Phew what a life.
Very enjoyable with some new things about Henry VIII that I was not aware of.
This novel shows a side of Henry that is vulnerable, easily influenced and self doubting.
I did find it very long and and may have missed some of the finer details, also I needed the character list which I find difficult to access on my kindle.
Thank you Alison, NetGalley and Headline for this ARC.

I have read a lot of the Alison Weir books told from his wives perspectives so I was interested to read events from Henry VII’s viewpoint. Although this was interesting, I don’t think it offered anything particularly new. I felt sorry for most of his wives!

Eminent historian and best-selling novelist Alison Weir dazzles readers yet again with her immersive, compulsively readable and brilliantly evoked story of one of English history’s most notorious monarchs: Henry VIII.

As a boy, Prince Harry grew up in royal palaces in the shadow of his eldest brother Arthur who would one day be king. Harry spends his days dreaming of knights and chivalry and of the fate which awaits his brother. As the spare, Harry knows that he will never be king, however, a cruel twist of fate and Arthur’s untimely death puts him firmly in the spotlight and on the throne of England as King Henry VIII. With his destiny changed forever and the eyes of the world firmly up on him, the time has come for Henry to step up to the plate and prove his mettle. However, the road ahead is going to be paved with challenges that will end up changing the course of his country – and the world’s history…

As king of England, Henry’s every whim and desire is catered for and he can have anything – and any one – he wants. However, Henry is about to learn that he is going to spend his reign locked in an impossible battle between his head and his heart, logic and emotion, duty and love. Henry thought that as king he could have whatever his heart desired. Yet, he is about to learn that even though he rules by divine right, his dearest wish of having a son for an heir will never come true.

With his eye on the future and the stakes having never been higher, the future of the Tudor dynasty lies heavily on Henry’s shoulders. In a court where there are enemies everywhere, it is difficult to know who is friend or foe. Can Henry rise to the challenges ahead? Or will his greed, ambition and stubbornness prove his downfall?

Henry VIII: The Heart and the Crown by Alison Weir is historical fiction par excellence. Although Henry VIII’s story is well known, Alison Weir’s strength as a novelist lies in her ability to make this story fresh, exciting, vivid and so captivating that it is a struggle to put down. Alison Weir expertly takes her readers deep into the heart of Henry VIII’s court and imbues her story with atmosphere, intensity and emotional veracity.

A must-read for fans of historical fiction, Henry VIII: The Heart and the Crown is another triumph for Alison Weir.

These books are always a joy to read. I’m a huge lover of Henry VIII and this author writes such good books

A tricky one! I was tremendously excited to hear the story from Henry’s point of view, after reading and watching many accounts of his life through the lens of so many other people. I find with Weir as a fiction writer that sometimes, her work tries to be entertaining but unfortunately veers more toward the non-fiction style of listing events and trying to cram in as much minute detail as possible. This was a good read, but it didn’t give me the depth and personality I expected. Henry came across as a hapless duckling, easily steered by others and absolving him of all guilt for the terrible things he did. I came away from this unsure of what I got. I also feel his life from Jane onward was incredibly rushed, quickly flitting through key moments. Henry remains an enigma and probably always will.

I find the Tudors really interesting so I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to read this one.

It follows the life of Henry from being a young boy till he reaches the end of his life and departs the world of the living.

It goes in historical chronological order and it weaves known facts with fiction to tell 'Harry's' side of the story.

I thought it was a long book for a biography about a man who is portrayed to be controlled by other people. It felt like a long book and it was a long book but it covered a huge amount of time.

Still it you are interested in the Tudors then this isn't a bad book to read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the copy. ✨✨

A bit of an odd choice for IWD I hear you say? Absolutely not, because Alison Weir has dedicated an entire series to each of the six wives of this ‘most dread’ monarch. I genuinely didn’t think this book would produce much more information than I already know about the Tudors (I’m a bit of a fan/nerd) but believe me I was hugely surprised.

Based from his viewpoint this time we see how each of the wives were portrayed in his eyes, we see how they manipulated, used and loved him, to disastrous consequences. I was fascinated by this book and it’s an excellent addition to the popular Tudor historical fiction genre.

Alison Weir gives us a more rounded and professional view of Henry, in which she does not attempt to sugarcoat the truly awful things he did, but neither does she go to the other extreme by branding him as a complete monster with no redeeming qualities at all.
Love her books ands this was fantastic.

Overall, I thought Henry VIII: The Heart and the Crown was a well-written, if a bit long and slow, read about this infamous, era-defining king. I enjoyed seeing things from Henry’s perspective, and I think Weir did a great job of making him a believable and well-rounded character. However many of the plot points I had already seen in more detail in Weir's previous Six Tudor Queens series.

The Heart and the Crown gives a voice to Henry VIII and allows him to tell us in his own words the dramatic tale of his life,of his personal rather than Court life.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Very informative, definitely a good read for gaining knowledge on Henry VII with historical accuracy and a plot line.

This narrative provides an incredibly realistic and humanizing portrayal, shedding light on the political power struggles during the depicted era and highlighting Henry's evident lack of preparation in navigating the intrigue-laden and scheming environment of court life.

The historical accuracy embedded in the narrative is noteworthy, a testament to Weir's expertise in Tudor history. The revelations about this historical period, particularly regarding the numerous miscarriages suffered by Henry's wives and the profound emotional toll it took on both them and Henry, were eye-opening.

Despite my overall enjoyment, the extensive length of the book, exceeding 600 pages, led me to anticipate a swifter pacing in the narrative.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a galley in exchange for an honest review.

