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The Spanish Bride: A Novel of Catherine of Aragon (Tudor Women Series) Paperback – January 2, 2008

by Laurien Gardner (Author)
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 61 ratings
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The queen who married a Tudor and a tyrant.

Her name was Catherine. For over two decades, she was Queen of England, until her failure to bear the king a son, her advancing age, and King Henry VIII's obsession with Anne Boleyn cost Catherine the crown, her marriage, and her life. This is her story, told from the point of view of Estrella de Montoya, her trusted maid of honor, who traveled from Spain to England with her, and witnessed the triumphs and tragedies of her amazing life.
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Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 3
    Tudor Women
  2. Print length
    320 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    January 2, 2008
  5. Dimensions
    5.13 x 0.8 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0425219968
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0425219966
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Tudor fans will truly savor this novel." -Romantic Times

About the Author

Laurien Gardner is the collective pseudonym of a group of authors who write historical fiction based on Tudor women: The Spanish Bride, A Lady Raised High, and Plain Jane.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley (January 2, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0425219968
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0425219966
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.13 x 0.8 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 61 ratings

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Laurien Gardner

Laurien Gardner

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Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
61 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Yuliya
5.0 out of 5 stars The Spanish Bride
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2013
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The story of Spanish queen, Katharine of Aragon and her family circles. I love to read the story. The condition I got it in perfect and I am so glad I have it on my shelf right now. Everyone who like to read about historical personalities or biographies, especially from Spain.
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Keranorris
4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful read.
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2016
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Very good read for those that want to know more about King Henry the eighths first wife from a fictional point of view. I took one star off as you hear the story from a lady in her parties train that kinda feels like it's more about her than Queen Kathrine.
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Stacie
3.0 out of 5 stars Not great, but not terrible...
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2010
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I really enjoyed the other books in the Tudor Women Series (A Lady Raised High and Plain Jane.) I didn't dislike the Spanish Bride, I just wasn't overly impressed with it. The book is much more about Estrella, a maid of honor to Catherine of Aragon. It covers the time period when Catherine comes to England to marry Arthur up until the time of King Henry VII's death and then jumps forward about twenty years to the days that King Henry VIII is planning to divorce Catherine, in order to marry his beloved Anne Boleyn. The book, because it is told from Estrella's point of view, is more about Estrella's feelings and life. Princess Catherine came across to me as a cardboard caricature without much emotion, when we know that in real life, she was in fact a very passionate and strong woman. I believe if it was written in Catherine's point of view, we would see more depth with her character. The writer(s) of these Tudor Women books is/are very capable of successfully portraying characters as real and interesting people, however, I felt like the characterization of Catherine of Aragon in this novel fell flat.

I did, however, enjoy Estrella's story. As one other reviewer noted, I think if the title were different, I would have known more what to expect from the novel.

I was also disappointed that the story did not cover the "happy" years of Catherine and Henry VIII's marriage, the entire novel was a bit dark. I was glad to see that at least Estrella got her happy ending.
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tregatt
5.0 out of 5 stars a very compelling and absorbing read
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2005
Seemingly, writing a novel about piggy Henry (my special name for Henry VIII -- yes, I am biased and proud of it) and his six unfortunate wives has become very much the thing of late. So that the question of whether or not there really is a need for any more such novels becomes a legitimate question. I think that if an author possesses an interesting notion on how to handle this oft told tale(s), then she (or indeed he) should go for it. Laurien Gardner seems to possess such a take: by telling the story of each of these ill fated women via the voices of intimate friends. And in the very first installment of this series, "The Spanish Queen," Catherine of Aragon's (Henry VIII's first wife) early years in England, before she became Queen of England, and the last few years of her life -- whilst Henry was trying to end their marriage -- is told via the memories of Catherine's maid of honour, Estrella de Montoya.

The novel opens in 1501, with the arrival in England of a very young Catherine of Aragon, and her household (which, of course, includes an equally young Estrella de Montoya). Catherine is to marry the heir to the English throne, the sickly Prince Arthur. Her mind filled with tales of Arthurian knights and chivalry, Catherine is sure that she and her young maids of honour will meet and marry young English gentlemen that embody the very stories she has devoured. It is a time of great promise and much rejoicing. But all to soon, things come to a crashing halt, when days after their much celebrated wedding, Arthur dies, leaving Catherine a widow with no future. Abandoned and treated quite cruelly by her father-in-law (the tight-fisted and insecure Henry VII), Catherine clings to the promise made that she will marry Arthur's younger brother, Henry, when he is of age. In the meantime, she and her loyal maids must contend with the fact that they are growing older and that the splendid matches that were promised have come to nothing. As the years pass and their prospects shrink, the ladies must decide whether or not they should return to Spain unmarried or whether they should gamble with the vagaries of fortune and remain in England...

