The Autobiography of Henry VIII_ With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers - Margaret George [0]
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Epilogue
Author’s Afterword
PRAISE FOR MARGARET GEORGE
The Autobiography of Henry VIII
“I have read The Autobiography of Henry VIII with great interest and found it quite an impressive work. The author has obviously researched her subject thoroughly.... I would say that anyone interested in Henry and his times would want to read this book.”
—Vi Ms. George contributes intriguing material to the popular mythology....”
—The NewYork Times Book Review
“A feat of imaginary research...The writing is smooth and stylish.”
—Washington Post Book World
“...an extraordinarily well-researched novel which always catches the flavor and color of the era it celebrates.... Margaret George is able to interpret... happenings freshly...a real triumph of imagination. The Autobiography of Henry VIII is... immensely readable.”
—Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Beautifully and lyrically written. And unlike so many fictionalized autobiographies, it not only narrates historical events but gives its subject his own dramatic voice.”
—Baltimore Sun
“If your taste runs to huge novels with detailed descriptions of ceremony, pageantry, music recitals, feats, explicit sex-scenes, and the idea of Henry VIII as both self-doubting hero and royal showman, then this is your book.”
—Minneapolis Star and Tribune
“A highly readable, entertaining novel that provides a wealth of easily discernible history of Tudor England.... George gives us the character Will Somers, ‘his fool,’ whose timely and humorous interjections help give Henry’s tale some balance.”
—Philadelphia Daily News
“The author has done a brilliant job and readers will find this book enlightening as well as enjoyable.”
—Library Journal
The Memoirs of Cleopatra
“A thrilling story...Her ‘memoirs’ are vivid and enthralling. Read them.”
—Washington Post Book World
“In nearly a thousand pages, [George] creates countless memorable moments.... Readers looking to be transported to another time and place will find their magic carpet here.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A 976-page time machine...The first page transports you to the aquamarine waters of the Mediterranean.... Throughout the novel, Ms. George gives a sweeping, lush interpretation of the life lived by one of history’s most mysterious and misunderstood women It’s as if you lived there, walked the streets and counseled the Queen through her turbulent life.... Here again, Ms. Georfont size="3">Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles
“An historical novel of exceptional quality, and one that is completely mesmerizing. The world of Mary Queen of Scots is brought vividly to life by Margaret George, and the heroine is captivating—beautiful, emotional, learned, rash, impulsive, always courageous, but inevitably flawed in her judgement.... A wholly engrossing book and a rare treat.”
—Barbara Taylor Bradford
“A triumph of historical fiction.”
—Houston Chronicle
“George delivers a gorgeously detailed novel...the best kind of historical novel, one the reader can’t wait to get lost in.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
ALSO BY MARGARET GEORGE
The Memoirs of Cleopatra Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF HENRY VIII. Copyright © 1986 by Margaret George. Afterword copyright © 1987 by Margaret George. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
“The Triads” on page 735 are translations from the Irish by Thomas Kinsella:
Thirty Three Triads, published by Dolmen Press, Dublin, 1955;Atheneum,
New York, 1961. Reprinted