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I noted at the time, I found that this book was heavy with history and only hit its stride when Sor Maria came into Phillips life.
"Ultimately, it was a book I could respect but not really like, " "I, The King is the story of Philip IV of Spain and of the women who most influenced his life, Among them was his first wife, Isabel of Bourbon, the beautiful child bride who became his wife and respected Regent his 'true love' Inés Calderón, the charming young actress, who gave him his bestloved son and Sor María, the Abbess, gifted with mystical powers, of a remote provincial convent, whose correspondence with the King, comprising more thanletters and covering a period of more than twenty years, remains a record of one of the most remarkable friendships in history.


Philip was an arresting and attractive character, He was a patron of the arts and, under his sponsorship, painting and literature attained the degree of supremacy which made his era the Golden Age of Spanish culture.
Moreover, he himself was an accomplished draftsman, sonneteer and muscian, His versatility did not end there, He was a superb horseman, a champion at cane tourneys and a sportsman who hunted in every sort of weather, As a lover, he was irresistible, But he lacked the energy to govern his kingdom himself and the will power to overcome the sins of the flesh, His downfall was the sad result of these shortcomings, " "Philip knew that this son he would not bear to see, Juan would understand" Having read an 'historical novel' earlier this year that left me wanting I was a little concerned about starting this one but, the family books I inherited is my only 'library' during this pandemic, so I delved in.
I was thoroughly delighted with the book as it read like a novel but still felt like it was presenting history quite soundly, The quotes from other authors at the beginning of each major section boded well that this was a researched work, The extensive Author's Notes and Bibliography bore this out at the end,

Warning to a twentyfirst century audience, though, that a book written fifty years ago dealt with certain aspects of history differently to how it would be dealt with today.
For example, no judgement is made or implied towards the thencommon practice among European nobility of marrying close relatives to shore up alliances, consolidate land holdings, etc.
. I was quite uncomfortable with one

such occurrence but the book was only presenting what was, One type of fiction I enjoy reading is historical fiction about a real person, Not a true biography, which has been deeply researched, but an interpretation that gives the reader insight into how the person may have thought and why he made the decisions he did.
Well written historical fiction biographies can bring to life people you never knew about,

I, the King by Frances Parkinson Keyes is a fictionalized biography about King Philip IV of Spainand partly considered King of Portugal.
He was the king of the Spanish empire, but it was already in decline by the time of his death,

Ms. Keyes tells his life story through the women who most influenced him, The king was married twice, had mistresses of whom one was the love of his life, and corresponded with a cloistered nun, leaving behind more thanletters exchanged between them.


Although I write historical romance, it is not the dry facts that intrigue me but the people who lived behind the statistics, I, the King brings a remote political figure to life,
Frances Parkinson Keyes was an American author who wrote about her life as the wife of a U, S. Senator and novels set in New England, Louisiana, and Europe, A convert to Roman Catholicism, her later works frequently featured Catholic themes and beliefs, Her last name rhymes with skies, not keys, Frances Parkinson Keyes was an American author who wrote about her life as the wife of a U, S. Senator and novels set in New England, Louisiana, and Europe, A convert to Roman Catholicism, her later works frequently featured Catholic themes and beliefs, Her last name rhymes with "skies," not "keys, " sitelink.