who won't like the decision, I thought choosing to refer to him continuously as "Harry" throughout the book was a ultimately a clever one. It was a quick and easy way to familiarize him to the reader and bring through a bit of that "common touch" people were always saying he had, and I think it was the best option.

While this is far from my favorite book Weir has written, it was well-done as always. I will continue to recommend her work to anyone interested in knowing more about the Tudor dynasty, because she simply can't be matched for great historical fiction with a solid foundation in research. With Weir, you can always tell that she truly lives and breathes the stories of these characters and is comfortable inside their world, which I will always appreciate.

When we think about the Tudor dynasty, we often focus on the women in King Henry VIII’s life and his children, at least when it comes to novels. Writing about this larger-than-life figure, this notorious king and controversial figure in English history, are usually considered ambitious. Few have attempted to write a book about the king’s entire reign, but Alison Weir has embarked on this endeavor in her latest novel, “The King’s Pleasure: A Novel of Henry VIII.”

I want to thank Ballantine Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I have not read many books about the reign of King Henry VIII, except for “The Autobiography of King Henry VIII” by Margaret George, so when I heard that Alison Weir was writing a novel about the titular king, I knew I had to read it.

Weir begins her novel with a moment that must have been difficult for young Prince Henry or Harry as he is referred to in this book. His brother died recently, and his beloved mother, Elizabeth of York, just died, leaving Henry as King Henry VII’s only heir. Henry does not have the best relationship with his father, but he now must fill the void as the heir apparent after Arthur died, leaving his young wife, Katherine of Aragon, a widow. When King Henry VII died, Henry became King Henry VIII and selected a woman he had fallen for to become his queen, Katherine of Aragon.

The bulk of this novel revolves around the relationships between Henry and his first two wives, Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Weir is sympathetic toward Katherine of Aragon’s struggles, whereas her portrayal of Anne Boleyn may come across as a bit harsh. Jane Seymour is portrayed as a quiet and obedient queen, and Anna of Cleves’ focus is more on her looks and how Henry treated her more as a sister than a wife. Katherine Howard is someone Henry falls for hard and is devastated by her downfall, and Katherine Parr is the firebrand reformer who wants to heal Henry’s family at the end of his life.

Weir also touches on the complex political web that Henry was involved in, not just in England but European politics of the 16th century. We also see how Henry interacted with his children and how the emotional weight of all of his decisions weighed on him.

I think for how much of a challenge it is to write a novel about King Henry VIII, Alison Weir has done an admirable job in the king’s portrayal. I don’t necessarily agree with how some of the queens were portrayed, but I did enjoy this novel as a whole. I would suggest reading this novel before the Six Tudor Queens series to understand Henry’s perspective before his wives’ stories. If you have enjoyed the latest books about Henry VIII’s wives and his mother, Elizabeth of York, you should read “The King’s Pleasure: A Novel of Henry VIII” by Alison Weir.

I enjoy reading about the Tudor era, and Alison Weir writes about it so well, filling in so many details. This time, the focus is on Henry VIII instead of his wives. It makes for an interesting read, although I found some sections regarding political maneuverings a bit slow going. Nonetheless, this is a book that will be enjoyed by those who are also interested in this period of history. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Note: I was given early access to this novel in exchange for writing an impartial review. Thank you NetGalley and Random House. Scheduled publication date: May 30, 2023.

This novel covers the life of the ever-notorious English King, Henry VIII by the well-respected historian, Alison Weir. It reminded me a bit of author Margaret George’s 1986 book, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF HENRY VIII. They’re both long, they both look at unfolding events from Henry’s perspective, and both try to offer some insights into the man behind the reputation. I gave it four stars but 3.5 might be more precise.

One of the reasons historical fiction is my favorite genre is because I’m interested in an author’s depiction of an actual historical person as a fully fleshed out human being, with speculation about why each behaved as they did — how their individual humanity ultimately impacted historical events. What were they thinking? What motivated them? How might they have been damaged by life circumstances? In my opinion, Weir did this very successfully in her six-novel series about Henry’s wives. Unfortunately, I didn’t find anything new or particularly interesting about Weir’s exploration of Henry’s psyche. And I don't feel that I know or understand him any better. Instead, I felt I was reading an episodic survey recounting his life and reign, with all documented events included. And I particularly didn’t believe the way in which Weir seemed to give a big pass to Henry around the fall of Anne Boleyn.

Overall, the novel felt like more of a blend of historical fiction and traditional biography. Lots of detail about politics, rival court factions, and building projects that did not seem to add to a better understanding of the man. Almost as though Weir (wearing her historian's hat) felt she had to include everything about Henry that had been historically documented.

I also found some of the integration of historical documentation on the clumsy side. For example, Weir includes a few direct quotes from Henry taken from historical records. Only to me they felt stuck in because the language Henry actually used back in the 1500s (reflected in the direct quote) was nothing like the voice Weir gave him throughout the rest of the book.

My understanding is that Weir began writing non-fiction long before becoming interested in historical fiction. So, maybe that makes it harder to let go of some of the facts and history she knows so intimately and focus more on the psychology and character of the King. And, as she explains in the Afterword, after writing novels each of Henry’s wives, she felt obligated to create one about Henry himself. Of course, the thing about diehard Tudor fans like me is that we NEVER get tired of reading about Henry and trying to understand him. Which is probably why so many historical fiction authors keep writing books about him. An audience will always be waiting to read them. Flaws and all.

I’ve always been fascinated by all things King Henry VIII and I’ve read quite a bit about him, including Weir’s “The Six Wives of Henry VIII” and Margaret George’s “The Autobiography of Henry VIII.” Although I finished those years ago, I don’t believe that THE KING’S PLEASURE differed too much - or added much to the (totally bizarre) story of England’s most notorious king.

I did enjoy hearing the events from Henry’s point of view: he’s recounting his life’s choices and regrets on his deathbed, which does a lot to humanize him. The book begins when he’s a little boy, devastated by the loss of his mother and moves through time. It details his infatuation, and later, boredom, with each of his six wives, as well as the political goings-on during this lifespan. Therefore, THE KING’S PLEASURE is a bit of a chonker, and I had a difficult time focusing to getting through some of the less interesting phases of Henry’s life.

That said, this book is obviously extensively researched and impeccably written. The descriptions of clothes, food, pageantry, etc. drop you right into the Tudor world. This book will appeal to historians and those curious about Henry VIII, particularly if they haven’t read other similar books.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an eARC of THE KING’S PLEAURE and the opportunity to give my honest feedback and opinion.

This review has been published on Goodreads and will be published on my Bookstagram, @watchskyeread, on publication day (May 30).