A Woman of Noble Wit

A Woman of Noble Wit by Rosemary Briggs

What an enjoyable read. I've found myself reading a lot of historical fiction and reading one about a person who would have actually existed makes it , for me , all the more enjoyable.
This story is about Katherine a young girl who we meet whilst still going and enjoying life with her brothers. At 9 she is sent away to improve her education and to be a companion / helper for her grandmother.
She grows up and married , and one of her sons goes on to become a person who we are all taught about in our history lessons. They say behind every great man is a woman , and in this case they are correct. His mother Katherine.
The author brought alive what the expectations of being a woman was all about in that time , often having to marry a man that would improve your own famillies status within the hierarchy of Nobility.

I have read a lot of historical fiction, set around the Tudor period but I have never read any fiction ssurrounded Sir Walter Raleighs mother and I really enjoyed it. It was well written and really evoked life in Tudpr England and the court of Henry the 8th. A really good book

My thanks to Rosemary Griggs, Matador and Net Galley for the ARC of A WOMAN OF NOBLE WIT.
Superb of course, the Tudor era is a favourite of mine and I loved the references to other characters that I had read so much about. How much they went through, the women in particular with their many painful births and losses. Katherine is Walter Raleigh's mother and her tale is an interesting foray into Tudor life and how they felt about the happenings within the Royal family, seen from an ordinary family's point of view. I loved it.

Rosemary Griggs, A Woman of Noble Wit, Matador 2021.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Rosemary Griggs takes her title from the description of Katherine Champernownes (c1519-1594) in The Book of Martyrs, under her name upon her second marriage, Katherine Raleigh. The attributed phrase appears well into this fictional account of Katherine, ‘our heroine’ as Griggs designates her in the ‘cast list’ at the end of the book. However, it is used on several earlier occasions to emphasise one of the influential characteristics of the woman who wanted more from life than that determined by her gender and the times.

The narrative follows connected families whose lives were varied, links to the courts of Henry V111, King Edward, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth 1, at times being the least of their activities. Some family members remained wholly apart from the Court, others had some association, and yet others were fully involved. The interest in this book lies in the disparities between members of the same family or their connections. Even those family members who went to the Court at times had thriving lives outside. These lives are sympathetically realised with a combination of fact and fiction in Rosemary Griggs’ novel. This departure from the retelling of the lives of Kings and Queens and their courts is refreshing. The Champernownes, Carews, Courtenays, Gilberts and the Raleighs were families of import in the period, may sometimes appear in books about the monarchs, but here their lives independent of Court intrigues and activities are also followed. Other recognisable characters are John Pollard, William and Joan Hurst, John Hooker and Agnes Prest. All the characters are described in an excellent list at the end of the novel. Fictional characters are also acknowledged, for example, the maids and tutors who help give the plot additional life as they interact with the main actors.

Women’s secondary and limited place, acknowledged as reality but questioned by Katherine, provides a background to her biological family relationships, those with her two husbands, her domestic arrangements, and her interaction with the outside world. The relationship between Katherine and her older brother, Johnny, in the opening scenes makes it apparent that Katherine despises the limitations imposed on her by society’s expectations of women. Her fear of an arranged marriage to a much older man is joked about, but as the story proceeds, with the ageing king on the throne taking youthful wives and then dispensing with them it is subtly acknowledged that Katherine’s fear was not misplaced. She does marry as part of a business arrangement, but although Otho Gilbert is young, he is uninspiring and, most importantly, not of her choosing. Ironically, the event that ties her to the Gilbert family, her pregnancy with her first child, also gives her some status in the house in which her mother- in- law and sister-in-law have previously ruled. Here, Katherine gains prestige through her motherhood – a fixture in a woman’s life for acceptance in the period. Although, the first child is a disappointment – a girl – boys are born thereafter consolidating Katherine as the mother of men whose lives will be more important than hers.

As a background to Katherine’s domestic life, through this first marriage and its short comings, to her second which appears to have suited both partners, events on a larger canvas take place. Royal deaths and subsequent changing attitudes toward the accepted religion; engagement in war; poverty and plague; and the marriages of her kin and friends move the family though comfortable living, together with fear of changes. However, although these latter impinge on Katherine and her family, the story of lives led on the periphery of danger and exultation, rather than lives in the thick of Court intrigue are a fascinating reminder that monarchs’ lives, although a world event, were not necessarily the only influences in ordinary, and even important, peoples’ lives.

