The Fifth Queen cover art

The Fifth Queen

And How She Came to Court

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for £5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Fifth Queen

By: Ford Madox Ford
Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
Try Standard free

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £17.61

Buy Now for £17.61

About this listen

The Fifth Queen is Ford Maddox Ford’s masterful trilogy of historical fiction centered on Katharine Howard, a young girl of a proud, noble, and impoverished family who catches the jaded eye of Henry VIII and becomes his controversial fifth Queen.

In this first volume, Katherine arrives at the King's court to find its dimly lit corridors vibrating with corruption and fear, as unscrupulous courtiers hungry for power maneuver for advantage. Clever, beautiful, and outspoken, Katherine soon becomes caught in a web of intrigue and romance as she fights for political and religious change.

Ford saw the past as an integral part of the present experience and understanding. His sharply etched vision of the court of Henry VIII, first published in 1908, echoes aspects of Edwardian England as it explores the pervading influence of power, lies, fear, and anxiety on people’s lives.

Public Domain (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Action & Adventure Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Fiction Royalty Middle Ages

Critic reviews

“The best historical romance of this century.” ( Times Literary Supplement [London])
All stars
Most relevant
I downloaded this as I've really enjoyed recent books on the reign of Henry VIII, most notably Hilary Mantel's books. I gave up on it after a few chapters. I found the writing style very clunky with too much 'telling not showing' about the characters. Ford Madox Ford really likes his adverbs! I might have persevered in written form but Ralph Cosham's narration finished it off for me in this audio book. He reads too fast and has a 'rat a tat' style of delivery that gets wearing very quickly.

Not an easy listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.