Wife to Henry V

One of the most fascinating yet true human stories in all recorded history is the story of Catherine of Valois, the wife of Henry V, and her lover Owen Tudor.

This novel traces the growth of Catherine from a selfish, ambitious girl to a woman matured and made gentle by love. Her background is one of poverty and the most fantastic luxury; of blood and cruelty, of masques and triumphs; of true religious belief and spiritual fervor.

Few novelists are so well equipped as Hilda Lewis to recreate the atmosphere of that most difficult of all historical periods, the medieval. The glow and splendor and harshness of the times shines out from the pages of this magnificent novel. Ms. Lewis proved her mastery in bringing this period to life in her book, The Gentle Falcon, of which Ms. Honor Croome wrote in the Spectator: “This has the distinction by any standards; the fact that it is extremely exciting is the least of its virtues. Learning fused and fired by creative imagination; a poetic gift; a painters eye for shape, colour vivid visual detail—all build up an unforgettable picture of Chaucer’s England.