Rosemary Griggs has brought those lives into being in this well-crafted combination of fact and fiction. This is a lengthy novel, with a myriad of characters. It sometimes moves into discursive and detailed writing that, while ultimately engaging, demands the skills which need to be brought to non-fiction writing. At times I found these limited. However, the story rings with authenticity, and perhaps it is Griggs’ attention to telling as much as she can from the known history that impedes some of the liveliness anticipated in a fictional account. Whilst I mention that caveat, I enjoyed the novel. I found its real appeal in Griggs bringing to the page the lives of people many of whom I had not heard through studying Tudor and Stuart history and reading other fictional accounts of the period.

As most historical fiction novels set during the Tudor period, much of what happens to families is due to political upheaval and the lives and deaths of the monarchs. While the same is true of this book, the royal family drama was but a footnote to explain the rise and fall of family members, and the focus of the story was centered on Katherine-Kate. Married while still a child as was common practice of the time, Katherine-Kate is dutiful and understanding of her fate. The story shifts when Walter Raleigh is introduced and I enjoyed learning more about this rich historical figure.

I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful book about the life of Katherine Raleigh.

I admittedly love most Historical Fiction that is set in and around the Tudor period, especially when it is from the perspective of a woman. The fact the book is set in Devon (my home county) meant I knew a fair few of the places mentioned, which made it all the more enjoyable for me.

I enjoyed learning about Katherine’s life during a turbulent period of history, and how this affected both her and her family, even though they lived many miles away from the centre of things at court. It is fascinating to see her day to day life, beliefs and values and how these went on to form her children into the people they became, most notably, of course, her last-born child, Sir Walter Raleigh. Her life is full of ups and downs, turmoil and grief but she also finds love, passion, contentment and joy which I believe makes this such a brilliant page-turner.

Rosemary Griggs has a great ability to take the minimal facts known about Katherine’s life and merge them with her fantastic knowledge of the period and localities involved to form this amazing, vivid, piece of fiction. I truly didn’t want the book to end.

I hope to read more from Rosemary in the future.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. This book was my whole life for about a week. I fully enjoyed the Tudor aspect but the inner love story was even more captivating! I rooted for the new couple the whole way! thumbs up

A Woman of Noble Wit by Rosemary Griggs is perfect for all historical fiction fans. Unlike many books, this book doesn't force the heroine into being unrealistically present at every major event that occurred during her life-time. Instead, Katherine is forced to remain in a woman's sphere, looking after her children and managing servants. However, the Tudor years were eventful with religion and politics impacting every powerful family-even women were impacted as their menfolk rose and fell in Henry VIII's favour.

Rosemary Griggs does a wonderful job of bringing women's lives in the 16th century to life: the limited opportunities, the fear for children in a time of plagues, the strong family ties. Katherine was a delightful heroine and it was fascinating to know that she'd eventually become mother to one of history's most famous explorers. I think the book could have done with a little extra cutting; the first half in particular could be a little shorter, however Griggs weaves in plenty of details to keep you entertained.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for allowing me to read this digital ARC!

Katherine lived in a time of great excitement for the British people as a New World was about to come into their grasp. She is a woman of her time - loyal, hard working and willing to do anything to help her family. She marries a man she barely knows, yet becomes a loving and good mother to her son, Walter. As the years go by, King Henry's court becomes Queen Elizabeths. She can do little from stopping her son from becoming the famous explorer and legend, Sir Walter Releigh. It was a good novel seeing just who this woman was and how her son came to be who he was.

I was drawn right in to the story of Katherine ,Sir Walter Raleigh’s mother and the Tudor period.This really brings the time to life and brought me into this historical period..well written will be recommending.#netgalley#awomanofwitt

Really good book. The plot was well-written and engrossing. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I really enjoyed this and, even though it's fiction, I learned a lot. I'm reading a lot of historical fiction nowadays and this one was really good.

