Three Sisters, Three Queens

If you are at all familiar with the reign of the Tudors, and specifically with Henry VIII (8th), then this book will contain a lot of familiar material. Having said that, Three Sisters, Three Queens does bring a unique female perspective not only to the reign of Henry VIII, but of life in England during this time. Gregory has already written other books regarding the women around Henry VIII, but the perspectives of the women in this book stand on their own.

For example, Katharine of Aragon in particular is usually depicted as a tragic figure in most stories. Here, she is shown to be no so much tragic, but a victim of her own ambition. Katharine and the other women in this story are not all one thing - not all good, not all bad. So it makes use ask the question, did she get what she deserve? If you are not familiar with the history of the Tudor’s, then you may be surprised at how things end for her.

Relationships between women are always interesting, and while this is fiction, it feels like peaking into the private lives of these 3 specific woman. All 3 woman at one point are in positions of power, and all 3 woman at one point are brought very low. I believe that they all come to realize that none of them really have any power at all. All of them are just trying to survive in a world ruled by men. Sometimes that means supporting your sisters, and sometimes that mean supporting yourself, even if it means hurting someone that you love.

If you like Philippa Gregory’s other stories, then this will be a great book to add to your collection. If you haven’t read any of Philippa Gregory’s books before, then this would be a great place to start!