The Autobiography of Henry VIII
With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers
by Margaret George
Overview
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Much has been written about the mighty, egotistical Henry VIII: the man who dismantled the Church because it would not grant him the divorce he wanted; who married six women and beheaded two of them; who executed his friend Thomas ore; who sacked the monasteries; who longed for a son and neglected his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth; who finally grew fat, disease-ridden, dissolute. Now, in her magnificent work of storytelling and imagination Margaret George bring us Henry VIII's story as he himself might have told it, in memoirs interspersed with irreverent comments from his jester and confident, Will Somers. Brilliantly combining history, wit, dramatic narrative, and an extraordinary grasp of the pleasures and perils of power, this monumental novel shows us Henry the man more vividly than he has ever been seen before.
My thoughts
Yes, it's the same author as the Mary Called Magdalene book I reviewed earlier. No, it's not really King Henry's autobiography!
After reading my first Margaret George book, I couldn't wait to read another. The fact that this one is 939 pages didn't deter me in the least! I found the book lively and fun, with the exception of one rather slow section about 3/4 through the book. All in all it was a delightful read!
Those who know me know that I don't have much schooling in the way of history. For most of my life I thought history was the most boring thing that existed, and it isn't until recently that I've acquired such a keen interest. Most history books are difficult reading for me because writers assume basic knowledge of the big events, which I just don't have (it pains me to say!) Thus sometimes I enjoy a fictionalized version of the events that are written without the assumption that I already know the story. I obviously knew about Henry's wives, of course, but the book had interesting twists and turns for me along the way. I found it highly entertaining!
The author's notes state that she wanted to write from Henry's perspective. There are already a lot of books criticizing him for his actions; she wanted to offer a book that tried to explain why he may have acted the way he did. Fair enough. Perhaps some liberties were taken to fill in the gaps but overall I found most of it believable. I think Henry made some atrocious mistakes, and his extravagances were, well, extravagant! Most definitely worthy of a rich king! But overall the book made me curious to learn more. I won't go right to the next Henry VIII book but I'll be reading more about this fascinating time period in the future.
Favorite Passage
The King stopped by the riverbank. "We'll be safe here," he said. Silently we all drew together and watched Sheen Manor burn.
"Sic transit gloria mundi," said Margaret Beaufort, crossing herself. She turned her snapping black eyes on me; I noticed, idly, as one does at such moments, how they reflected the flames in miniature. "A sermon for you someday, Henry. A lesson in how fleeting are the things of this earth." Her language grew more florid by the moment. Clearly it was a sermon she herself wished to deliver on the spot. "It was God's doing, to punish us for our vanity."
"It was the Cornishmen's doing," said Father. "Or their friends." He took a stone and threw it angrily out into the river. It thudded on the ice, skidded for a few feet, then dropped silently into the cold water. Ripples spread out, each one red-rimmed.
"Now we must go to the Tower. So it will look as if we had to take refuge. They planned it well."
Suddenly I understood it all. I understood the little, puzzling things: That Father had had the banquet in order to show the court and powerful nobles what a wealthy and mighty King he was, how secure, how established. He had brought his children to Sheen and obliged Arthur to site by his side, had pointed Margaret and me out after the revels to show the solidarity of his family, to present his phalanx of heirs.
He had hanged the dogs because there was treason all about, and he wished to warn potential traitors that they could expect no mercy from him. Appearances were important, more important even than reality. People credited only what their eyes beheld; no matter if it were calculated false or staged.
And I understood the big thing: the enemy had its own resources and could pull everything down around you in an instant, leaving you to curse and throw rocks into the river. All enemies must be destroyed. One must ever be on guard.
And the most frightening thing of all: Father's throne was not secure. That fact hammered itself into my soul with cold nails. Tomorrow, or next week, or next year, he might be King no longer ...
"O Henry, why?" wept Arthur, still clutching the white, ermine-furred gift robes against himself. Then he answered his own question. "I suppose it was a careless cook." He pushed his hand across his nose, sniffling. "When I am King, I will make the kitchens safer."
Then I began to cry, too, and not for the burning Manor, but for Arthur, poor, foolish Arthur....
"Aye," I said. "Make the kitchens safer. That would be a good thing."
