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2.85 AVERAGE
2.85 AVERAGE
I'm torn on this. Purdy's descriptions can be lovely - especially when describing gardens or clothes/jewels - although her imagery can be repetitious (for instance the many, many references to the doughy nature of a lover's body). But the main character is thoroughly unpleasant. Occasionally - and to my great surprise - she does or thinks something relatively decent, but even that is rarely without an ulterior motive. She's so very awful, at times, that it's hard to feel for her. The greatest question to me was to do with her longtime lover Remi. Although he only briefly appears and we never see anything from his point of view, he does come across as kind and clear-sighted about people. What he's doing with the main character is then anyone's guess - a genuinely kind and perceptive person would take one look at Purdy's Elizabeth Howard and run a mile.
Still, from the comments in the back of the book it's clear that the author is very aware of her protagonist's potentially off-putting nature. I've read a number of books where this authorial awareness is lacking, so the presentation of Elizabeth is clearly a deliberate choice on Purdy's part, if a double-edged one.
This is the first of Purdy's books that I've read, and I'll probably try another. I just hope her next choice of subject is a bit more likable...
Still, from the comments in the back of the book it's clear that the author is very aware of her protagonist's potentially off-putting nature. I've read a number of books where this authorial awareness is lacking, so the presentation of Elizabeth is clearly a deliberate choice on Purdy's part, if a double-edged one.
This is the first of Purdy's books that I've read, and I'll probably try another. I just hope her next choice of subject is a bit more likable...
This book is an account on the life of Elizabeth Boleyn, who was the mother of George, Mary and Anne Boleyn.. It was interesting reading a story from her perspective. So little is known about Elizabeth, since she was such a minor role in the story. I was disappointed at how shallow and indifferent she seemed. It was really hard, if not impossible, to feel any sympathy for her character, and she seemed to have no redeeming qualities. That being said, it was still a somewhat enjoyable book.
Just when we thought we knew all there was to know about the Tudors and the families who brushed elbows with them, Brandy Purdy comes out with The Boleyn Bride, which brings us the life of Elizabeth Howard who became Elizabeth Boleyn, mother of the infamous Anne Boleyn. And what a tale she weaves.
Elizabeth is portrayed here as a vain and promiscuous woman and yet, one cannot help but root for her. Thrust into a life and marriage she did not want and forced to accept her fate demurely and obediently, which was what was expected of women of the time, she nonetheless goes after what she wants in her own way and lives the life she wants to live, albeit in secret. By this, I mean the taking of many lovers which surprisingly, in this tale, did not include king Henry VIII which has always been rumored in the annals of history. Her chief reason for not taking king Henry to her bed is what makes her an admirable character in my eyes. Despite her faults, she is capable of good and, in the end, she admits to the guilt of her hand in the demise of her precious son and daughter, George and Anne.
It has been some time since I've been so captivated by a Tudor based historical novel. I have to admit to being somewhat burned out by the over saturation of the Tudors since the cable television series brought them to the mainstream and the forefront of people's minds. However, The Boleyn Bride has renewed my interest. This book was truly an unputdownable read for me. I highly recommend it.
Elizabeth is portrayed here as a vain and promiscuous woman and yet, one cannot help but root for her. Thrust into a life and marriage she did not want and forced to accept her fate demurely and obediently, which was what was expected of women of the time, she nonetheless goes after what she wants in her own way and lives the life she wants to live, albeit in secret. By this, I mean the taking of many lovers which surprisingly, in this tale, did not include king Henry VIII which has always been rumored in the annals of history. Her chief reason for not taking king Henry to her bed is what makes her an admirable character in my eyes. Despite her faults, she is capable of good and, in the end, she admits to the guilt of her hand in the demise of her precious son and daughter, George and Anne.
It has been some time since I've been so captivated by a Tudor based historical novel. I have to admit to being somewhat burned out by the over saturation of the Tudors since the cable television series brought them to the mainstream and the forefront of people's minds. However, The Boleyn Bride has renewed my interest. This book was truly an unputdownable read for me. I highly recommend it.
"The Boleyn Bride" is the story of the infamous Anne Boleyn's mother, Elizabeth Howard, a member of the famous Howard family. This book goes into her back story and her marriage to the super ambitious, Thomas Boleyn. Elizabeth has a healthy dose of ambition herself. We also get to see the story of Anne Boleyn through her mother's eyes in this book. It's a different look at a story that is very familiar to fans of reading the Tudor tales.
I've read a couple other things by Brandy Purdy, who writes a lot in the Tudor era. I continued to like a lot of the same things about her writing style that I liked in her previous book. Although the subject matter was not brand new to me, I appreciated that Purdy was able to make Elizabeth seem like a really fresh character. She felt really real to me and I found it interesting to be able to get inside her head, especially considering how much she went through with her children.
That being said, I did wish that the book focused more on Elizabeth when she was telling the story of what happened with her daughter, Anne, and Henry VIII. If you read in the Tudor era (and this book is going to appeal mostly to those that enjoy reading about the Tudors), you know the story. I wanted to know more about what Elizabeth thought or did during this time. Was she really just watching and letting Anne go the way that she did? I didn't get a good sense.
Overall, I did enjoy this book. Those who love the Tudors will enjoy this one!
I've read a couple other things by Brandy Purdy, who writes a lot in the Tudor era. I continued to like a lot of the same things about her writing style that I liked in her previous book. Although the subject matter was not brand new to me, I appreciated that Purdy was able to make Elizabeth seem like a really fresh character. She felt really real to me and I found it interesting to be able to get inside her head, especially considering how much she went through with her children.
That being said, I did wish that the book focused more on Elizabeth when she was telling the story of what happened with her daughter, Anne, and Henry VIII. If you read in the Tudor era (and this book is going to appeal mostly to those that enjoy reading about the Tudors), you know the story. I wanted to know more about what Elizabeth thought or did during this time. Was she really just watching and letting Anne go the way that she did? I didn't get a good sense.
Overall, I did enjoy this book. Those who love the Tudors will enjoy this one!