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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
I’m really not sure how this author managed to make the Tudors boring (especially Anne Boleyn), but she sure did. Couldn’t finish this. Maybe part of it was because it was audio? I’m still not 100% sold on audiobooks.
This review is dedicated to my dear, understanding friend Sara who loaned me this book many years ago, likely bidding it a quiet farewell as she did so knowing it was probably the last time she'd ever see it.
Alison Weir was the beginning and will probably be the end of my obsession with the Tudor monarchs of England. I'll confess, I picked this book up because I'd finished a book at 1:00 am and needed something to put me to sleep (and it worked), but I stuck with it until the end because she (do I mean Weir or Anne Boleyn?) wouldn't let me go. Reading this book compelled me to rewatch the first two seasons of Showtime's The Tudors (and, somehow, all of Downton Abbey).
Weir drills down into the subject to a level of detail that is really beyond my needs, but I still must applaud. Let's get to the bottom of precisely where in the Tower of London that scaffold was situated, shall we? She also doesn't mince words when it comes to the historical sources she finds reliable and those she finds wildly and irresponsibly inaccurate, but never stops short of telling us everything everyone said, reliable or not.
In addition to a comprehensive accounting of everything that contributed to Anne's fall, Weir includes a chapter on how Anne's legacy affected the life of her daughter Elizabeth I, a chapter on how public opinion and historical analysis of Anne Boleyn has changed over the past 400 years, an appendix on sightings of Anne's ghost (Anne was never in York, you must have seen someone else's ghost), and plenty more to love.
Alison Weir was the beginning and will probably be the end of my obsession with the Tudor monarchs of England. I'll confess, I picked this book up because I'd finished a book at 1:00 am and needed something to put me to sleep (and it worked), but I stuck with it until the end because she (do I mean Weir or Anne Boleyn?) wouldn't let me go. Reading this book compelled me to rewatch the first two seasons of Showtime's The Tudors (and, somehow, all of Downton Abbey).
Weir drills down into the subject to a level of detail that is really beyond my needs, but I still must applaud. Let's get to the bottom of precisely where in the Tower of London that scaffold was situated, shall we? She also doesn't mince words when it comes to the historical sources she finds reliable and those she finds wildly and irresponsibly inaccurate, but never stops short of telling us everything everyone said, reliable or not.
In addition to a comprehensive accounting of everything that contributed to Anne's fall, Weir includes a chapter on how Anne's legacy affected the life of her daughter Elizabeth I, a chapter on how public opinion and historical analysis of Anne Boleyn has changed over the past 400 years, an appendix on sightings of Anne's ghost (Anne was never in York, you must have seen someone else's ghost), and plenty more to love.
Written February 16, 2011.
My Best Fiction of 2009 was [b:Wolf Hall|6520929|Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell, #1)|Hilary Mantel|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312044785s/6520929.jpg|6278354]--although I wasn’t too thrilled with Mantel’s portrayal of Anne Boleyn (you know me), I greatly enjoyed her portrayal of Cromwell as a family man who sought power and influence all while maintaining his humble connections and loves. Mantel’s characterization of Cromwell is the perfect example of a skilled writer taking a man vilified by people like me and making him, well, likable. I said then and say now that I’m looking forward to her rumored sequel, [b:The Mirror and the Light|9624993|The Mirror and the Light (Thomas Cromwell, #3)|Hilary Mantel|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nocover/60x80.png|18853327] (a March 17, 2013 aside: this is now the title of the third book in the trilogy, as [b:Bring Up the Bodies|13507212|Bring Up the Bodies (Thomas Cromwell, #2)|Hilary Mantel|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1330649655s/13507212.jpg|14512257] was the second--see a link to my review on the Independent here), partly because I want to see Cromwell in action again and partly because I want to see how she will handle Cromwell’s role in Anne’s fall (and how she handles his own fall in 1540). Mantel’s portrayal of Cromwell in Wolf Hall, however, doesn’t preclude what has gained much traction in historical research--that Cromwell sought to eliminate Anne before she could eliminate him--from occurring. I do wonder how sympathetic Anne will be in this rumored sequel.
What brings on the above speculation on the possible themes and plot for The Mirror and the Light? Alison Weir’s recent biography of the last four months of Anne’s life, The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn. Minute in detail, fascinating in exploration and firm analysis, the biography is an objective look at Anne’s last months and the machinations that most likely lead to her execution on May 19, 1536. Weir revisits theories and research she has done previously for [b:The Six Wives of Henry VIII|10104|The Six Wives of Henry VIII|Alison Weir|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348592955s/10104.jpg|430173] and [b:Henry VIII: The King and His Court|10109|Henry VIII The King and His Court|Alison Weir|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320500059s/10109.jpg|1405107] (both of which I read in the early 2000s), at times revising her own previous conclusions. Like Ives’s excellent [b:Life & Death of Anne Boleyn: The Most Happy|31086|Life & Death of Anne Boleyn The Most Happy|Eric Ives|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348225257s/31086.jpg|31416] (winner of my Best Non-Fiction Award of 2006), Weir’s biography is a delight for those of us who like to dig for the truth of the queen’s fall.
