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Shop nowThe Fifth Queen
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Learn moreFord Maddox Ford’s masterful trilogy of historical fiction centers on Katharine Howard, a young girl of a proud, noble, and impoverished family who catches the jaded eye of Henry VIII and becomes his controversial fifth queen.
In book one, The Fifth Queen, Katharine arrives at the king’s court to find its dimly lit corridors vibrating with corruption and fear as unscrupulous courtiers hungry for power maneuver for advantage. Clever, beautiful, and outspoken, Katharine soon becomes caught in a web of intrigue and romance as she fights for political and religious change.
In book two, Privy Seal, Katharine becomes locked in a vicious battle with Thomas Cromwell, the Lord Privy Seal, and continues her battle for change.
Finally, in book three, The Fifth Queen Crowned, Katharine once again becomes caught in a web of court intrigues. She believes strongly in a restoration of the Catholic faith, but this conviction has made her vicious enemies, for a return to the Church of Rome would mean reinstating the lands and riches taken from the church under Henry’s reign. Here, Katharine’s fatal combat with Thomas Cromwell reaches its stunning conclusion.
Ford saw the past as an integral part of the present experience and understanding. His sharply etched vision of the court of Henry VIII echoes aspects of Edwardian England as it explores the pervading influence of power, lies, fear, and anxiety on people’s lives.
Ford Madox Ford (1873–1939) was a novelist, poet, literary critic, editor, and one of the founding fathers of English Modernism. He published over seventy books in his lifetime, perhaps most famously The Good Soldier. His books often centered on the conflict between traditional British values and those of the modern industrial society.
Geoffrey Howard (a.k.a. Ralph Cosham) (1936–2014) was a British journalist who changed careers to become a narrator and screen and stage actor. He performed in more than one hundred professional theatrical roles. His audiobook narrations were named “Audio Best of the Year” by Publishers Weekly, and he won seven AudioFile Earphones Awards, and in 2013 he won the coveted Audie Award for Best Mystery Narration for his reading of Louise Penny’s The Beautiful Mystery.
Reviews
“A most noble conception…the swan song of historical romance.”
“The Fifth Queen is a magnificent bravura piece.”
“The best historical romance of this century.”
“Nobody who cares about fiction can afford to ignore the elaborate, imaginative, mold-breaking writings of Ford Madox Ford…A major literary figure.”
“His portrait of Katharine Howard, impulsive, warm-hearted, truth-speaking, yet daring amidst the most unprincipled intrigue, is singularly attractive and lifelike, making an admirable foil to the grimly-conceived Lady Mary.”
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