Incredibly Detailed

I've read a couple of Alison Weir's books and all have been excellent and
painstaking in their attention to detail and this mammoth volume is no
exception. This is a very impressive piece of work and must have taken years
to put together given the comprehensive and finely detailed research. Even
the multi-part television documentary covering Henry VII by David Starky
wasn't able to provide the sheer volume of material presented by Weir. I
find it amazing at just how much was recorded during the reign of this most
famous of English kings.

As Weir mentions in the preface, about the first third of this book is spent
describing the various aspects of life at that time and serves as a lengthy
foundation to the rest of the book which deals with the king and his
relationship to the various people around him. This section of the book is a
welcome and huge piece of work in its own right but I do think it could have
been placed in its own book. However, we are provided here with the full
historical package which really immerses the reader in the time period.

Narration is well done and compliments this book perfectly. I did spot a
couple of errors though which I imagine are more likely misreading from the
narrator than written errors. It looks to me as if a date is transposed to
be read as 1552 rather than 1525 when referencing Henry's complaining to the
builder of his tomb. Henry was dead 5 years by that date so it is clearly a
mistake. I also heard the initials H I rather than H J mentioned in relation
to Henry and Jane Seymour. Minor mistakes especially given the huge size of
this book.

My only real criticism of the book is that there are terms used
that go without explanation. This is odd as great pains are made to be as
comprehensive and detailed as possible. This means that the reader is left
puzzling over what some of the descriptions relate to.

A fascinating read and one that every person interested in this most
colourful period of English history must read.

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2 people found this helpful

A fantastic notator brings to life a kings court

Absolutely riveting, I couldn’t get enough of this fantastic book brought to life by a wonderful narrator. I can’t wait to listen to more of her narrations.

I highly recommend this book.

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Excellent narration of Henry 8th

Enjoyed this so much I did not want it to end, brilliantly read by narrator

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Really fascinating

I love this period of history, so I absolutely relished the detail. A fascinating account of an incredible character, made real by painstaking research. I loved Phyllida Nash as a narrator. She has a beautiful, calming voice. Highly recommended.

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A fantastic well researched book

I can not recommend this book highly enough. Beautifully read, such an amazing insight to this incredible man

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Fascinating insight to the life King HenryVIII

Absolutely, wonderful to listen too, such detail , I listened to this everywhere, Found out things I didn’t know. I never knew how much money was spent on everything back then. The ending is summed up very well. Very’ satisfied. Was left wanting more.

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Great book .. puts you in King Henry's Court

Great book read by a fantastic narrator with amazing insight into King Henry's Court. A must for any history fan.

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7 people found this helpful

Fascinating part of our History

I love this period of English History and this adaptation was all I wanted it to be.

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1 person found this helpful

WHERE THIS BOOK CAME FROM.

One aspect of this book that encourages me is that I know that in the area where the author lived at the time there is a popular fascination for Henry the Eighth's court in general - and Nonsuch Palace in particular. The wheres and wherefores of the period are much debated locally both at popular and more intellectual levels. So like a book on mining written in Newcastle and a book on tulips written in Spalding I think we can be sure Alison knows her stuff. A very sound and thorough piece of work and very easy to listen to.

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Perfect combination of author and narrator

This book has been my constant bedtime companion for the last few weeks, 25 hours of fascinating detail about the life and times of perhaps England's most infamous monarch. Never sensational, meticulously researched, and beautifully told by Phiyllida Nash. The perfect combination of author and narrator.

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