THE QUEEN'S SECRET

Author: Jean Plaidy ISBN: 1400082528 5/2007 HISTORICAL FICTION Publisher: THREE RIVERS PRESS
Time Period: circa 1401 - 1437

Katherine of Valois was born a princess, the daughter of King Charles VI of France. But by the time Katherine was old enough to know him, her father had come to be called “Charles the Mad,” given to unpredictable fits of insanity. The young princess lived a secluded life, awaiting her father’s sane moments and suffering through the mad ones, as her mother took up with her uncle and their futures became more and more uncertain. Katherine’s fortunes appeared to be changing when, at nineteen, she was married to King Henry V of England. Within two years, she gave birth to an heir—but her happiness was fleeting. Soon after the birth of her son, she lost her husband to an illness. With Joan of Arc inciting the French to overthrow English rule, Katherine’s loyalty to her adopted homeland of England became a matter of intense suspicion. Katherine had brought her dowry and borne her heir; what use was she to England? It was decreed that she would live out her remaining years alone, far from the seat of power. But no one, not even Katherine herself, could have anticipated that she would fall in love with and secretly marry one of her guardians, Owen Tudor—or that a generation later, their grandson would become the first king of the great Tudor dynasty.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I can honestly say that my first introduction into the world of historical fiction came through one of Jean Plaidy's earlier books, KATHERINE OF ARAGON. I was in high school and just happened upon a few excerpts in a Reader's Digest magazine—and no, I won't tell you how long ago that was. I bought the book, read it in one sitting and promptly made my way to our local library to find every single book I could on Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. It was Plaidy who instilled in me my love for historical fiction as well as a fascination with the royal Tudors of England that, to this very day, has never waned.

Katherine of Valois tells her own story from childhood to death in THE QUEEN'S SECRET. Most of us who hear that name think only of her as the dutiful wife in her short two-year marriage to Henry V after France's defeat by the English. I don't think many of us wondered about her life after his death, such as her long-term relationship with one of her guards, Owen Tudor, who just happened to end up being the patriarch to a royal line that more than supplied medieval gossip rags with enough scandals, intrigue, lopped off heads and cast off wives to make modern day royals look boring by comparison. But did you ever think about Katherine of Valois as being the matriarch of that dynasty, or wonder what happened to her after the death of Henry V, including the hardships she endured and the choices she was forced to make for herself and her children? If not, then THE QUEEN'S SECRET is a wonderful place to begin.

I'll admit that as much love as I have for the works of Jean Plaidy (aka Victoria Holt, Philippa Carr, etc.), THE QUEEN'S SECRET isn't one of her best works. The prose reads a bit stilted at times, and the dialogue and historical descriptions can become a bit tedious as well. But if you want to get a backdrop on one of the most talked and read about royals that ever graced the throne of England, then THE QUEEN'S SECRET is an excellent place to begin. I only hope that with the reprint of this work on the Tudors by Plaidy, that the rest of her books in this line will soon follow.

Nancy Davis