The King's Curse

Philippa Gregory

Sep 2014 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author behind the acclaimed Starz series The White Queen comes the story of lady-in-waiting Margaret Pole and her unique view of King Henry VIII’s stratospheric rise to power in Tudor England.

As an heir to the Plantagenets, Margaret is seen by the King’s mother, the Red Queen, as a rival to the Tudor claim to the throne. She is buried in marriage to a Tudor supporter—Sir Richard Pole, governor of Wales—and becomes guardian to Arthur, the young Prince of Wales, and his beautiful bride, Katherine of Aragon.

But Margaret’s destiny, as cousin to the White Princess, is not for a life in the shadows. Tragedy throws her into poverty, yet a royal death restores her to her place at young Henry VIII’s court where she becomes chief lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine. There she watches the dominance of the Spanish queen over her husband and her tragic decline.

Amid the rapid deterioration of the Tudor court, Margaret must choose whether her allegiance is to the increasingly tyrannical Henry VIII or to her beloved queen. Caught between the old and the new, Margaret must find her own way, concealing her knowledge that an old curse cast upon all the Tudors is slowly coming true...

Ratings and reviews

I've read nearly all of Gregory's books. Loved the Cousins War series...and the Tudors series. However with this book, I just could not get into. I was finding myself falling asleep every time I attempted to read it. I gave this book the benefit of the doubt, thinking it would get better or more interesting after reading over 200 pages. However that was not the case...the storyline just seemed to drag on and on and on. I'm extremely disappointed with this book.

Yet another perspective regarding the madness of the Tudor family. Interesting discussion re:Kell blood defect in the afterward. Much respect for the research of Ms Gregory.

I found, as all of author works I have previously read, to be impossible to put aside. It revealed to me a new, more in-depth, look at a woman whom I had previously thought of as questionable, in the Tudor court. It changed my perspective of Margaret Poles nature from being an overly ambitious conspitator to a woman whose true love was her family and country. It sheds a softer light on her as a mother trying desperately to save them both from, what was seen from her perspective, as a ruination.

About the author

Philippa Gregory is the author of many New York Times bestselling novels, including The Other Boleyn Girl, and is a recognized authority on women’s history. Many of her works have been adapted for the screen including The Other Boleyn Girl. She graduated from the University of Sussex and received a PhD from the University of Edinburgh, where she is a Regent. She holds honorary degrees from Teesside University and the University of Sussex. She is a fellow of the Universities of Sussex and Cardiff and was awarded the 2016 Harrogate Festival Award for Contribution to Historical Fiction. She is an honorary research fellow at Birkbeck, University of London. She was awarded a CBE title for services to literature and charity in 2022. She welcomes visitors to her website PhilippaGregory.com.