This is a historical novel about Sir Walter Raleigh’s mother. The novel is well-written. However, I find Katherine to be a supporting character in her own story. I felt the focus to be mostly on Sir Walter Raleigh than his mother. Still, I recommend this fans of Alison Weir, Phillips Gregory, and Jean Plaidy!

Katherine-Kate Raleigh née Champernowne was the mother of Sir Walter Raleigh and wife to Walter Raleigh senior. She was also the sister of Elizabeth’s governess Kat Champernowne.

A Woman of Noble Wit is her story, set in Devon. Katherine lived through four monarchs and saw her son rise to be a favourite of Elizabeth although passed before his execution.

This book not only tells her story but life during the Tudor dynasty, war, sickness and religion all played a part in peoples lives.
Katherine was well educated and made it her mission to ensure her children were too.
Her sons including Walter followed their father's footsteps taking to the seas.

Although this is historical fiction it is also the work of meticulous research and for those like myself who have an interest in Walter Raleigh it brings to life his childhood and upbringing including circumstances which may have helped shape the man he became.

For someone who didn't live a life at court, Katherine’s life is fascinating and this was a joy to read. Griggs has a wonderful writing style, capturing details and emotions throughout the whole book. I highly recommend this and I am truly looking forward to seeing what comes next from Rosemary Griggs.

An interesting read. The book covers the life of Katherine-Kate the mother of Sir Walter Raleigh. Whilst safe in Devon Katherine survives the turbulence of Henry's reign but her close and extended family all suffer. The book didn't have the depth I had hoped as it does cover such a long period. Her sister who was a companion to Princess Elizabeth and put in the Tower rates one paragraph and another when her freedom is bought. This is repeated with various relatives throughout the book. In many ways, Katherine was the least interesting character though I still enjoyed the book.
This is an honest review of a complementary ARC.

A Woman of Noble Wit follows Katherine Champernowne, the mother of Sir Walter Raleigh, as she grows up in the time of the Tudor court. We see her grow up, have children, navigate marriages and family relationships, and pursue her personal interests as a woman of noble wit.

Not much is known about Katherine's personality as a historical figure, so I thought it was fun to get to see her as a "real" person with interests, dislikes, and goals. I have read a lot of books set in this period and I appreciated getting to see events that I was familiar with through the eyes of someone who was impacted by the court, but not as directly as some of the major players. I felt like Griggs provided a strong timeline of when events happened and I hadn't realized how close together Henry VIII's wives' upswings and downfalls occurred.

There are also 5000 people named Katherine in this book. This is just a fact of the historical figures, but as someone named Katherine and who goes by a nickname, I appreciated Grigg's efforts to differentiate the characters by calling them Katherine-Kate, Catherine, Kathryn, Kat, Katie, and Kitty. Gotta love it!

I felt like the book did get a little repetitive with "recite the timeline and provide reactions and then Katherine talks about being pregnant etc." but I think it's hard to record these events in different ways when there are so many of them. I found it harder to pay attention as the book progressed. I would have liked some more content focused on Katherine's experiences directly raising who would become Sir Walter Raleigh as we only get to see him at age 10 and younger. Even though we spent a lot of time with these characters, I had trouble differentiating them as I felt like there was a lot of focus on their historical deeds instead of building personality. I feel like I don't know much about Katherine-Kate even after finishing the book except that she fell in love at first sight and liked to read!

Overall, If you are looking for a book set at the time of the Tudors from a different perspective, give this one a try! 3.25 stars rounded down to 3. Thank you to NetGalley and Matador for the electronic advanced reader's copy!

Rosemary Griggs brings a welcome breath of fresh air to the historical novel, avoiding the commercial entrapment of concentrating on the Kings and Queens of England and the Royal Court.
The heroine here is Katherine Champernowne, an educated Devon woman born during the tumultuous reign of King Henry VIII. Tudor and Elizabethan Devon is brought vividly to life. As her children grow older we learn of events on the world stage but keep the focus on the Gilbert and Raleigh families into which Katherine has married.
This is the remarkable story of a strong, brave woman surviving plagues, religious dissent and the whims of an embittered queen, finding love and happiness in the arms of her pirate hero.