If you read Plaidy's Queens of England series in chronological order, Catherine of Valois succeeds Eleanor of Aquitaine, and the two French-English queens could not be more different. Where Eleanor was ambitious always looking for the next conquest, Catherine avoids the royal court like the plague. Even so, Catherine is not stupid, and she lives a life full of action and intrigue that is just as dangerous as what Eleanor lived through.

Catherine of Valois had a traumatic childhood where she was often left bereft and starving in an old castle where her father, known as the Mad King, rages in another room. Meanwhile, her mother is presented as someone who is greedy, selfish, and self-indulgent to the point where her children literally do not exist for her until they're old enough to wear a crown. Even so, she builds close relationships with her siblings, but these are tested when she's married to the English king.

Everything changes for her when she is set to marry Henry V. At first, the couple seem to love each other, to a degree, but he dies shortly after their marriage. Catherine hides from the royal court, probably because she associates its intrigue with her overly-indulgent mother. All Catherine wants is a peaceful life with her family. She falls in love with Owen Tudor, who is presented as unambitious, which is probably true to a degree, since he doesn't seem to have asked any favors from her. Together, they raise a family of four children. Unfortunately, the minute it's ripped from her, she loses all interest in life. Truly, a woman not meant to wear a crown. Then again, it's not like these people often choose to do so, which is honestly what Plaidy presents as the central theme in her books.

It is this family that Catherine will do anything to protect, including lying and manipulating her brothers-in-law to secure her happiness. Overall, I found her to be the least queen-like of all of the queens I've read from Plaidy's series. She was so completely uninterested in the world outside of her immediate circle. I can't say I necessarily relate to Catherine, but I do understand her, which is the most important thing when crafting a protagonist. Some people really do long for the simple life, especially after such a turbulent youth as the one Catherine experienced. Plaidy deftly creates a character who is so different from Eleanor and her other queens that you feel like you know the woman behind the crown, and you can't help but root for her.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of medieval history. While there aren't as many battles as in Eleanor's book, The Queen's Secret still illuminates a fascinating time in European history and introduces readers to several famous individuals. In spite of her best efforts, Catherine of Valois made an immense impact on England and the world, so even if she isn't as ambitious as other women whose names have survived time, she is still no less deserving of her own story. ( )

Finding this book sitting of my Grandmother's bookshelf, I gravitated towards it because it involved the wife of Henry V, and so Henry himself, who I am perhaps a little obsessed with.

It is written in the 1st person from the perspective of Katherine de Valois herself (Henry's wife) in the form of a diary of sorts. The details of Katherine's early life were interesting, and the subject of her father's madness was treated sensitively. I utterly despised her sex- mad megalomaniac mother, Isabeau of Bavaria, and, if what Plaidy says about her is true, Katherine was fortunate to be free of her in England.

A more recent novel in this subject presented King Henry as a bad husband, who was abusive. I do not know if there is any evidence or historical basis for this, but Plaidy did not hold to this view. Henry does appear to have loved Katherine, though she was not his first or only love, as he was also ambitious, loved his country and also the idea of being King of France.

Thier all-too brief marriage which culminated in Henry's untimely death after only 2 years is presented as a tragedy for both Katherine and the country, as it indeed was.
The narrative then follows onto Katherine's life after Henry's death, and here is does become somewhat weaker and a little repetitive. To sum up she met and fell in love with a young Welsh squire, Owen Tudor, but as the Mother of the King she was forbidden from marrying again, so thier relationship marriage had to remain a secret.

How she was able to keep her numerous preganacies, and the birth of several children a secret is questionable, espeically as in one scene it was claimed that she was seen in public only days before the birth of one of her children.

The novel ends somewhat abruptly, but, as it was meant to be Katherine telling the story, the author could not really have gone much further. If you are intersted in Henry V, the second phase of the Hundred Years war, and the events leading up to the wars of the Roses, you may be interested in this one. ( )

I knew little of Katherine of Valois before reading this fiction based on fact account of her life, therefore I read this with interest.

Had this been written in third person I may have enjoyed it more, as trying to relate to so many events that the first-person narrator wasn’t involved with does not work all that well. Little gets dramatized.

Although I admire Jean Palidy’s works in general, every so often I come across something that reads a little flat, usually through too much telling and not enough showing, this book being an example. I liked this novel, but wouldn’t read it again. ( )

My blog post about this book is at this link. ( )

Any of the Plaidy books having to do with the British Royalty is very, very highly recommended! She brings the characters to life and puts you right into the middle of all the action. You will cry, laugh, gasp and go through a whole range of emotions during her page-turners. ( )