OF ARAGON
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers’ Favorite
Kat grew up in a simple household with her parents and her twin brother, Will. It’s the early sixteenth century and Kat is fascinated by the allure of the royal court, particularly King Henry VIII’s first wife, Queen Katherine of Aragon. In Caroline Willcocks’ Of Aragon, the child grows up quickly when a disease affects the family and takes away the only parents Kat ever knew. Will finds his way in the royal world, while Kat stumbles into a life in the royal court of the queen she so admired. That is until Katherine was cast aside in favor of Anne Boleyn. Even amongst the royal women, there is intense politics and it’s a matter of life or death to maneuver through the pitfalls that the royal court presents. As Kat matures, she learns more about who she is; a letter from a royal midwife lays it all out. But there’s no way to prove beyond a doubt her newly discovered heritage. And to what purpose? Kat has found her place in the world and a love that will only strengthen with time.
Caroline Willcocks’ historical fiction novel, Of Aragon, takes an intense and fascinating look at the complicated and sometimes dangerous life inside the royal courts of King Henry VIII’s women. Told in the first person narrative, from Kat’s point of view, the story unfolds as a letter dictated to Kat’s daughter. The author provides distinct and thoroughly researched historical details, while, at the same time, presenting an engaging plot that will have readers entranced to the very end. The characters are well developed, while the narrative smoothly invites the reader into the royal circles and life in the early sixteenth century. Like Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl, Of Aragon will not disappoint the avid historical fiction reader.
THE DUTY OF WOMEN
Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers’ Favorite
The Duty of Women by Caroline Willcocks follows Kat Cooke, a female musician living alongside the women of the Tudor court, who learns she is the secret daughter of King Henry VIII and Queen Katherine of Aragon. Kat is wedged between loyalty to her mother, Queen Katherine, and her service to Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife. As all this builds, Kat’s marriage to Will suffers as his support for Henry’s authority conflicts with her loyalty to her mother. Kat’s internal conflict and the power shifts at court, including Anne’s rise and eventual downfall, the birth of Jane Seymour’s son, and the consequences of Kat’s actions in an ever-changing political landscape, are all narrated in the first person. As Kat reels in the aftermath of Queen Katherine’s death and her own pregnancy, we see again just how tenuous it is being a woman in Henry’s wake.
In The Duty of Women, Caroline Willcocks offers a dramatic portrayal of the Tudor court through Kat Cooke… I live in England and, such is my love of the Tudor period, that I was married at Hever Castle. Hand over heart, this is the first book I’ve read that took this approach and it does work. Willcocks’ writing is simple and straightforward, and, because Kat is journal-writing for her daughter, the descriptions are personal and really intimate. This provides another angle to inject insight unique to Kat and one that readers of the genre will not feel is recycled. Overall, this is a solid read that mixes the precarious position of women in a time and place dominated by men and history with a twist. Recommended.
Caroline Willcocks 