Young and Damned and Fair

A major reappraisal of the life of Catherine Howard, this book explodes how history has portrayed Catherine as an empty-headed flirty bimbo. Here, Catherine is shown as a woman manipulated by men, who did do some silly things but ultimately paid with her life. Russel has gone back to the source material and shows time and again that many of the little ‘facts' about Catherine's life as not actually true. In addition, many of the images previously identified of her are of someone else, as Henry tried to destroy many of the things associated with her.  This is meticulously researched and full of references, but I also found the style accessible and it was an interesting read. Fascinating both from Catherine's point of view, and of the ageing lothario she was forced to marry.