Philippa Gregory

Reviews: The Constant Princess

Daily Mail
Gregory’s research is impeccable which makes her imaginative fiction all the more convincing.

Daily Express
One of Gregory’s great strengths as a novelist is her ability to take familiar historical figures and flesh them into living breathing human beings. The Constant Princess is a worthy successor to her previous novels about the Tudors and deserves to be a bestseller.

The Daily Telegraph
Gregory is great at conjuring a Tudor film-set of gorgeous gowns and golden-plattered dining. She invokes some swoonsome images: snows fall for a sennight, and wintry clouds lie “full-bellied”; love becomes serpentine, while the politics are personal enough to remain pertinent…The pages head in a flurry towards their conclusion – our heroine’s usurpation by the ambitious Anne Boleyn.

The Times
The Constant Princess will not disappoint. Gregory vividly reconstructs life in the Spanish royal household, and contributes to the sense of Katherine’s foreignness: through her eyes, England is indeed a strange land

Historical Novels Review
The way that Gregory tells the story is a wonder…a terrific book and a must read.

Dallas Morning News
One of the reigning queens of historical fiction focuses on the life of Katherine of Aragon, who becomes the ill-fated bride of Prince Arthur of England.

Library Journal
This fascinating portrait of a proud, intelligent, and passionate woman captures the political turmoil of the era; a secondary plot involving Katherine’s single-minded filial devotion to her parents makes her an even more vulnerable and complex character. An excellent choice for historical fiction collections.

Christian Science Monitor
Gregory returns to the era of her bestselling “The Other Boleyn Girl,” but this time she’s chronicling the marriages of Henry VIII’s first wife, Katherine of Aragon…
Read more…

Financial Times
Gregory returns to the era of her bestselling “The Other Boleyn Girl,” but this time she’s chronicling the marriages of Henry VIII’s first wife, Katherine of Aragon… The early scenes of Spain and Katherine’s first marriage are particularly engaging.

Round Table Reviews
One thing I have learned through reading Phillipa Gregory’s novels is that she does not simply entertain with a compelling story. She also educates a reader with a narrative of history that may strike remarkably close to the way events played out.

THE CONSTANT PRINCESS serves as a prime example…THE CONSTANT PRINCESS gives a reader a heroine who stands fast in her beliefs, a woman of royalty anyone would look upon as a true queen, and a girl, daughter, woman, and expectant mother even the plebeian members of any society can relate to…The world needs more such women.

Tuscon Citizen
Extensive research and a keen understanding of Tudor politics, make this tale illuminating and entertaining.
Larry Cox, Tuscon Citizen

The Lexington Herald Leader
…exquisite attention to detail… unusual insight… It’s a rare novel that can keep people reading when they already know the ending. The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory is such a book, roping in readers with exquisite attention to detail and unusual insight into the character of Katherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s doomed first wife.

Publishers Weekly
By alternating tight third-person narration with Catalina’s unguarded thoughts and gripping dialogue, the author presents a thorough, sympathetic portrait of her heroine and her transformation into Queen Katherine.

Gregory’s skill for creating suspense pulls the reader along despite the historical novel’s foregone conclusion.

The Free Lance Star
Even though I knew how the story would end, I found myself eagerly turning pages and loath to put the book down. Philippa Gregory has written a first-class historical fiction.

The Midwest Book Review
This epic look at Katherine brings to life the reign of Henry VIII as few tales do…

Readers will appreciate Philippa Gregory’s grand sweep of late fifteenth century into early sixteenth century England.

Curledup.com
Gregory exposes the hopes and flaws of these larger-than-life historical figures, personalizing their dramas, and recreating a world circumscribed by court intrigue, the excesses of power and the constant jockeying for favor with the royal family.

Romance Reviews Today
Another terrific novel by Philippa Gregory, THE CONSTANT PRINCESS portrays the lies, deceit, and behind-the-scenes manipulations at the Tudor court, and may just answer the burning question about Katherine’s first marriage and how her own monumental lie changed the course of history in England.

romancejunkies.com
THE CONSTANT PRINCESS is filled with deceit, adventure, tragedy, and foremost, the tenacity of one woman against all odds.

This novel will enchant you as much as it will tear at your heart. Primarily historical fiction, it contains a beautiful love story, but don’t expect a traditional romance ending. One woman’s perseverance and growth is what makes THE CONSTANT PRINCESS an enthralling read, with love and betrayal always part of the conflict until the very end.

Philippa Gregory’s vivid imagery depicts time and place without overwhelming the reader. Ms. Gregory’s style enhances the flow of THE CONSTANT PRINCESS, creates a pace that’s extremely enjoyable, and makes you feel as if you’re a part of history as it unfolds.

The Mirror
Sweeping historical romance… her tale almost reads like fiction rather than real history, at least in Gregory’s very capable hands.

Kirkus Reviews
Gregory is back in Tudor England to reimagine the reign of Katherine of Aragon… Gregory makes the broad sweep of history vibrant and intimate — and hinges it all on a bit of romance

Entertainment Weekly
Gregory’s story is as ambitious as its main character, Catalina, iron-willed daughter of Spanish crusaders King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella… who, through determination, patience, and sex appeal, wins her way into England’s royal court in the 16th century.

Marie Claire
In her addictive new novel, [Gregory] turns her eye to Katherine of Aragon, a princess who became the Queen of England—all by dint of a well kept secret.

freshfiction.com
Stunning historical novel written with great depth and passion.