I've always had a soft spot for Catherine of Aragon (and for Henry's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves), so that "The Spanish Bride" was quite the enjoyable read for me. Especially since, instead of rehashing old ground, Laurein Gardner wisely sticks to two periods in Catherine's life -- her early years before she became queen, and the last few years when things became quite precarious for her. Focusing on Catherine's faith in God and fate, we see how, in the early years, this faith allows

her to cling to the belief that all will turn out as she hopes, in the face of the obvious indifference of her father (Ferdinand of Spain), the petty cruleties of Henry VII and duplicities that members of her entrouage practise. We also see how this faith keeps her going, even as it is tested (in the later years, by her spoilt and idiotic husband and his bullying cronies. Framing and complimenting all this, are the experiences of Estrella de Montoya's, as she faces a life of probable spinsterhood, poverty and loneliness -- a life quite devoid of the romance that she had expected it to possess. If "The Spanish Bride" comes across as a bit of a gloomy book, I would still encourage potential readers to pick it up -- it is a very well written and very compelling read. I thought that the author did a wonderful job in making both the women in this novel, Catherine and Estrella, real and accessible. In "The Spanish Bride," Catherine comes across as something a whole lot more than the pious, shriveled wife that many historians and certain novelists portray her to be. And I liked that immensely. A quick and absorbing read, full of ambiance and atmosphere, I'd recommend "The Spanish Bride" to anyone looking for a good historical novel to read.
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Susie Saldana
2.0 out of 5 stars Boring
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2018
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Was a bit boring and never really attached to any of the characters!
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Aztecgrl
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Fast Read
Reviewed in the United States on February 29, 2012
I've read many books about The Tudors. Also have read a couple about Catherine of Aragon. This is a good read, once I started I couldn't put it down. What makes this book different is it was based on Catherine of Aragon's closest Lady in Waiting. She grew up with Catherine of Aragon and they were both close since childhood. I know many Queens lives were not always easy and we think of being Queen as being a fairy tale life but it wasn't that easy. These women sacrificed themselves to be Queens. But, I have never thought about the women of the court. The ones who wait on the Queens. They sacrificed alot to be a Lady in Waiting to a Queen. They sometimes put their lives on hold for their Queen. This book really made me feel like I lived in their household and was observing the feelings of Queen Catherine's Lady in Waiting but at the same time it still let you know what Queen Catherine was going through, how she felt and what a hard life she had. But you also were able to see everything through her ladies in waiting and what they had to endure by following their beloved Queen. If you haven't read this book, get it, you will love it. It jumps back and forth between time when Catherine was a young lady and back to when she is a Queen and aging, I thought this would be confusing but, the way the Author wrote it, it was not confusing. It's one of those books you can read over a weekend or if you're on vacation and want a fast, easy read but yet one you will keep thinking about even as you close the back cover and finish the book.
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Top reviews from other countries

Sean S
5.0 out of 5 stars ITS GREAT
Reviewed in Canada on December 3, 2018
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Great book.
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Tinalouise1969
2.0 out of 5 stars First wife of Henry VIII
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2016
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This is first book in a trilogy about the first three wives of Henry VIII. This book is about a fictional maid of honour to Catherine of Aragon called Estrella. The story weaves from past to present and begins with Cathetine coming to England to marry Prince Arthur. The reader also gets Estrella's story and her observations around Catherine.

Unlike some historical fiction this version was very light and didn't bog me down. As much as I like Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir their books can be a bit heavy and can become a little too much at times. This book was very different, nice and light and a quick read.

What I didn't enjoy so much was Estrella's story. For me I wanted to read more about Catherine as sometimes I can overlook her as I like to read about Anne Boleyn more. A lot of Catherines life was missed out and could have been added if not for Estrella's story which didn't interest me at all. Infact I skipped some pages to read just about Catherine.

I do have the next two books in the series and find I'm not looking forward to reading them if they are the same format as this one. I would recommend this book to any historical fiction fan if they want something a bit light.
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