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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
1 star (DNF)
Only made it about 25% of the way through this book. How could someone make a book about the last few months of Anne Boleyn's life so boring? Too many tangents and too much "info dumping" that took too many rabbit trails away from what should have been the main focus: Anne Boleyn and the last months of her life.
Only made it about 25% of the way through this book. How could someone make a book about the last few months of Anne Boleyn's life so boring? Too many tangents and too much "info dumping" that took too many rabbit trails away from what should have been the main focus: Anne Boleyn and the last months of her life.
‘If any person will meddle with my cause, I require them to judge the best.’
The imprisonment and execution of Queen Anne Boleyn in May 1536 was unprecedented in English history. Anne was imprisoned in the Tower of London on 2 May 1536, tried and found guilty of high treason on 15 May 1536 and executed on 19 May 1536. Her supposed crimes included adultery with five men, including her brother George Boleyn, and plotting the death of King Henry VIII. These are the facts, but there is considerable mystery surrounding the circumstances leading up to her arrest. Was it Henry VIII who instructed Thomas Cromwell to remove Anne so that he could marry Jane Seymour? Or did Cromwell, for factional reasons of his own, construct a case against Anne and her faction? Was Anne guilty as charged?
In this book, Ms Weir looks at the circumstances of Anne’s fall, arrest and execution. I found this an interesting look at an extraordinary event. The factional politics of Henry VIII’s court are fascinating, as is the role of Thomas Cromwell. Having just read and enjoyed the portrayal of Thomas Cromwell in ‘Wolf Hall’ by Hilary Mantel, I found this book intriguing.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
The imprisonment and execution of Queen Anne Boleyn in May 1536 was unprecedented in English history. Anne was imprisoned in the Tower of London on 2 May 1536, tried and found guilty of high treason on 15 May 1536 and executed on 19 May 1536. Her supposed crimes included adultery with five men, including her brother George Boleyn, and plotting the death of King Henry VIII. These are the facts, but there is considerable mystery surrounding the circumstances leading up to her arrest. Was it Henry VIII who instructed Thomas Cromwell to remove Anne so that he could marry Jane Seymour? Or did Cromwell, for factional reasons of his own, construct a case against Anne and her faction? Was Anne guilty as charged?
In this book, Ms Weir looks at the circumstances of Anne’s fall, arrest and execution. I found this an interesting look at an extraordinary event. The factional politics of Henry VIII’s court are fascinating, as is the role of Thomas Cromwell. Having just read and enjoyed the portrayal of Thomas Cromwell in ‘Wolf Hall’ by Hilary Mantel, I found this book intriguing.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
I listened to this book on my Audible. It's a lot of information but I enjoyed listening to what is believed to be a more accurate account of Anne Boelyn's life. I have always been fascinated with Henry VIII and his wives.
After a year, I think it's time to admit that I'm probably never going to finish this one. I really wanted to like it, but I just can't bring myself to slog through.
This is as much a history of the history of Anne Boleyn’s fall as it is a history of her fall. Alison Weir weaves quotes from a variety of sources into a readable, if not always compelling narrative. The book priorities detail over “flow”, and because it is collating sources from a relatively brief period and frequently covers differing sources with the aim of dispelling historians’ conflicting narratives, it sometimes lingers for a while on a particular topic, to the point I wanted it move on. That’s not to say it isn’t interesting or well-written (it is) or that a professional historian would consider it truly academic (I don’t know but suspect not- they never seem satisfied), but by design it isn’t a breezy, simple book that tells you confidently what happened. For the most part it tells you as much about what we don’t know as it does about what we do (except for a few occasions when, having just dismissed the assertions of many previous historians, Alison Weir suddenly decides something is or isn’t likely based only on her own opinion. But let’s not get into that). If you're genuinely interested in the topic, it's packed with information.
I found the book oddly keen to soften Henry’s role in the whole affair, but I’m sure my own preconceptions of Henry as The Worst and enjoyment of the Wolf Hall trilogy feed into that.
I found the book oddly keen to soften Henry’s role in the whole affair, but I’m sure my own preconceptions of Henry as The Worst and enjoyment of the Wolf Hall trilogy feed into that.
I love reading about Anne Boleyn. Her story fascinates me, no matter how often I read of her.
I was so excited to win this book, and it was a great read. Love the writing. Would recommend it to anyone, especially those with an interest in Anne Boleyn.
I love how the book focused on Anne's fall and execution. The author gives facts and info that seems to let you the reader decide - was Anne the villian or the victim?
Again, a great read and a book I would recommend!!!
I was so excited to win this book, and it was a great read. Love the writing. Would recommend it to anyone, especially those with an interest in Anne Boleyn.
I love how the book focused on Anne's fall and execution. The author gives facts and info that seems to let you the reader decide - was Anne the villian or the victim?
Again, a great read and a book I would recommend!!!
Interesting, although a little repetitive. I liked that it focused on one period of Anne's life because it allowed for a lot of detail.
This was a bit of a difficult read- it's very dense and academic. That said, I found Weir's writing style very enjoyable. If you are interested in learning about the true story behind the downfall of Anne Boleyn, look no further.
Thoroughly researched and relatively unbiased, it opens eyes to so many different possibilities of what happened to Anne Boleyn than the mainstream stereotypes. It read like a mystery, one whose answers we will never truly know, but can draw our own conclusions with all the facts at hand.
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Violence, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail