The Six Wives Of Henry VIII

Henry VIII's six wives have lain too long in the shadow of his own awe-inspiring personality. In this timely re-issue of his famous book, Paul Rival, with Gallic elegance and wit, bring the queens to the centre of the stage. These six unfortunate women cannot fail to capture the reader's sympathy as they use all their feminine wiles to ward off Henry's black rages and capricious moods. Sometimes they fail, as Ann Boleyn and Catherine Howard did, with tragic results; their worst mistake was in ever marrying the ogre. Henry was never a man to mince words; when he first set eyes on his dumpy German bride, Anne of Cleves, he broke out in a cold seat, and bellowed, "She's frightful! I have been deceived." Only once - with little, plain Jane Seymour - did he ever show true affection to his spouse.