A great historical book as to be expected from Alison Weir.
I have already read her Six Tudor Queens series so had a good grounding of the Tudor period.
This one centres on Henry VIII so from a different perspective but just as enjoyable and gives a peek of the great king. I would recommend to any reader who enjoys the Tudors,

I generally LOVE Alison Weir's books, and never normally notice the length of them. Unfortunately, I definitely felt it with this one. I feel it was both dragging in places, and skimming in others.
While enjoyable in general, it felt lacking - although this may be in part to my own obsession with the Tudors in general.
I'm still not sure about it.

Henry VIII: The Heart and the Crown is the second book in Alison Weir’s new Tudor Rose trilogy: three novels exploring the lives of Elizabeth of York, Henry VIII and Mary I, three generations of the Tudor family. It also works as a companion to her earlier Six Tudor Queens series, which told the stories of Henry’s six wives.

This novel is quite unusual because it’s the first I’ve read by Weir to be written from a male perspective. So many of today’s historical fiction authors are choosing to focus on historical women, particularly those who have been forgotten or neglected, I feel that famous male figures like Henry VIII are currently less ‘fashionable’ subjects. As there’s also been so much written about him in the past, I wondered whether this book would have anything new to offer.

The novel takes us through Henry’s life in chronological order, beginning with his childhood and his unexpected change in status after the death of his older brother and then moving on to look at his six marriages, the religious changes that took place during his reign and all the political intrigue of the Tudor court. His relationships with advisers such as Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell – and his court jester, Will Somers – are covered, as well as his rivalry with King Francis I of France and finally his declining health and his death in 1547.

I remember mentioning in some of my Six Tudor Queens reviews that Weir’s depiction of Henry was surprisingly positive throughout that series. All six of his wives are shown to have some genuine love and affection for him and his cruel actions are usually excused as being the fault of somebody else. She portrays him in a similar way in this book, showing how easily he is manipulated by people around him and trying to make him a more sympathetic character than you would usually expect, while not ignoring his obvious flaws – his jealousy, insecurity and hot temper. Weir does a particularly good job of showing how important it was to Henry to have a legitimate heir to carry on the Tudor dynasty founded by his father and the panic that he felt every time he suffered an illness or accident, knowing that if he died he would be leaving the future of his kingdom at risk.

Another unusual thing about this book is that I somehow found it both too long and too short at the same time! I read it on my Kindle, but the paper version has over 600 pages, so it’s a big book and not one that can be read very quickly. On the other hand, the six novels in the Six Tudor Queens series were all nearly as long and this single book on Henry has to cover a lot of the same information, so I felt that it didn’t really have the same level of depth, particularly where Henry’s later wives were concerned. About half of the book is devoted to Henry’s marriage to Katherine of Aragon and the ‘Great Matter’ that arises when he attempts to have the marriage annulled so he can marry Anne Boleyn. This means his relationships with his other four wives are squeezed into the remainder of the book, along with major events like the sinking of the Mary Rose, which is covered in just a few paragraphs.

Overall, I found this an interesting read, if a bit dry at times, but I don’t really feel that I learned anything new from it – and, as I’ve said, a lot of the material is repeated from the earlier six novels. If you don’t have much knowledge of Henry VIII and the Tudors, though, I think this would be a good alternative to non-fiction to start you on your journey and introduce you to this period of history. Be aware that the US title of this book is The King’s Pleasure: A Novel of Henry VIII.

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

As a big fan of Alison Weir, I was over the moon to receive an advanced copy of Henry VIII: The Heart and The Crown.

Once again Alison Weir delivers a brilliant Tudor history book. Henry in his own words. I was hooked from the first page and couldn't put it down. Alison Weir at her best.

Man or monster: a nuanced portrait of Henry VIII
If anyone can take the accepted story of Henry VIII and turn him into a sympathetic character, without any whitewashing, it’s Alison Weir. Without 21st century sensibilities intruding, she shows us Henry throughout his life and reign: from the little boy lost, grieving for his beloved mother to the golden, radiant yet frustrated youth kicking against his father’s constraints, to the insecure monarch competing against his European counterparts, to the bloated man well past his prime with a ghastly, ulcerated leg.

She makes sure we understand that Henry had a huge burden on his shoulders: to continue the Tudor dynasty founded by his father, while so many York claimants are still alive, while God seems to have set his face against him in denying him a healthy, living son for so long.

Alison Weir’s six-part series on Henry’s wives showed how successfully she could switch the perspective as each wife came to the fore and took up the story. Here, she delves beyond Henry’s monstrous ego to reveal the talented, educated man within, one who attracted artists, philosophers and scholars to a court that under his father was dour and utilitarian.

Everything is here: the young man dreaming of chivalric feats, the heartbreak of so many lost babies, the break with Rome, his many lusts and loves, his constant fear of the plague and actual decline, the machinations of power-brokers like Thomas Cromwell… the author is a born story-teller and, despite Henry’s vast wealth and absolute power, at times we even come to pity him..

This novel was a real page-turner. I raced through it, but at the same time I didn’t want it to end. It is a compliment to the author that I could not wait to start reading it a second time, as soon as I’d finished it.

Another brilliant book about Henry you can never hear or read enough about him. I love the tudor period and Alison Weir just makes it come alive as if you are actually there living it.

Another immensely easy read from Alison Weir. I’ve read all of her fictional offerings to date, including the Six Queens series, and it was with that in mind that I approached this title. Unfortunately, unlike those of his Queens, I did not find the perspective of Henry to be convincing, especially as it approached the problematic parts of his reign. I felt that the attempt to cast him in a sympathetic light, from his own perspective, was too logically approached. Henry justifies his actions/behaviour with too much logic, which I feel was almost certainly absent from his genuine motivations. Although I appreciate it is fiction, I’ve always enjoyed Alison Weir’s other fictional voices because of the sense of authenticity - that it could be the real person telling their own story. But that, sadly, did not ring true this time and I think this is her weakest novel yet.