Weir manages to untangle the complex web of 16th-century politics, shown through Katherine's duties as ambassador, and her astute reading of the games being played. This adds greatly to the heft of the character, demonstrating what a competent woman she was becoming Herald Scotland Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen is a true tour de force. Finely crafted, this novel is wonderful historical fiction and an outstanding introduction to the Six Tudor Queens series Queen Anne Boleyn Blog Alison Weir clearly admires her heroine ... meticulously researched The Times Captivating... The way that Katherine comes alive on the page is credit to the author who has such a breadth of knowledge about this Tudor period that it's a real pleasure to read her fictional work Jaffareadstoo Blog This well-researched and engrossing read gives a new perspective on the long-suffering first wife Good Housekeeping Known for bestselling historical biographies, Alison Weir is in command of her detail ... her handling of Katherine's misery and dignified response to her predicament is very touching -- Elizabeth Buchan Daily Mail The authentic voice of Katherine rings true throughout. It is a study of a woman who inspires admiration as well as sympathy ... a fitting tribute to a queen who was unduly wrong by history The Lady magazine This ambitious, engrossing novel tells Katherine's story from that moment, through her brief and controversial marriage to Prince Arthur and then to his brother, the handsome, gallant Henry VIII ... Fascinating S Magazine (Sunday Express) Alison ensures that we not only come away knowing more of the real Katherine, we understand more of how it felt to be her... The author really enables us to feel the claustrophobia and paranoia as Katherine tries to make decisions for her day to day life on snippets of news from her advisors - advisors she begins to realise may not be telling her the truth The Book Bag Alison Weir brings Henry VIII's first queen to life, revealing a strong, spirited and intelligent woman fighting for her rights and those of her daughter Choice magazine Weir's opening foray into the life of Katherine of Aragon presents Henry's first and most enduring marriage from a refreshingly new and utterly gripping perspective Lancashire Evening Post

Alison Weir is the top-selling female historian (and the fifth best-selling historian overall) in the United Kingdom, and has sold over 2.7 million books worldwide. She has published seventeen history books, including The Six Wives of Henry VIII, The Princes in the Tower, Elizabeth the Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry VIII: King and Court, Katherine Swynford, The Lady in the Tower and Elizabeth of York. Alison has also published five historical novels, including Innocent Traitor and The Lady Elizabeth. Her latest biography is The Lost Tudor Princess, about Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox. Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen is the first in a series of novels about the wives of Henry VIII. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences and an Honorary Life Patron of Historic Royal Palaces, and is married with two adult children.