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30th out of 350 books
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904 voters
Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford
by
Julia Fox
In a life of extraordinary drama, Jane Boleyn was catapulted from relative obscurity to the inner circle of King Henry VIII. As powerful men and women around her became victims of Henry’s ruthless and absolute power, including her own husband and sister-in-law, Queen Anne Boleyn, Jane’s allegiance to the volatile monarchy was sustained and rewarded. But the price for her l...more
Hardcover, 379 pages
Published
December 26th 2007
by Ballantine Books
(first published January 1st 2007)
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Julia Fox swings back and forth between brilliantly well researched presentation of the lesser known members of King Henry’s court, to a style of faux history that made me wince. When she has facts, she does a great job presenting the rise and fall of five of Henry’s queens through a brand new lens that was very informative and thought provoking. However, when she runs out of records, she brazenly makes guesses, saying things like “dance lessons were Jane’s favorite pastime,” without a shred of...more
There is a reason that there are eleventy-gazillion non-fiction books about Anne Boleyn, and only one (as far as I know) devoted to her sister-in-law Jane Rochford. While Anne’s life is fairly well documented after her arrival at the English court, the known facts of Jane Rochford’s life are of such limited number they are better suited to a brief Wikipedia page than a full length book.
This is not a book about Jane Rochford; it is a book about the author’s suppositions. Jane probably did this,...more
This is not a book about Jane Rochford; it is a book about the author’s suppositions. Jane probably did this,...more
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To relate the story of Jane Boleyn, Anne Boleyn's sister-in-law, Fox did a great deal of research. Unfortunately, there was apparently little to unearth. In over 300 pages, Jane is quoted exactly twice: in a letter to Cromwell and a few sentences from her testimony regarding Katherine Howard. That's it. We don't know when she was born, where she was raised, how she was educated or even what she looked like. Even her last words from the scaffold (she was executed for her part in Katherine Howard'...more
First off...just found out I can do this through facebook...v. cool
Okay now to the book
It's basically "hmm this what I think happened..." "and Jane was a 16th century woman so she would..." and then "she got her head chopped off."
Women in the 16th century, unless they were women in extraordinary circumstances, were simply not well documented. And Jane just wasn't. And we just don't know. But to say in the absence of not knowing that we should assume she was a poor maligned victim of circumstance...more
Okay now to the book
It's basically "hmm this what I think happened..." "and Jane was a 16th century woman so she would..." and then "she got her head chopped off."
Women in the 16th century, unless they were women in extraordinary circumstances, were simply not well documented. And Jane just wasn't. And we just don't know. But to say in the absence of not knowing that we should assume she was a poor maligned victim of circumstance...more
Because of Jane Boelyn's position as the sister-in-law to Anne Boleyn, the first part of this book was very tied in to Anne's famous story.
However, the second part of the story really delved into what happened during Jane's life after her husband, and Anne's brother George, was executed. It was interesting to learn more about how Jane fought for her jointure, and how she secured a position at court in the households of Henry VIII's subsequent queens. What a shame for her the she should suffer t...more
However, the second part of the story really delved into what happened during Jane's life after her husband, and Anne's brother George, was executed. It was interesting to learn more about how Jane fought for her jointure, and how she secured a position at court in the households of Henry VIII's subsequent queens. What a shame for her the she should suffer t...more
1 like · like · see review
Dec 17, 2008
Rebecca
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who are newcomers to Tudor history
I was really looking forward to reading this book, but was sorely disappointed.
Jane Boleyn, is something of a shadowy figure, so I assumed that this book would bring forth lots of new information and insights into her characterand circumstances.
Unfortunately all this book did was rehash the well worn stories of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard's downfalls, with which the story of Jane is so closely linked.
The information specifically relating to Jane could have been presented in a short research...more
Jane Boleyn, is something of a shadowy figure, so I assumed that this book would bring forth lots of new information and insights into her characterand circumstances.
Unfortunately all this book did was rehash the well worn stories of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard's downfalls, with which the story of Jane is so closely linked.
The information specifically relating to Jane could have been presented in a short research...more
"Never judge a book by it's cover", they say, and this so-called biography of the historically elusive Jane, Lady Rochford, reminds us of the wisdom of that aphorism. Since becoming enthralled to the Tudors, Jane, sister-in-law to the unfortunate Anne Boleyn, has exerted a mysterious pull on my imagination. How Just what kind of woman could give such damning evidence against her husband, knowing that to do so would be to send him to certain death? And knowing just how dangerous it was to excite...more
I picked this up because Hilary Mantel spoke well of it in the afterword to "Bring Up The Bodies". The idea is that this is a biography of Jane Boleyn, wife of George Boleyn and sister-in-law to Anne Boleyn. However, Jane herself appears precious little in this account. This is not so much a biography of Jane as a retelling of the rise and fall of the Boleyn and connected families through the lens of what Jane may or may not have possibly seen whilst at court. Again, this is history that reads m...more
So far, I'm astounded by how little paper and ink is devoted to Jane compared to her sister-in-law, Anne. George and Anne have been put to death and there hasn't been a single word--even conjectural--about the relationship between George and Jane! If no relationship can be deduced--despite rumors that a. George was gay or b. George raped his wife on their wedding night, then SAY SO.
