Customer Reviews
Dying days of "England's Nero" - By: Withnail67, 02 Jan 2008 
I read this book hard on the heels of Antonia Fraser's The Six Wives of Henry VIII, & I think it compared well. Fraser writes very finely, but with the odd element of patrician phraseology here & there. This is the first of Hutchinson's books I've read, & I was very impressed. His style is wholly appropriate to the complexities of Tudor politics, but he also manages to maintain an accessible tone & suggest an engaging & humorous personality. His scholarship, bibliography & notes are impeccable, but this is also a powerful & well paced read.
The dying days of Henry are examined by theme, & Hutchinson brings to life subjects such as the control of the wooden stamp of Henry's signature vividly. He even admits pity for the disease-ridden tyrant, & reveals the true nature of the ilnesses that turned the ageing king into a dying beast. There is a real pathosin the sad history of Henry's tomb that closes the book.
I have his biography of Walsingham on the pile to read next, & I'm looking forward to it. Hutchinson brings humour, insight & freshness to a well-documented period.
Shadow of a Man - By: J. Chippindale, 26 Mar 2007 
The obese, disease ridden old man, rarely seen by the public, a man with an evil heart & a foul mouth & temper bore no resemblance to the athletic good looking young buck who had taken the throne of England 35 years previously.
The young Henry was a sportsman of some renown & his vibrant personality & good looks attracted many beautiful women. The old Henry was fat, dirty, riddled with disease & took most of his pleasure from watching other people suffer, including those closest to him.
Robert Hutchinson's book on the final years of Henry's life, brings forth many startling revelations of the intrigues, plot & counter plot of the time. He has unearthed death warrants, confessions, pleas for clemency & many other, until now, little documented facts.
I enjoyed the book immensely, but it was tinged with sadness for me. Henry VIII might (who can say) have been one of the greatest King's England has ever had. But like so many great men he had the fatal flawin his make-up, which eventually makes them press the self destruct button.
Shadow of a Man - By: J. Chippindale, 26 Mar 2007 The obese, disease ridden old man, rarely seen by the public, a man with an evil heart & a foul mouth & temper bore no resemblance to the athletic good looking young buck who had taken the throne of England 35 years previously.
The young Henry was a sportsman of some renown & his vibrant personality & good looks attracted many beautiful women. The old Henry was fat, dirty, riddled with disease & took most of his pleasure from watching other people suffer, including those closest to him.
Robert Hutchinson's book on the final years of Henry's life, brings forth many startling revelations of the intrigues, plot & counter plot of the time. He has unearthed death warrants, confessions, pleas for clemency & many other, until now, little documented facts.
I enjoyed the book immensely, but it was tinged with sadness for me. Henry VIII might (who can say) have been one of the greatest King's England has ever had. But like so many great men he had the fatal flawin his make-up, which eventually makes them press the self destruct button.
Shadow of a Man - By: J. Chippindale, 17 Jul 2006 The obese, disease ridden old man, rarely seen by the public, a man with an evil heart & a foul mouth & temper bore no resemblance to the athletic good looking young buck who had taken the throne of England 35 years previously.
The young Henry was a sportsman of some renown & his vibrant personality & good looks attracted many beautiful women. The old Henry was fat, dirty, riddled with disease & took most of his pleasure from watching other people suffer, including those closest to him.
Robert Hutchinson's book on the final years of Henry's life, brings forth many startling revelations of the intrigues, plot & counter plot of the time. He has unearthed death warrants, confessions, pleas for clemency & many other, until now, little documented facts.
I enjoyed the book immensely, but it was tinged with sadness for me. Henry VIII might (who can say) have been one of the greatest King's England has ever had. But like so many great men he had the fatal flawin his make-up, which eventually makes them press the self destruct button.
Excellent account of the tail end of Henry's reign - By: , 27 Feb 2006 Can't say that Henry VIII has ever aroused any interestin me & it was very much the title "The Last Days..." that caught my attentionin the bookshop & I was by no means disappointed by the end of the book.
The account of the years leading up to Henry's death (from the search for a third wife), the account of his death, the riddle of the will, the internecine bickeringin his court & the attack on Catherine Parr are all deliveredin a well written yet easy going style & are a pleasure to read. Right to the end Henry was truly imperiousin his management of his court, playing one off against the others by turn until none knew from one day to the next where they stood.
Henry aside, the book also provides an interesting insight into court lifein Middle Ages England. The shenanigans of the privy councilin their attempts to get 'one up' on their peers are truly spectacular.
The book's not a long read, just under 300 pages & it leaves you wanting just a little more. Despite never having any interestin Henry I've come to respect the way he valued & promoted a meritocracy within his court & never let the senior peers of the realm tread all over the little guy. Thoroughly worth a look.
