I have long been a fan of Tudor history and Alison Weir’s novels. This is the second book in her new fictional series following the six wives of King Henry the VIII. For such a short reign as Queen of England, Anne Boleyn left a lasting mark on both Tudor and English history and changed the course of history causing both political and religious upheavals that began the start of English Reformation. Ms. Weir is such an expert in her craft and knowledge of Tudor history she makes you feel that you are at court experiencing history first hand. This version begins with Anne around the age of 11 years and continues until her death at age 35, having been Queen for 3 years.
This is a very lengthy re-telling of the life of King Henry’s second wife, Anne Boleyn. The story is an easy read full of historical facts that you will have heard before if you are a fan of the genre and topic. What makes this particular version stand out is how Ms. Weir weaves the story together making Anne more of a victim instead of the typical storylines where she is known as promiscuous and vindictive. History doesn’t leave us with a lot of first hand correspondence from Anne as we have with Henry’s other wives so although history lets us see the “facts” of what happened, how she felt and acted on a day to day basis are up to the author and us to decide through research and piecing what we know together. For me that was what made this book stand out from others I have read, especially books about Anne by other historical authors. It had the same historical facts as other versions but it was told with more compassion than I have seen in other works.
You may not agree with all of Weir’s assumptions on the events of Anne’s life. Whether it is her early love of Henry Percy, her hatred of Wolsey, the demands of her family, or her feeling regarding Henry and his daughter Mary. You will find however, a fascinating and historically accurate story about a woman who gambled for power and paid the ultimate price when she lost – her life.
- Laura, Library Director