Patience, Princess Catherine: A Young Royals Book Read Free Books and Download eBooks
England anxiously awaits Prince Arthur's betrothed--the Spanish princess who will be its future queen. But when Arthur dies not long after the wedding, Catherine of Aragon's fate becomes uncertain. Will the king and Catherine's parents arrange a marriage with Arthur's brother, Henry, or will she return to Spain a widow? Through all this turmoil, the young princess's resolve remains unshaken. She will one day be England's queen . . . no matter how long it takes.
Series: Young Royals (Book 4)
Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Gulliver Books; 1 edition (May 1, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0152165444
ISBN-13: 978-0152165444
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #1,043,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #32 in Books > Teens > Historical Fiction > Biographical > European #48 in Books > Teens > Historical Fiction > Renaissance #93 in Books > Children's Books > Biographies > European
Age Range: 12 and up
Grade Level: 7 and up
Catherine of Aragon was a young Spanish princess known as Catalina when she left her home in the summer of 1501 to sail to England. Catherine had known since childhood that she was betrothed to Prince Arthur, heir to the throne of England, and that one day she would have to leave Spain to marry him. Now that she is fifteen, that day has come. Arriving in England, Catherine has hope for her future. Arthur appears kind, and it seems they will at least be friends. But due to Arthur's poor health, their marriage is in name only. And just six months after the wedding, Arthur suddenly dies. Now Catherine finds her once-certain future in question. As a woman she is utterly powerless to make decisions about her own life, and can only wait while those in power determine her fate. Will she be returned to Spain so that her parents can negotiate a new marriage for her elsewhere -- or will she be married to Arthur's younger brother Prince Henry, the new heir to the throne of England?Carolyn Meyer brought the world of Tudor England to life in this novel. Catherine is portrayed as a real young woman with hopes and dreams, making her ultimate fate seem all the more tragic. Readers who enjoyed the author's other books in the Young Royals series won't want to miss this one. It will also appeal to readers of the Royal Diaries series, and teens who enjoy historical fiction about royalty.
Patience, Princess Catherine is Carolyn Meyer's YA retelling of Catalina of Spain's early years in the Tudor Court, her marriage, teenage widowhood, and subsequent years-long struggle to see her promised betrothal to her one-time brother-in-law, Prince Henry, realized. Framed by chapters where an older Catherine, victim of King Henry's attempts to see their marriage dissolved, Patience, Princess Catherine is a diary-like reminiscence of Catherine's arrival in England, interspersed with brief passages from Henry's point-of-view.Having just finished Philippa Gregory's The Constant Princess, I sadly found this fictional retelling of Catherine's life sorely lacking. While Meyers does an adequate job sticking to the historical record in that Arthur is viewed as weak and sickly, his marriage to Catherine left unconsummated, facts alone do not a compelling story make. Meyers' incarnation of Catherine is curiously lifeless -- there is no suggestion of the vibrant queen who reigned at Henry's side for over twenty years, who fought for her marriage and position. Catherine here is immature, easily swayed, and -- thanks to the diary-like format of most of the novel -- frankly boring as there is no well-formed narrative, only a dry recitation of events punctuated by fictional insight into Henry's psyche.Given the inevitable tragic conclusion of Henry and Catherine's marriage, the insight Meyer's attempts to provide into Henry's youthful view of Catherine suggest -- in this context -- that Henry harbored a passion for his first bride. Whether or not this is in fact the case, Meyer's writes Henry with the voice of a man much older than ten years of age when the book opens. Not only does the tone feel off, but these passages in particular are riddled with distracting spelling and grammatical errors, with words misspelled, misused, or omitted altogether.Patience, Princess Catherine is a textbook introduction to Catherine and Henry -- the research is there, but these larger-than-life characters are stripped of their life and vibrancy, left colorless, pale shadows on the page. Between the characterizations, awkwardly-executed narrative, and abundance of distracting editorial mistakes, I was left rather underwhelmed by this offering in Meyer's Young Royals series. Hopefully, subsequent volumes in the Young Royals series will succeed in bringing history to life on the page in a more vibrant, engaging manner.
The Young Royals series is terrific. I've purchased them all for my daughter, and I'm reading them too so that I can discuss them with her. They are a fast read (for an adult), and they portray the historical periods well. Meyers's rendering of the protagonists is insightful, and she makes her reader care about each of them, even when their choices are unsavory. Each of the books -- Catherine, Anne, Mary, Elizabeth -- presents a different perspective on similar events, so I recommend reading them all. These books are a great way to get your daughter interested in history.
I read the first book in 5th grade, now leaving 6th grade entering the world of 7th, this is a great series. I didn't know it was a series in till now, today to be exact. I've fell in love with the olden times and this shows that, no madder how much you think princess and princes have a good life, they come with great responsibilities and sacrifices. I recommend this series to middle school students and early on high school students (endless you are like me and you are progressing faster then an average student. I'm a 7th grader and I read at a 11th grade level)!!!
This book was great! I loved how you saw Catherine and Henry. They were both fun to watch and see how they interacted with each other and with the people around them. It was great to see how much historically accurate information was included. It took me about 20 pages to get into it, but once I did, I couldn't put it down. This is a GREAT book for people of all ages.
This series has turned out to be a pleasant surprise! We have been studying the Middle Ages this year, and while looking for additional reading material I found these books. Told from the perspective of a young person, these stories captivate young minds(and old ones). My kids, 12 and 9, have enjoyed reading these. We have all learned so much more about these individuals, and of the time and world they lived in than we ever did from a dry textbook. History came to life between the pages of this Young Royals Series. I cannot recommend them enough. Now, if only they were available for Kindle and Audible!!! :)
I love this book because it is the first time somebody has taken the time to write about Catherine of Aragon as an individual, every story I read of her has always been about the divorce and the drama with Anne Boleyn. This book exposes the ordeal she went went through as a young Spanish princess when she arrived in England, before she became the English queen we grew to love. It's a wonderful tribute to her. I am so glad I had a chance to read it.
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