Shadow of Persephone Audiobook By G. Lawrence cover art

Shadow of Persephone

Story of Catherine Howard Series, Book 1

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Shadow of Persephone

By: G. Lawrence
Narrated by: Elizabeth Klett
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February 1542 - A young woman awaits her execution in the Tower of London, sent to death on the orders of her husband, Henry VIII.

Daughter of the nobility, cousin to a fallen Queen, Catherine Howard rose from the cluttered ranks of courtiers at the court of Henry VIII to become the King's fifth wife. But hers is a tale that starts long before the crown was placed on her head. A tale of tragedy and challenges, predators and prey; the story of a young girl growing up in a perilous time, facing dangers untold.

The fifth wife of Henry VIII would end her life on the block, like her cousin Anne Boleyn...but where did her story begin?

Contains mature themes.

©2019 Gemma Lawrence (P)2020 Tantor Biographical Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction Marriage Biography Royalty
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I wasn’t immediately drawn in, but I’m glad I stuck with it as I really enjoyed the journey. Elizabeth Klett is an incredible narrator and I will listen to anything she reads!

Good perspective

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Beautifully told story of Catherine Howard. I've read about her over the years but this story really brought her to life for me. My heart broke for her so many times throughout it.

Haunting historical fiction

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Felt like a thing or two was missing. If you didn’t know about why Katherine Howard’s life ended, you still won’t.

The last chapter?

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As a historical fiction writer, I approached G. Lawrence's "Shadow of Persephone" with curiosity. Catherine Howard has long been dismissed as little more than a footnote in Tudor history, a pretty, foolish girl who rose too high and fell too fast. But what G. Lawrence offers here is a reckoning, a reclamation, and, most compellingly, a voice. Listening to the audiobook, narrated with haunting grace by Elizabeth Klett, I felt not just pulled into Catherine's story but held there, quietly, unflinchingly.

This is an introspective, often poetic exploration of girlhood forged in the crucible of courtly manipulation. Lawrence gives us a Catherine who is thoughtful, observant, and far more self-aware than history has allowed.

The writing is lyrical, laced with wisdom and sharp as a needle hidden in silk. One passage stayed with me: "Women can be the best and worst of friends to other women. At worst, they can be spiteful, vicious and cruel... And at their best, women are remarkable; supportive, warm..." These are not mere musings. They form the spine of Catherine's experience. In a world where women wielded influence only in whispers and glances, Lawrence lays bare the quiet warfare of courtly life—a battlefield of veiled barbs and unspoken alliances.

Elizabeth Klett’s narration is superb. She does not perform Catherine; she becomes her. The restraint in her voice during Catherine’s final days, the breath of vulnerability wrapped in moments of clarity and strength—these choices elevate the text beyond reading and into memory. Her tone carries the weight of hindsight and the freshness of youthful hope all at once.

As a writer, I was struck by Lawrence’s discipline in resisting the urge to romanticize. There is beauty here, yes, but also rot, tension, and an ever-present sense of dread. The horror of Catherine’s fate is not in the bloodshed, but in how inevitable it feels. Lawrence makes you see each misstep not as foolishness, but as the consequence of a girl playing a game whose rules were stacked against her from birth.

"Shadow of Persephone" is a triumph of empathy over judgment. It doesn’t seek to rescue Catherine Howard from her fate, but to understand her before it. For those of us who write history into fiction, this is the kind of novel that reminds us why we do it: not to change the past, but to lend it the dignity of depth.

Highly recommended in audio. Elizabeth Klett’s voice will stay with you long after the final chapter closes.

A triumph of empathy and judgement

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