The Sixth Wife

Katherine Parr had been a widow three times, and this book is written in the point of view of the Queen Dowager's best friend, Catherine, the Duchess Of Suffolk. Katherine Parr is an unusual subject for a novel and the famous rhyme about the fate of Henry's wives ends with her. Katherine is known as the survivor because she outlived Henry, but the marriage was not scandal-free. She was almost executed for heresy.

The author explains very well why she chose to write about Katherine Parr as opposed to any of the other wives. Anne Boleyn has been done to death and I think Suzannah Dunn wanted to make people think that she wasn't as boring as some would describe her. She even states that Katherine was at the height of her power but her fatal mistake was falling in love with the wrong man.

As already seen in history books, The Seymours were an ambitious family, especially brothers Edward and Thomas Seymour, but they both get what's coming to them. If history ever teaches you anything, it should teach you this: there is no running from karma. Though these two are only a side of the story, Catherine does express her concerns when Katherine Parr marries Thomas Seymour.

Dunn is a decent writer and I find her style very easy to read and not very intimidating. Her work has been praised by the Daily Express and The Sunday Times. She's even had praise from Alison Weir, an accomplished historian and to get her praise you have to not only be very good, but also historically accurate.

I really enjoyed reading this book, but there was a couple of things that either annoyed me and I think the book could have improved on. The first one which I think is really obvious is the title. I think this title has already been used before, and I think Jean Plaidy used this title too. I think Dunn could have come up with a more imaginative title that hasn't already been used. I also think that the book would have more interest if it was written in Katherine Parr's point of view, but I think doing it in her friend's view also helps make the reader feel as if they were actually there.

As Dunn has received praise from an acknowledged historian, I feel it's safe to say that the majority of this is historically accurate, but sometimes the modern writing makes it hard to picture the medieval atmosphere, as some other readers have already said. In the end, the book portrays Katherine Parr as both a hero and a tragic figure who was betrayed by the one she loved the most. Sadly Thomas Seymour tried to get it on with her stepdaughter, which would've made her feel horrible.

I found this book very thought provoking because it focuses on the Tudor period, which I love looking at stuff about. I think this book is worth having a look at if you are into this sort of stuff and also if you're interested in Katherine Parr.

The novel currently has mixed reviews on Amazon. Those that have rated it five stars have said they found it engaging and well written and enjoyed the writing style. They love how it's brought the Tudor court back to life and how it's been exploited. However, those who have given it negative reviews hate the liberties taken towards history and were overwhelmed by the use of commas to the point they were unable to finish the story. This is one of Dunn's least popular novels along with her book about Mary Tudor. If you want to read the best of Susannah Dunn, then check out her novel The Confession of Katherine Howard.