Weir’s biggest strength is that she’s completely objective in as she reaches her conclusion: Anne and the five men who died accused of adultery and treason were framed. In one fell swoop, the Boleyn faction was neutralized and then destroyed, Cromwell’s plan for the dissolution of the monasteries proceeded without impediment (Anne, although viewed as an early catalyst for reform, was a devout Catholic until the day she died; reform doesn’t necessarily mean the destruction of the Church as it stood), and Henry VIII was able to remarry a mere four weeks to the day after he last saw Anne during the May Day festivities (and merely 10 days after Anne was beheaded). While Weir does point out Anne’s various flaws--her treatment of Mary Tudor, her indiscretion at times, and her stormy if not unloving relationship with Henry VIII--her evaluation does not come across as hateful (as others have suggested), but as evidence that must be weighed equally along with the proofs of her innocence. It’s not a stretch to realize that Anne’s personality contributed to her downfall--to point out that she was less than a perfect queen isn’t to malign her, but to set her firmly as a human being with interests, flaws and behaviors that could be used against her by those who ran contrary to her desires.
Weir’s blow-by-blow account of Anne’s fall, from the time of her miscarriage of a son that would have set her firmly in a position of undeniable power to the moment of her execution is gripping throughout. Weir's description of the execution, using various resources to describe the event, is devastating; there is a mournful tone to the writing and one can't help pausing for a moment after the inevitable happens. Weir goes onto examine the effect of Anne’s fall on Elizabeth I (who wore a ring containing her image and that of her mother’s until her death), the final resting place of Anne’s remains (Weir makes a strong case for poor Anne ending up underneath her sister-in-law’s memorial, the Lady Rochford, who gave evidence of incest against her husband, George Boleyn, and Anne; if true, poor Anne has an excuse to be constantly rolling in her grave), and her legacy in historical research and popular culture.
Overall, the biography is a satisfying account of the final months of Anne’s life, backed up by extensive research and objectivity. At the end, Weir includes an appendix of legends on Anne and her supposed hauntings. As an aside that has nothing to do with historical analysis, can I say that Weir is particularly skilled at writing creepy interpretations of these legends? I read it late in the evening and was creeped out for the rest of the night (though I’d like to imagine that I wouldn’t be freaked out if Anne appeared to me; I hope I’d go all fangirl and say “Ohmigawd, Queen Anne. I pink-purple heart you!” instead of running away screaming in horror). In an author feature at the end of the book, Weir mentions that she’s published a few ghost stories and I must, must find these.
My Best Fiction of 2009 was [b:Wolf Hall|6520929|Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell, #1)|Hilary Mantel|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312044785s/6520929.jpg|6278354]--although I wasn’t too thrilled with Mantel’s portrayal of Anne Boleyn (you know me), I greatly enjoyed her portrayal of Cromwell as a family man who sought power and influence all while maintaining his humble connections and loves. Mantel’s characterization of Cromwell is the perfect example of a skilled writer taking a man vilified by people like me and making him, well, likable. I said then and say now that I’m looking forward to her rumored sequel, [b:The Mirror and the Light|9624993|The Mirror and the Light (Thomas Cromwell, #3)|Hilary Mantel|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nocover/60x80.png|18853327] (a March 17, 2013 aside: this is now the title of the third book in the trilogy, as [b:Bring Up the Bodies|13507212|Bring Up the Bodies (Thomas Cromwell, #2)|Hilary Mantel|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1330649655s/13507212.jpg|14512257] was the second--see a link to my review on the Independent here), partly because I want to see Cromwell in action again and partly because I want to see how she will handle Cromwell’s role in Anne’s fall (and how she handles his own fall in 1540). Mantel’s portrayal of Cromwell in Wolf Hall, however, doesn’t preclude what has gained much traction in historical research--that Cromwell sought to eliminate Anne before she could eliminate him--from occurring. I do wonder how sympathetic Anne will be in this rumored sequel.
