Great Read: The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory

Earlier this summer I read The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory, and once again, she has written a terrific historical fiction novel about the Tudor court. (I cannot even begin to imagine the stress of living during the time of Henry VIII's reign...it was a very cautious and scandalous time to serve at his court!)

This novel focuses mainly on Lady Margaret Pole and her family. Lady Margaret was the daughter of George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, who was the brother of King Edward IV and King Richard III. She married Baron Henry Pole, and served Queen Katharine of Aragon and her daughter, Princess Mary Tudor.

During the reign of Henry VIII, the Pole family, as well as many other families in his realm, would be in great favor of the king, and then would fall into suspicion of treason, only to regain his favor again. Lady Margaret Pole faced this challenge during her lifetime, and being one of the York heirs, the irrational suspicions of Henry VIII fell upon her multiple times.

I don't want to divulge too much detail, as the struggle, survival, and ultimate death of Lady Margaret Pole are due to the irrational behavior of Henry VIII and the choices he makes after ending his marriage to Katharine of Aragon.

If you have read/enjoyed any of Philippa Gregory's other Tudor court novels, then The King's Curse is a must-read to add to your book list!

Have a FANTASTIC day!!