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Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'
Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All by Candace Fleming, Stephanie Hemphill, M.T. Anderson
9 reviews
bookish_esquire's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
It’s refreshing to read a historical fiction novel set during the Tudor era that doesn’t play to the beliefs that Anne Boleyn actually had multiple affairs during her marriage to King Henry VIII (including an incestious affair with her own brother, George Boleyn).
Rather, it portrays the reason for Anne’s demise that we all believe most likely really was: Anne hadn’t given Henry a son and had multiple miscarriages, she was in her 30’s with little time left ticking on her biological clock, Henry was petulantly impatient about having a male heir, and Henry had a wandering eye and insatiable appetite for the ladies.
I also appreciated a more intimate look into Anna of Cleves, as we don’t see as much focus on her in historical fiction as much as the other five wives. As history (both fictional and nonfictional) has shown, out of all six Tudor wives, Anna of Cleves was certainly the lucky one!
I’m only giving 4.25 stars simply because the rest of the women’s stories, as well as the ending, were closely aligned with the storyline in the television period drama series, “The Tudors.”
However (in fairness), there’s likely little to no other information about the lives, tales, and relationships of King Henry VIII and his six queens to be found and written about.
“Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived.”
Very well done book and presented in a captivating manner.
Graphic: Misogyny, War, Domestic abuse, and Miscarriage
love3v07's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Miscarriage, Infidelity, and Death
allisonmenck's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Graphic: Miscarriage, Body horror, Misogyny, Sexism, Pregnancy, Infidelity, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Child death, and Cancer
Minor: Body shaming
dontwritedown's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
What I really appreciated was that the authors highlighted how some of the wives lives had been intertwined with Henry's before marriage (Parr and the Pilgrammage of Grace, Parr being named after Aragon and being her goddaughter, and Jane serving two queens before her).
Not a book that you absolutely have to read as there are more factual based books, but a nice read nonetheless.
Graphic: Miscarriage
layla_reads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Infertility, Sexual content, and Death
ka_ke's review
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Body shaming, Infertility, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, and Sexism
nitya's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I am super thankful this has a glossary and timeline since I kept getting confused. Why are the English so boring and predictable with names BE MORE ORIGINAL!!!!!!
Also this made me more hyped to see SIX ❤️
Content warning: period typical misogyny and sexism, murder (beheadings), religious themes, miscarriages/stillborn deaths
Graphic: Sexism, Miscarriage, Child death, Death, Grief, Misogyny, and Infidelity
Moderate: Murder and Violence
ravensandlace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Violence
eve_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
⁕ The authors took some creative licensing in terms of dialogue and characters’ internal thoughts, but, as far as I can tell, this book is as historically accurate as possible.
⁕ The use of different authors to represent each character made the changes in narrative so believable and complicated my feelings towards major historical events in the best way possible.
⁕ My greatest complaint about this book is that it is too short. Each character is only allotted 50-60 pages, and I wanted more information about their day-to-day lives and personalities than I got.
⁕ The stories in this book are NOT a great example of female empowerment (except for Anna of Cleeves), but rather an examination of the patriarchy and its negative effect on people.
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Moderate: Sexism, Gore, Murder, Miscarriage, and Confinement