What brings on the above speculation on the possible themes and plot for The Mirror and the Light? Alison Weir’s recent biography of the last four months of Anne’s life, The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn. Minute in detail, fascinating in exploration and firm analysis, the biography is an objective look at Anne’s last months and the machinations that most likely lead to her execution on May 19, 1536. Weir revisits theories and research she has done previously for [b:The Six Wives of Henry VIII|10104|The Six Wives of Henry VIII|Alison Weir|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348592955s/10104.jpg|430173] and [b:Henry VIII: The King and His Court|10109|Henry VIII The King and His Court|Alison Weir|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320500059s/10109.jpg|1405107] (both of which I read in the early 2000s), at times revising her own previous conclusions. Like Ives’s excellent [b:Life & Death of Anne Boleyn: The Most Happy|31086|Life & Death of Anne Boleyn The Most Happy|Eric Ives|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348225257s/31086.jpg|31416] (winner of my Best Non-Fiction Award of 2006), Weir’s biography is a delight for those of us who like to dig for the truth of the queen’s fall.
Weir’s biggest strength is that she’s completely objective in as she reaches her conclusion: Anne and the five men who died accused of adultery and treason were framed. In one fell swoop, the Boleyn faction was neutralized and then destroyed, Cromwell’s plan for the dissolution of the monasteries proceeded without impediment (Anne, although viewed as an early catalyst for reform, was a devout Catholic until the day she died; reform doesn’t necessarily mean the destruction of the Church as it stood), and Henry VIII was able to remarry a mere four weeks to the day after he last saw Anne during the May Day festivities (and merely 10 days after Anne was beheaded). While Weir does point out Anne’s various flaws--her treatment of Mary Tudor, her indiscretion at times, and her stormy if not unloving relationship with Henry VIII--her evaluation does not come across as hateful (as others have suggested), but as evidence that must be weighed equally along with the proofs of her innocence. It’s not a stretch to realize that Anne’s personality contributed to her downfall--to point out that she was less than a perfect queen isn’t to malign her, but to set her firmly as a human being with interests, flaws and behaviors that could be used against her by those who ran contrary to her desires.
Weir’s blow-by-blow account of Anne’s fall, from the time of her miscarriage of a son that would have set her firmly in a position of undeniable power to the moment of her execution is gripping throughout. Weir's description of the execution, using various resources to describe the event, is devastating; there is a mournful tone to the writing and one can't help pausing for a moment after the inevitable happens. Weir goes onto examine the effect of Anne’s fall on Elizabeth I (who wore a ring containing her image and that of her mother’s until her death), the final resting place of Anne’s remains (Weir makes a strong case for poor Anne ending up underneath her sister-in-law’s memorial, the Lady Rochford, who gave evidence of incest against her husband, George Boleyn, and Anne; if true, poor Anne has an excuse to be constantly rolling in her grave), and her legacy in historical research and popular culture.
Overall, the biography is a satisfying account of the final months of Anne’s life, backed up by extensive research and objectivity. At the end, Weir includes an appendix of legends on Anne and her supposed hauntings. As an aside that has nothing to do with historical analysis, can I say that Weir is particularly skilled at writing creepy interpretations of these legends? I read it late in the evening and was creeped out for the rest of the night (though I’d like to imagine that I wouldn’t be freaked out if Anne appeared to me; I hope I’d go all fangirl and say “Ohmigawd, Queen Anne. I pink-purple heart you!” instead of running away screaming in horror). In an author feature at the end of the book, Weir mentions that she’s published a few ghost stories and I must, must find these.
informative
slow-paced
An excellent and thorough account, through contemporary sources, of the last weeks of Anne Boleyn's life, how it may have come to that point, and the after-effects. Next I want to read about Elizabeth I!
informative
fast-paced
Very well written. Took me quite a bit to get through it as it is not a page turner novel. I really liked the way that she outlined the facts, evidence and hearsay of the case and then drew a conclusion, or didn't. So often an author feels that they need to draw a finite conclusion and it was refreshing to have someone say that we just don't know....
Nicely done as an audiobook, the author neither pities nor exalts Anne. I liked the balance.
Good writing and I found the book a bit tedious by the end. Maybe because I've read a lot about this era, or maybe because I found the author making strong conjectures while complaining that other authors had made strong conjectures about the same events with limited indisputable facts...
This was a pretty tedious read. It felt in places like Weir was out to prove a point about her research, rather than her subject. She'd spend pages comparing versions of a particular incident, but then *not draw any conclusions.* I read historians so they can tell me what their judgment of a situation is, and Weir seemed to dodge that at every opportunity. She also seemed to ignore evidence (for instance: Boleyn's father was named to her and her brother's juries (or some other legal review board - I may be misremembering the details) but that there wouldn't be relatives of the accused on the boards; Weir related both of these facts with out comment.)
Weir also seemed to confuse following procedures with actual fairness to the accused, claiming that Boleyn's trail was fairly conducted. Seriously? It may have proceeded according to the rules, but that in now way means it's fair.
Weir also seemed to confuse following procedures with actual fairness to the accused, claiming that Boleyn's trail was fairly conducted. Seriously? It may have proceeded according to the rules, but that in now way means it's fair.