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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
Full-on incredibly-researched book that traces the tragic and cut-throat days leading up to and after the execution of Anne Boleyn. Fascinating look at Tudor society and of how Anne's place in history has changed throughout the past 400 years.
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Thought it was a good book but felt it was more of a historical read than story to be told. Just not my usual style of writing I like. Felt there was too many instances where a fact would be told and then debunked or another true fact told.
British author and historian Alison Weir has written many books, both fiction and non-fiction, about the Tudor period. Her 2009 non-fiction book, The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn examines the rapid descent of Anne Boleyn in 1536 from Queen of England to convicted traitor.
In May of 1536, Anne was accused of adultery, incest, and plotting to kill Henry. She was found guilty of these charges and was beheaded on May 19, 1536. Five men accused of committing adultery with Anne, including her brother, Lord Rochford, were beheaded two days earlier. Was Anne Boleyn really guilty of these charges? Or was she framed as the victim of a palace coup?
The simple answer is that we will probably never know for certain, owing to many gaps in the historical record. It all depends on how you interpret the sketchy existing evidence. Weir advocates for Anne’s innocence, blaming the plotting for her downfall on Thomas Cromwell, Henry’s main advisor. I thought Weir makes a compelling argument. She makes the point that it seems rather unlikely that Anne would commit adultery with multiple men, which would have obviously jeopardized her future as Queen. She had a good thing going, why would she be so irrational and mess it all up? Of course, people do not always act rationally. Weir also pokes holes in the surviving documents that accused Anne, showing that the times and places she’s accused of committing adultery don’t correspond with the known historical record of where the royal court actually was.
Weir does a good job of describing the complicated politics of Henry VIII’s reign. I don’t know much about the Tudor period, and I’ll admit it was a challenge to keep track of all the different people. It was also hard to get a sense of the personalities of the main players, as we really don’t have very much direct evidence about what they were thinking or feeling. Perhaps that’s why they are so many fictional depictions of the Tudor period-in fiction you can delve into the possible motivations and psychology behind the actions of the main players. Weir does a good job of sticking to the known facts and tries to debunk historical theories about Anne that don’t have much evidence to back them up.
If you’re interested in this period of English history, you should pick up The Lady in the Tower, a book that details a fascinating and turbulent time.
In May of 1536, Anne was accused of adultery, incest, and plotting to kill Henry. She was found guilty of these charges and was beheaded on May 19, 1536. Five men accused of committing adultery with Anne, including her brother, Lord Rochford, were beheaded two days earlier. Was Anne Boleyn really guilty of these charges? Or was she framed as the victim of a palace coup?
The simple answer is that we will probably never know for certain, owing to many gaps in the historical record. It all depends on how you interpret the sketchy existing evidence. Weir advocates for Anne’s innocence, blaming the plotting for her downfall on Thomas Cromwell, Henry’s main advisor. I thought Weir makes a compelling argument. She makes the point that it seems rather unlikely that Anne would commit adultery with multiple men, which would have obviously jeopardized her future as Queen. She had a good thing going, why would she be so irrational and mess it all up? Of course, people do not always act rationally. Weir also pokes holes in the surviving documents that accused Anne, showing that the times and places she’s accused of committing adultery don’t correspond with the known historical record of where the royal court actually was.
Weir does a good job of describing the complicated politics of Henry VIII’s reign. I don’t know much about the Tudor period, and I’ll admit it was a challenge to keep track of all the different people. It was also hard to get a sense of the personalities of the main players, as we really don’t have very much direct evidence about what they were thinking or feeling. Perhaps that’s why they are so many fictional depictions of the Tudor period-in fiction you can delve into the possible motivations and psychology behind the actions of the main players. Weir does a good job of sticking to the known facts and tries to debunk historical theories about Anne that don’t have much evidence to back them up.
If you’re interested in this period of English history, you should pick up The Lady in the Tower, a book that details a fascinating and turbulent time.
A fascinating argument on the accusations of Anne Boleyn and the last few months of her life.
This was a very in-depth study of the accusations against Anne Boleyn and the people included in it. I really enjoyed it and while there were still quite a few things, especially at the beginning, that I felt were just being repeated of things I already knew, I felt like I learned a lot too.
This was a very in-depth study of the accusations against Anne Boleyn and the people included in it. I really enjoyed it and while there were still quite a few things, especially at the beginning, that I felt were just being repeated of things I already knew, I felt like I learned a lot too.
Alison Weir is definitely biased against Anne and sympathetic to Henry VIII, but it's still a good read.
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!