I remember reading some of Diane Haeger’s earlier work when I was in high school and college, and I’m glad to see that she is writing again. Even though we have several gazillion books about Henry VIII and his wives, she manages to take a well-covered subject and make it feel fresh. The Queen’s Mistake covers the life of Catherine Howard and, while primarily told from Catherine’s point of view, the author creates a very vivid world.

As an orphan, Catherine Howard is raised by her grandmother. She lives a life of genteel poverty in a country home and is drawn into passionate affairs with at least a few local boys as she lives in a house with promiscuous maids and very little supervision. Following the death of her cousin Anne Boleyn, the family enjoys no preferential treatment and Katherine appears destined for a life of obscurity. This all changes following Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne of Cleves. As it is apparent from the outset that the king is not happy in the marriage, opportunities have arisen for various power players at court. When Catherine’s uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, visits and sees how beautiful she is, a plan is set in motion.

Catherine excitedly goes to court to serve as lady-in-waiting to the queen, while she is really a pawn in her uncle’s scheme to promote the family’s fortunes. From here, the story will be a familiar one to those already familiar with the historical background. Though I knew the bare bones of Catherine Howard’s story, I found the little historical details in Haeger’s telling very interesting.

Where the actual historical record may be silent, a novelist can come up with details to flesh out the narrative, including motivations for her characters’ behavior, and that is used to great effect here. Diane Haeger uses what is known of the people and their time to come up with all manner of political and religious motivations for her characters and takes what we know of the times and brings it all to life. Because of this, the hopelessness of Catherine’s situation feels all the more acute and one cannot help hoping that the plot will change and that she will avoid her ultimate downfall.

Another strength of this book lies in its portrayal of the various relationships. The author does an excellent job of detailing the repugnant state into which Henry VIII had fallen by the time he met Catherine. However, she makes his character deeply human instead of a caricature and this allows the reader to see why Catherine would have such conflicting feelings for him. The author also portrays the political alliances and friendships at Court very well. It’s very easy to understand why Henry VIII’s court was such a dangerous place.

Unfortunately, for all its many strengths, this book does have a touch of a sagging middle. Nothing terrible, but it did slow down enough and pull me out of my reading enough to prevent it from being a keeper. However, given that the closing chapters of the book are quite well done, I’m glad I kept going and didn’t miss anything. If you like historical fiction or simply need a break from the wallpaper, Diane Haeger has a fabulous voice and The Queen’s Mistake is well worth reading.