Divorced, Beheaded, Survived: A Feminist Reinterpretation of the Wives of Henry VIII

by Karen Lindsey

Book Overview

A fascinating, revisionist look at 16th century English politics (both public and private), examining the lives of Henry VIII's six wives as active personalities

"Provocative thoughts on the why and wherefore of the matrimonial quests of Henry VIII and the women who were party to them."--Denver Post

"Lindsey's book reads like a romance novel: airy, witty, full of drama and compassion, . . . more about sentiment than...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0201408236
• ISBN13: 9780201408232
• Release Date: May 1996
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 262 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Great book about Henry VIII and his wives.

I read this book in my teens. It’s been a very long time since then and I’ve read it many more times. It’s riveting and captivating. Every time I read it, I learn something new.

Created a new love for history

I'm not normally a big non-fiction reader, preferring rich literature to anything else, but while browsing through the local bookstore one day, I spied this on the shelf and was taken by the title. I spent about half an hour reading it there in the shop before I decided that I needed to by it, and then once I took it home I finished it in about 2 hours.This book is interesting, fascinating, often humorous, and although it has a couple places where it is more annoyingly feminist than necessary, it really is a good place to start for someone wanting to get a taste of this period of British history without worrying about being bored to tears. For me it has kicked off a new obsession with readies histories of all sorts (I just picked up a book about the Black Plague).Worth the time and money, for certain.

Different from the rest

I spend alot of time perusing the "Tudor History" books and found this one quite by accident. And just the title of the feminist interpertation made me cringe. However, I beg of you, give it a chance. I tend to like the books which make me feel that special connection thru 500 years. Karen Lindsey does just that. Each chapter is a complete novel in itself. A must read for anyone with an interest in the Tudor wives saga.

I loved it!

I thought this book was wonderful! For one thing, it was easy to understand. A lot of books I have found about the Tudor Era are confusing, but this book presented the information in a way anyone could understand, even if you didn;t know anything about the period before you read it. And not only did it talk about Henry's wives, it started at the beginning of the Tudor dynasty and went all the way to the end. This helped me understand references to Margaret Beaufort, Anne Askew, etc. I also admired how Lindsay doesn't portray Katherine Howard as trashy, as many other have done. She didn't drag out Anne Boleyn's affair to the point of boredom, either. I would say this is one of the best books I have read about the period, and I reccomend it to anyone interested in Tudor history.

My Favorite Book of All Time

Karen Lindsey is amazing. I enjoy learning about Tudor-era England but had never found a book that truely did the subject justice in an imformative and understandable way. That has all changed. I read this book for fun every few months. Lindsey gives incredibly humanistic insights into the lives of Henry's wives. I loved this book, I recommend it to everyone. Easy to read and understand, it is filled with humor and all-around enjoyable.

Incredible book

Recommend this book to anyone interested in the Tudors and woman's studies. I have read many books on Henry VIII being mostly interested in the lives of his wives and children, this is the first book that gives such a wonderful insight into each of their great personalities. Could not put it down, you will not be disappointed.