Book: Henry VIII: The King And His Court by Alison Weir

Pages: 496/Paperback

My Thoughts: I really liked it.  It covers Henry’s life and what his court was like.

It was interesting to learn more about Henry himself, since I tend to read about everyone else from that time period.  I learned a few things: he was obsessed with cleanliness, discreet, and had an increasing desire for privacy.  Also interesting was that Will Somers, who was the court fool, never tried to take advantage of his friendship with the king. 

It was hard to get through, mostly because it was long.  It helped that Weir didn’t go into his marriages in too much detail, although it wasn’t that big of a surprise since she covered that in one of her other books.  She did cover it, focusing more on Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, than anyone else, and only talking about the marriages as they related to Henry.

While I found myself bored at times, Weir made it a lot less boring than it could have been.  I’m indifferent towards Henry, even after reading about him.  As much as I loved Tudor England, Henry isn’t my favorite person, but since he’s such an integral figure to the time period, having insight into who he was is important.

Rating: 4 out 5.  Her attention to detail is amazing, but sometimes it was a little too detailed for my tastes.