Gilt [Kindle Edition]

Katherine Longshore (Author)

Book Description

In the court of King Henry VIII, nothing is free--
and love comes at the highest price of all.

When Kitty Tylney's best friend, Catherine Howard, worms her way into King Henry VIII's heart and brings Kitty to court, she's thrust into a world filled with fabulous gowns, sparkling jewels, and elegant parties. No longer stuck in Cat's shadow, Kitty's now caught between two men--the object of her affection and the object of her desire. But court is also full of secrets, lies, and sordid affairs, and as Kitty witnesses Cat's meteoric rise and fall as queen, she must figure out how to keep being a good friend when the price of telling the truth could literally be her head.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“In modern times, Cat would most likely be a cheerleader; the king, captain of the football team. But the royal backdrop with historical underpinnings makes a far more interesting story…Readers can practically feel the embroidered ball gowns and hand-stitched lace.” –The Los Angeles Times

 

"I believe I found my new favorite series"- MTV.com

 

“Longshore, who's clearly done her historical homework, takes full advantage of the Tudor standards. . . and surroundings. . .  but Cat is a completely contemporary American teenager.”—BCCB

 

“Longshore writes a believable novel of historical fiction with well-developed characters and entertaining . . . plot twists.”—VOYA

 

“A good, juicy story . . . royally riveting for the reader.”—Booklist

 

“A substantive, sobering historical read, with just a few heaving bodices.”—Kirkus Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Kitty Tylney has always lived in the shadow of her best friend, Cat.  Then Cat worms her way into the court of King Henry VIII - and into the King's heart.  When Cat brings her best friend into her inner circle at court, Kitty is thrust into a glittering new life of fabulous gowns, opulent parties, and dashing men vying for her attention.  But Kitty soon discovers that beneath the golden veneer lies a world of secrets and lies, trysts and back-door deals, where the price of gossip could literally be her head.

Once you've clawed your way to the top, there's nowhere to go but down...and it's a long fall from the Queen of England's throne.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 854 KB
• Print Length: 411 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: B00B55AJW8
• Publisher: Puffin; Reprint edition (May 15, 2012)
• Sold by: Penguin Publishing
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0064W621E
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #126,115 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful Historical Fiction novel July 3, 2012

By Book Flame

Format:Hardcover

It's really hard to believe that Gilt was Katherine Longshore's debut novel, the writing was well perfected and you would think she has been doing this for years. Gilt is set during the Tudor Era and Longshore kept the tale of Cat and Kitty very engrossing right to the very end.

Gilt is about Kitty Tylney and Cat Howard who also was in real life the fifth wife of King Henry VIII. The story starts off with the two only dreaming of being part of Court life and then thanks to Cat's charming and mischievous ways their dreams become reality. Cat becomes queen and makes her closest friend Kitty one of her chambermaids. And what follows is a whole lot of lies, betrayal, deception and scandal mixed in with beautiful gowns, handsome men, and lavish parties.

If you know history you know things don't end to great for the characters in this book I was actually left feeling a little sad and I hate the fact that I got no closure with Kitty's character as far as her love life went. It was all very bittersweet.

As far as the characters are concerned I could not stand Cat she was just so vile, spoiled and rotten to everyone around her especially Kitty who already had no backbone when it came to their friendship and allowed Cat to take advantage of her in well...everything. Kitty was loyal to the core to Cat even at times when she should have been selfish and for once thought about her happiness. When it comes down to it Gilt was centered around their friendship. That is what kept me reading. The relationship between the two girls fascinated me while pissing me off at the same time.

In the end I loved reading Gilt. Even though I've been reading a lot of paranormal and fantasy books lately my love for historical fiction still remains. I did know some facts about King Henry the VIII wives but thanks to Longshore and her ability to captivate me with this era after reading the novel I researched more about him and his wives and learned a great deal about them. I highly recommend this book it did not disappoint even with a doormat of a character like Kitty I still found myself rooting for her till the very end.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars I had high hopes for this debut, but it was a bit of a disappointment! June 20, 2012

By Darlene

Format:Audible Audio Edition

I received this audiobook for review from the publisher. I did not receive any compensation for my review, and the views expressed herein are my own.

This historical fiction novel by debut author, Katherine Longshore, takes place during the time of the Tudor Era.

Kitty Tylney is the best friend or, more appropriately, servant of Catherine Howard (aka "Cat"), who longs to become a member of the nobility. When the opportunity arises that King Henry VIII is looking for a new wife (after the disastrous and short-lived marriage to his fifth wife, Anne of Cleves), he chooses young Cat who is about 30 years his junior.

