This is thorough and engaging account of Henry VIII’s time as king. As the title implies, it also covers members of his court, and it does not dwell on Henry’s life before he came to the throne.

Like all Alison Weir’s books, this is meticulously researched, yet in no way is it a hard-to-digest scholarly work.

Passages here and there didn’t hold my attention, but then the author covers a lot of ground, so other readers like myself may not be hooked on every topic. On the most part, though, this heavy tome is well worthwhile reading. ( )

I really enjoyed reading this book. While I’m not a big fan of everything Henry VIII did, it’s nice having this book accessible to read. Many people only know Henry VIII for his six wives - only two of which were actually beheaded. I did feel like the book could have done better structured into parts along with chapters, and I feel like Weir tries to balance out the character of a person who wasn’t necessarily so balanced. Other than that, I enjoyed reading this. ( )

I found this to be an absorbing look at Henry VIII's court, both in terms of its structure (human and material) and how it functioned (human and material, again). The author notes, with some justice, that Henry VIII's image has been subject to caricature (a la Charles Laughton), so a relatively balanced and thoughtful look is welcome. The book notes with relative degrees of passing certain events, like the Dissolution or the Pilgrimage of Grace, to focus on the functions of the court. It does very well in examining the poisonous nature of court intrigue from the period 1530 on. Recommended. ( )

Interesting but tough read - As said by others the confusion of names makes for some difficult reading. Great read though of the "good guys" versus the "bad guys" of this era ( )

There were some very interesting details about Henry's life and I have a new "visual" of him. However...there was a lot of "castle talk" (he bought this and that) and the noblemen's titles got confusing. If his name is John Smith, please, have pity on your readers and just refer to him as John Smith, even though he later becomes the Duke of This and/or the Earl of That. Or at least provide a list of important people with their various titles. ( )