{"product_id":"the-kings-pleasure-a-novel-of-henry-viii-9780593355084","title":"The King's Pleasure: A Novel of Henry VIII","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn this extraordinary historical novel, the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author hailed as \"the finest historian of English monarchical succession writing\" (\u003ci\u003eThe Boston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e) explores the private side of the legendary King Henry VIII and his dramatic and brutal reign. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A delightful yarn . . . an all-around fun read about a king and a cad.\"--\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review) \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHaving completed her Six Tudor Queens series of novels on the wives of Henry VIII--extensively researched and written from each queen's point of view--Alison Weir now gives Henry himself a voice, telling the story of his remarkable thirty-six-year reign and his six marriages. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eYoung Henry began his rule as a magnificent and chivalrous Renaissance prince who embodied every virtue. He had all the qualities to make a triumph of his kingship, yet we remember only the violence. Henry famously broke with the Pope, founding the Church of England and launching a religious revolution that divided his kingdom. He beheaded two of his wives and cast aside two others. He died a suspicious, obese, disease-riddled autocrat. His reign is remembered as one of dangerous intrigue and bloodshed--and yet the truth is far more complex. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe King's Pleasure\u003c\/i\u003e brings to life the idealistic monarch who expanded Parliament, founded the Royal Navy, modernized medical training, composed music and poetry, and patronized the arts. A passionate man in search of true love, he was stymied by the need to produce a male heir, as much a victim of circumstance as his unhappy wives. Had fate been kinder to him, the history of England would have been very different. To his contemporaries, Henry was a great king, a legend in his own lifetime. And he left an extraordinary legacy--a modern Britain.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlison Weir\u003c\/b\u003e is the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Last White Rose\u003c\/i\u003e and the novels in the Six Tudor Queens series: \u003ci\u003eKatharine Parr, The Sixth Wife\u003c\/i\u003e; \u003ci\u003eKatheryn Howard, The Scandalous Queen; Anna of Kleve, The Princess in the Portrait; Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen; Anne Boleyn, A King's Obsession; \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eKatherine of Aragon, The True Queen, \u003c\/i\u003eas well as numerous earlier novels\u003ci\u003e.\u003c\/i\u003e She has also written historical biographies that include \u003ci\u003eQueens of the Age of Chivalry; Queens of the Crusades; Queens of the Conquest; The Lost Tudor Princess, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Elizabeth of York.\u003c\/i\u003e She lives in Surrey, England.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Ballantine Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50627535077650,"sku":"9780593355084","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_e098384d-ce3d-45bf-90d5-e5c6cd28f8c5.jpg?v=1748524443","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-kings-pleasure-a-novel-of-henry-viii-9780593355084","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}