This week's line is from a phenomenal book I recently finished on the subject of Catherine Howard, the 5th woman unlucky enough to marry Henry VIII.
I am fully in awe of the amount of research that went into this one and consider this to be the new must-read in regards to the 5th queen. I may even refer to it as the bible of Catherine Howard. I appreciate when each queen (even the Concubine, Anne Boleyn) gets their fair look because each one of these women, from the first Catherine to the last, had an extremely difficult and unenviable task - keeping Henry happy. Most escaped with their lives, some barely, and others not, yet they all deserve to have their voices heard.
The line I chose this week is from Chapter 1: The Hour of Our Death (but is actually about Cromwell's execution, the day of Catherine and Henry's wedding).
"A benefit of being executed was that one avoided any chance of the dreaded mors improvisa, a sudden death by which a Christian soul might be denied the opportunity to make his peace."
Leave a comment letting me know what you think of my line, or leave a line of your own to share. Then visit the blogs of my fellow First-Liners and see what they have this week as well.
Bree - Bibliophile Reviews
Rachel - Bookworm Mama
Heather - Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen
Beth - Faithfully Bookish
Katie - Fiction Aficionado
Lauraine - Lauraine's Notes
Andi - Radiant Light
Carrie - Reading is my SuperPower
Robin - Robin's Nest
Sydney - Singing Librarian
Kathleen - Kathleen Denly
Amanda - With a Joyful Noise
Jessica - A Baker's Perspective
Happy Reading, Happy Friday!
Sarah
I've been looking for some really good books about the Queens-some of the ones I looked at previously had so little information. This one sounds more promising.
ReplyDeleteThen I DEFINITELY recommend the Catherine of Aragon one by Amy Licence and this one. Both are truly great, a lot of good scholarship and research. I have yet to read a good bio of Anne of Cleves or Catherine Parr, though I admit I have not looked terribly hard yet. Please let me know what you think if you read any that I have mentioned!
DeleteHappy Friday! My first line is: “For a moment she couldn’t breathe, and then the barest whisper passed her lips – half spontaneous praise half simple awe. ‘Oh my… I’ve found Paradise!’ ” From Spring Raine by Delia Latham
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday Becky, thank you for coming by!
DeleteHE IS WORTHY
ReplyDeleteHonor the Lord you heavenly beings: honor the Lord for his glory and strength. Honor the Lord for the glory of his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. Psalm 29:1-2
I HAVE FLOWN A LOT OF MILES in the past twenty years, so not surprisingly, I take many things about the experience for granted. From Worship Changes Everything by Darlene Zschech
I may have to add this one to my list. I enjoy a lot of Biblical-related non-fiction. Happy Friday!
DeleteRegarding Henry VIII, my question is always...didn't these women understand that marrying him was a bad idea?
ReplyDeleteI used to think that too, but on the other hand I can't help but feel terribly for Catherine Howard. A lot of powerful and not so powerful men created a lot of chaos and she was a victim of their machinations. I think everyone thought after Anne that surely he would not have the ability to behead two wives, and then it happened. But then by the end Catherine Parr was his chosen one and you could hardly tell the king no, you would rather not marry him. So many lives were completed ruined by Henry, it just makes me so angry!
DeleteHappy Friday! I'm a huge fan of Tudor England and this book sounds really good!
ReplyDeleteIt is great. I highly recommend this one and the Catherine of Aragon book I used previously. I could not put them down, and they were not thin, quick reads. Let me know what you think when you get to reading them.
DeleteMy first line is actually like a first phrase. ;) It's from a children's poetry book:
ReplyDelete"Good morning, Lord, it's time to rise.
The sun is shining bright.
I've got my day ahead of me.
Please help me do what's right."
("Princess Prayers" by Crystal Bowman)
I am a big fan of using whole first paragraphs even :) Happy Friday, thanks for coming by Amanda!
DeleteI don't think I'd like to be anyone's fifth wife but especially not that guy! ;)
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, right?! And she was still a teenager, I mean, come on. The only wives treated well were Jane, because she had the common sense to die before he could divorce her, and Katherine Parr who managed to outwit and outlast him. Oi!
DeleteOoooh IDK why, but I love learning about Henry VIII's women.
ReplyDeleteI think these queens are endlessly fascinating - even Anne Boleyn, who I CAN NOT ABIDE. I am always partial to Catherine of Aragon. The strength and resiliency she showed through the entire separation and divorce is truly inspirational.
Delete