The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers: A Novel

by Margaret George

Book Overview

The Autobiography of Henry VIII is the magnificent historical novel that established Margaret George's career. Evocatively written in the first person as Henry VIII's private journals, the novel was... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312061455
• ISBN13: 9780312061456
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 932 Pages
• Weight: 3.07 lbs.

Customer Reviews

OL' Harry 8

Told from the perspective of King Henry in his own words, Margaret George creates a splendid scenery with many interesting players of history. She really gets inside the head of the King in what motivates him. As a great lover of Tudor history, this is one of my favorite historical fiction books on this particular chapter in the Tudor saga.

If Medieval Historical Novels Are Your Favorite, This Is the Best Book By Far!!!!

After I read this book I now understand King Henry's Life. It was fascinating and one of the best books I've read. I will surely read it a second time. That's how good it is.

Fantastic view from Henry himself!

Keeps your attention and is written from Henry's point of view. Wonderful book! Highly recommend if you love the Tudor history!

Oh My God.....

I know a twelve-year-old's review is probably a piece of scum everywhere else, but I know more about Tudor England than most adults I know. Margaret George takes the modern image of Henry VIII (fat, perverted, eight wives, killed them all) and strips it bare. Then, using ingenious creativity, puts together a magnificent picture of Henry as HE would have seen the world. From the second son to the chivalric king-knight to the Pope-hater to the fat over-eater to the last days, this book has it all. Anyone who thinks that this is an unsatisfactory book (like PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY) needs to read David Starkey's "Six Wives of Henry VIII," then come back and read this beautiful work of historical fiction.

Outstanding...

I don't see how this book can warrant less than five stars. While it may not be the most historically accurate book written about English King Henry VIII, it is certainly entertaining, insightful, and interesting. Don't let the length discourage you; 900 pages were up before I knew it and I didn't want it to end. I became so used to Margaret George's diary-style of writing through Henry that I almost felt as if he were my friend. The book, written all through Henry's point of view (with clever inserts from his fool, Will) greatly improved my knowledge of Tudor England. Also, it really helped me to see Henry's life through his own eyes. Through much research, Margaret George has delved into his very personality and managed to write about every event of any significance in his life. She also showed how each wife and divorce/beheading came with a different justification for Henry VIII. As I came to understand his personality more and more, there were many times I felt sympathy and sorrow for the English monarch. I highly suggest that anyone who has any interest in this subject read the book!

Informative Fiction

My knowledge of Tudor England is certainly not comprehensive, but this book appears to have been very thoroughly researched and to be very solidly based on the factual information that has come down to us. Of course, being a work of fiction, the author has taken the liberty of putting her own interpretation on the facts and supplying private thoughts and words as she thinks appropriate. Nevertheless, the reader can probably learn as much about Henry and his times from this book as from a casual perusal of the historical record.In many ways, this is a dark book. Henry was a complex man, and dangerous to get close to. A number of those closest to him lost their heads. Life was relatively short in those days anyway, though, and I found myself feeling for Henry by the end. In a very superstitious age, he was driven by his own inner demons. And it is apalling how superstitious these people were. There was a strong tendency to attribute every significant event as an act of God. Given the misfortunes that dogged his life, Henry was often left to wonder what he had done to offend his "God". Hence, he can convince himself that his marriage to Katherine of Aragon was incestuous when there was no hope of her giving him a son, despite many years together and the possibility that she was one of the few who really loved him. Later, he is able to convince himself that Anne Boleyn is a "witch". Disagreeable she might have been. She comes across as vain, selfish, greedy and vengeful. But, she certainly wasn't directly responsible for any of the deaths and illnesses in Henry's family. Nor is it likely that hismarriages were provoking angry responses from any vengeful deities.If you have any interest in the life and times of Henry VIII, then you should definitely read this book. Even if you don't have any special interest here, this is an excellent book. It gives a very human and compassionate look into the life of a remarkable man. It's quite long, but it never bored me, and the quality of the writing and level of scholarship behind this work are outstanding. Although he will infuriate you at times, you will understand and appreciate him in the end.

The best of Margaret George

Margaret George has three historical novels in print, Henry VIII, Mary - Queen of Scots, and Cleopatra. All are wonderful reads, but in Henry VIII she hits the pinnacle. This is an enthralling book which takes you back to the 16th century in all its splendor. Magnificently hefty, Henry VIII fills every page with artful words and one heck of a story. There are a handful of authors whose newest works I eagerly wait upon. Margaret George is one of them. And, The Autobiography of Henry VIII holds a very dear position among the 500+ historical and historically-based books in my library. Read it. You'll be thankful that you did.

Well done

The Autobiography of Henry VIII was, without a doubt, THE best book I've read in a very long time. I was taken aback by the size of the book (900+ pages), but it is an engrossing and riveting read. I found myself rearrainging my busy schedule to make time to sit and read. At first, I was happy that I had so much to read, but as it went further, I found myself wishing that this story could go on indefinitely; that I would never have to come to the end.Ms. George has done a remarkable job on this subject. She has gained a loyal reader in me. I am going to buy her other two books in print and I pray that she considers writing the autobiography of both Mary Tudor and Elizabeth Tudor, as I would love to read her interpretation of this intriguing family. (Can you see how some of the 16th century prose is sneaking into my writing?) Since finishing the book, I have been on a Tudor quest; one that was started years ago, when in grade school, I first became aquainted with the Tudor family through the BBC miniseries of The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Elizabeth R.Do yourself a favor: Buy this book, send the kids and the husband to his folks' house for a few days, gather up your wooly blankets, comfortable chair and hot chocolate and treat yourself well by losing yourself in 16th century England.