‘Life passed so quickly, one season dying, re-birthing into another.’

In this novel about Queen Isabel of Castile and her daughter the Infanta Catalina (known to history as Katherine of Aragon, first wife of King Henry VIII of England), Ms Dunn writes of mothers and daughters, of duty and responsibility. Catalina is the youngest daughter of Queen Isabel of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon, and this novel is focussed on her childhood, on how Isabel set out to prepare her daughter for both a life in exile from home and life as a queen. Dońa Beatriz Galindo was chosen by Isabel to tutor Catalina. Although little is known about the life of Beatriz Galindo, she was a poet, a scholar, and lectured at the University of Salamanca. She also taught Queen Isabel Latin.

Ms Dunn has chosen Beatriz Galindo to tell this fictionalised story of Catalina’s early years. Woven into a setting which includes the costly Holy War, the Spanish Inquisition, the conquest of Granada and Cristóbal Colón’s (Christopher Colombus) voyage to the Americas, the novel’s main characters are female.

I enjoyed this novel, mostly for the intriguing portrayal of Beatriz Galindo. I’ve read many novels about Katherine of Aragon and about Isabel and Ferdinand, and am reasonably well-versed in the history of the period. I liked the way in which Ms Dunn presents a multi-dimensional portrayal of the key women involved: Isabel is queen, wife and mother; Beatriz is scholar, wife and mother; Josefa Gonzales de Salinas is friend, wife and mother. Each of these women has duties and responsibilities. The main children in the novel, Catalina and her companion Maria de Salinas (daughter of Josefa), are being prepared for life in England, away from family and what is familiar. These girls are learning to follow the examples of their mothers. Lives differentiated, and frequently constrained, by gender.

In the words of Beatriz: ‘ All of us must walk our own roads, but ‘tis wrong to prevent women from walking to many roads just because we’re women. Even Plato said, ‘Nothing can be more absurd than the practice of men and women not following the same pursuits with all their strengths and with one mind, for thus, the state instead of being whole is reduced by half.’

Note: My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a review!

This book gave insight into the early years of Queen Katherine, when her life was ordinary vs extraordinary. I loved reading about the early relationships and hardships that shaped this woman into one of the most interesting women in history!