Robert Hutchinson - Young Henry

reivew by Maggie on show 9th June
I ADMIT I AM A BIT OF A FAN OF HENRY V111 ALONG WITH FRANK SINATRA AND JOHN SARGEANT. HE HAS ALWAYS BEENA A BIT OF A PIN UP. THIS BOOK TELLS US OF HIS CHILDHOOD, GROWING UP UNDER HIS MOTHER AND FATHER ELIZABETH AND HENRY V1.
A MUCH WANTED SECOND SON, HE WAS BONNY LIVELY IN COMPARISON WITH HIS GENTLE AND SCHOLARLY OLDER BROTHER. HE ALSO HAD 2 SISTERS MARGARET AND MARY AND ADORED HIS MOTHER WHOM HE LOST AT AGE 11, AS SHE GAVE BIRTH TO YET ANOTHER STILL BORN DAUGHTER, ONE HAD DIED WHILE STILL A TODDLER.
THE NEED TO HAVE SONS IS SOMETHING WHICH DOMINATED JHENRY'S LIFE AS DID WITH HIS SON THIS WAS NECESSARY TO SECURE THE SUCCESSION AS THERE WERE MANY WHO FELT THE CLAIM ON THE THROMNE WAS PRECARIOUS.
HENRY BECAME KING IN APRIL 1509. HE WAS TALL GOOD LOOKING, SPORTING (HE COULD SHOOT AN ARROW FURTHER THAN ANYONE AND OUTRIDE ANYONE TOO). HE LOVED BEING KING BUT HATED PAPERWORK LEAVING IT TO HIS COUNCILLORS AND ESPECIALLY WOLSEY TO DO THE WORK.
AFTER HIS FATHER DIED HENRY BECAME KING. ONE OF HIS FIRST ACTIONS WAS TO WED KATHERINE OF ARAGON WHO HAD BEEN LIVING IN PENURY SINCE HER HUSBAND, HIS BROTHER ARTHUR, HAD DIED, HER FATHER IN LAW REFUSED TO SEND HER HOME TO SPAIN AS HE WOULD HAVE HAD TO RETURN HER DOWRY AND SHE WAS REALLY SKIMPING AND SAVING WHEN HENRY RAISED HER UP TO BE HIS QUEEN, CAUSING HER TO LOVE HIM TIL SHE DIED, DESPITE HIS CRUEL TREATMENT OF HER AND HIS DAUGHTER MARY.
IF THE LONGED FOR BOY HAD BEEN BORN, I AM SURE HENRY WOULD NOT HAVE CAST HER OFF AS HE DID BUT HE WAS ABLE TO CONVINCE HIMSELF THAT ANNE BOLYN WAS THE ANSWER TO HIS DESIRE FOR A BOY, WOMEN NOT CONSIDERED ABLE TO RULE ALONE. THOUGH HIS DAUGHTER ELIZABETH 1ST PROVED THEM WRONG!!!
THIS IS AN INTRUIGING LOOK AT HENRY'S EARLY LIFE, SOME INTERESTING FACTS HOW HIS FATHERS CAREFUL HJOARDING O MONEY WAS SOOON FORGOTTEN AND HE SPENT QUITE RECKLESSLY ON JEWELS GOLDEN TRINKETS AND LATER ON WITH WARS ON THE FRENCH.
ONE GESTURE WHICH PLEASED THE COMMON MAN WAS WHEN HE HAD EMPSON AND DUDLEY PUT TO DEATH, THE TAX COLLECTORS WORKING FOR HIS FATHER. THEY WERE ACCUSED OF LINING THEIR OWN POCKETS TOO. NO CHANGE THEIR THEN!!!
WELL WRITTEN AND INFORMATIVE, I LOVED IT!! AND HENRY TOO.
REVIEW BY MAGS

John Sargeant - Give Me Ten Seconds

Reviewed by Maggie Perkovic on 27th November 2008
John Sargeant worked for ITN as political editor and before that spent 30yrs at the BBC coal face. He is widely respected by both the denizens of the Houses of Parliament and fellow journalists. This is the story of his life so far, from his rather curious childhood and somewhat eccentric parents to his appearance on comedy show written by Alan Bennett, to his early years in journalism and his long career at the BBC.
His maternal grandfather lived in Odessa on the Black Sea, named so it was said after the British hero Nelson and was said to be a distant relative of Captain Cook, thus his name; Horatio William Cook, while distinctly un-Russian was from his grandfather who had come from Lincoln in the second half of the 19th century to set up business in Russia importing farm machinery from England.
John was used to his grandmother and mother conversing in Russian together with his English father who enjoyed learning as many different and difficult languages as he could.
Not being a political animal as such I didn’t expect to enjoy this book but it is written humorously and wittily and describes several incidents in his life which we all saw (Mrs Thatcher handbagging him in Paris) with a deprecating manner which is totally endearing. I feel this man is someone who is able to laugh at the strange and somewhat bizarre world of politics and also a man who doesn’t take himself too seriously. I would recommend this to someone who is interested in politics but who also likes to laugh at the eccentricities of the human race.