I feel that I am in the minority here when it comes to my opinion on the book. While I do enjoy historical fiction, I have to admit that I found this novel very hard for me to get into. I surmise that my difficulty in enjoying the story stemmed from my inability to connect with the characters. I do not have to like a character to enjoy the story, but a good author should evoke a strong emotion from the reader, whether it be love and adoration or disgust and revulsion! I felt neither but, rather, was "ho-hum" about the story.

Cat reminds me of a spoiled, petulant child who always gets her way. She cares nothing for her "friends," and routinely uses them whenever she fancies to get what she wants. She cares more about her looks, material possessions, and station than anything of real importance. I did not care for her character at all. I even had a hard time liking Kitty, who considered herself a friend to Kat but also did not fool herself that she was more than she was: She had nothing and was nothing without Cat. I wanted to like Kitty, I really did, but I had a hard time respecting her choice to become a martyr for Cat. She always put aside her own happiness and felt she was undeserving of anything for herself.

The pace of the book was very slow, and I was rather bored for the most part. However, the last third of the tale picked up, and I was happy to see Cat and Kitty get their comeuppance! Overall, I had high hopes for this debut but was disappointed. It is my understanding that there will be additional books in the series, all featuring different people from the Tudor Court. I am really on the fence as to whether I will continue with the series. My love of historical fiction and the time period makes me want to give it another go, but we shall see.

Jennifer Ikeda is a new-to-me narrator, and I thought she was very good. I loved her British accent, and I will definitely look for more audiobooks from her. Honestly, if it weren't for her excellent narration, I may not have finished the audiobook. The audiobook was enhanced with instrumental music to introduce different sections of the book, and I felt that the music was a great tie-in to the time period.

MY RATING: 2 stars!! Meh, it was just "ok". Thanks to Penguin Audio for the review copy!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Catherine Howard: The Truth Revealed In This Tell-All Book By Her Best Friend November 19, 2012

By Inky

Format:Hardcover

Okay, it's a legit truth blog-wide known (ish?) that I LOVE Historical Fiction. So much that I borrow random books from my Grandma. And it's not so well-known that I HEART anything Medival/Rennaisance. Or maybe it is. I don't know. Either way, when I heard about the concept of this novel I was thrilled beyond thrilling. Then when I heard that this was a portrayal o the real GRIT, not sparkles of court I went SQUEEE!

Oh yeah. First off I have to give a major high-five to Katherine for her WONDERFUL rendition of the Tudor court. It was really well put together and portrayed to give a pretty real feel for what it was like in the time. From the classes, to the court to, daily deeds. It was easy to slip into the time period and understand what was going on in the years the book covered.

Our main character Kitty Tylney -an actual historical figure- is the best friend of the future Queen Catherine. It was interesting to see two characters trying to fit into the society. All Kitty and Cat want really want is to BE something. And their journey to make it to court so they could be someone was interesting. It felt real and a very realistic character development. Easy to connect to you know? I mean it was a very realistic ambition that is so human and basic that I was snatched right along with Kitty.

So they make it to court. It's glamour and glitter for a bit but then the reality of the situation comes out. It's not all ballgowns and parties. It's betrayal and lies and all manner of intrigue. And it seriously was. Now I have to put in a word that this is NOT a clean intrigue. This is the court of Henry VIII. This is not a chaste society. So if you are a cleanie you have to understand that there are some discourses besides extra content. For me, I'm not a fan of lots of content, but understanding that this was what the society was like then helped to lesson the discomfort/like.

But disregarding that fact I still enjoyed how the dirt and grit was shown. So I really liked the characters and the historical aspect. But what about the romance? Yes, there is a love interest. I rather liked him. Sadly, though, this isn't a happy ending book. Go figure. Oh well. My lips are sealed I enjoyed this book, and would give my good solid recommendation for those of you who like a good accurate historical novel.

Content: Moderate
(The girls snuck the boys into their dorm at night for parties, and romancing. Sees man taking advantage of a woman. Attempted Rape. Kissing. Innuendo. Some language (Deity, da**, bit**. Court drama/immorality.)

More About the Author

Katherine Longshore grew up on the northern California coast. At university, she created her own major in Cross-Cultural Studies and Communications, planning to travel and write. Forever. Four years, six continents and countless pairs of shoes later, she went to England for two weeks, stayed five years and discovered history. She now lives in California with her husband, two children and a sun-worshiping dog.