We know more about Jane's ancestor's than we know about her. If (for example) no physical description survives, the...more
We know more about Jane's ancestor's than we know about her. If (for example) no physical description survives, the...more
I did really enjoy this book, Tudor History is one of my favorite subjects and I will never get bored reading about it. Julia Fox's writing style was very easy to follow and I felt it was a really smooth read, I didn't find myself skipping back a few pages to remind myself on details about a particular point. I have always found Jane Boleyn a bit of a mystery, I have never really come across anything positive written about her and I wanted to know more about her life, who she really was. History...more
When first faced with this book, my mind was intrigued. I was hoping that finally I would get a more indepth introspective look at the motivations and movements behind the choices and life of that 'infamous bawd Jane Rochford'.
Indeed, if you are new in your knowledge about the Tudor-era England, this book will be of some use and give you an interesting viewpoint to the life of Lady Jane Parker, who would become Jane Boleyn aka The Viscountess of Rochford.
If you are not new, such as myself, sadl...more
Indeed, if you are new in your knowledge about the Tudor-era England, this book will be of some use and give you an interesting viewpoint to the life of Lady Jane Parker, who would become Jane Boleyn aka The Viscountess of Rochford.
If you are not new, such as myself, sadl...more
I'm a sucker for a history about the Tudor's and their times, so naturally I had to read this book about the sister-in-law of Ann Boleyn. I already knew quite a bit about the part she played in Ann's downfall but I thought I'd learn a lot more. Sadly that is not the case. In fact this book has very little to do with Lady Rochford. Since she was not connected to a powerful family very little is known about her early life. I expected that but was very disappointed in how the book flows.
It is reall...more
It is reall...more
I was so excited to read this book to finally get some insight into the motives and life of this historically fascinating yet mysterious woman. Unfortunately, she is apparently mysterious because there is not much information about her in the historical record and this book does little to shed light on who she actually was, what role she played in her husband and sister-in-law's deaths, and what her motives were. Instead this is simply a poorly told history of Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard th...more
In a life of extraordinary drama, Jane Boleyn was catapulted from relative obscurity to the inner circle of King Henry VIII. As powerful men and women around her became victims of Henry’s ruthless and absolute power, including her own husband and sister-in-law, Queen Anne Boleyn, Jane’s allegiance to the volatile monarchy was sustained and rewarded. But the price for her loyalty would eventually be her undoing and the ruination of her name. For centuries, little beyond rumor and scandal has been...more
Apr 28, 2009
Bayneeta
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fans of Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl
Shelves:
nonfiction
Jane Boleyn was wife to George Boleyn and sister-in-law to Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife. She served as a lady-in-waiting to five of Henry’s six wives, yet there is very little actual documentation of her life. From what little information there is and from a thorough knowledge of the time period, Julia Fox, a history teacher specializing in the Tudor period, has pieced together a biography of a participant in a very turbulent court. Fox tries to clear Jane’s tarnished reputation. She cl...more
in a word:
WOW.
in many words (no spoilers here):
let me start off by saying that, from a young age, i've had a certain fascination with Henry VIII. he was powerful. he was spoiled. he was forceful. he was a player. all too often, he was an outright bastard. in short, he was anything but boring!
i've read some good books about the Tudor dynasty. i've read some mediocre ones. haven't really come across any bad ones--yet. most give you the view through the eyes of Henry himself. others give you the PO...more
WOW.
in many words (no spoilers here):
let me start off by saying that, from a young age, i've had a certain fascination with Henry VIII. he was powerful. he was spoiled. he was forceful. he was a player. all too often, he was an outright bastard. in short, he was anything but boring!
i've read some good books about the Tudor dynasty. i've read some mediocre ones. haven't really come across any bad ones--yet. most give you the view through the eyes of Henry himself. others give you the PO...more
Dec 18, 2009
Anne
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Tudor history buffs, those interested in Henry VIII's wives
Shelves:
borrowed,
non-fiction
If you've read "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory, you know all about Jane -- wife to George, a jealous, conniving, twisted sister in law to Anne (Henry VIII's second wife) and Mary Boleyn.
But you don't actually know her. You know centuries of blame and misinformation.
This isn't fiction, and there are passages that are, admittedly, ones only a history buff would find interesting. But I love the stories around Henry VIII and his wives (divorced, beheaded, she died, divorced, beheaded, su...more
But you don't actually know her. You know centuries of blame and misinformation.
This isn't fiction, and there are passages that are, admittedly, ones only a history buff would find interesting. But I love the stories around Henry VIII and his wives (divorced, beheaded, she died, divorced, beheaded, su...more
It's really hard to rate this book! The author's writing is lyrical, descriptive and thoroughly enjoyable, and she gives a vivid picture of the details of daily life for a noblewoman attached to the court of Henry VIII,. However, what other reviewers have said is true: most of this is pure conjecture. The book is filled with statements such as "Jane may have been there with Anne" or "Jane must have felt..." In reality, we really cannot know much about what Jane did or felt, definitively, and we...more
I had a hard time seeing this as Jane's story. There just didn't seem to be enough hard documentation of Jane Boleyn's life to make a really good biography. While Fox did a good job of constructing her life based on roll calls & invitation lists, anything specific to Jane (her feelings, her impressions, etc.) was all based on supposition. So she never bounced out of the page in any real-life way for me.
Having said that, I really learned a lot about the Boleyn family, Henry VIII & the tim...more
Having said that, I really learned a lot about the Boleyn family, Henry VIII & the tim...more
Feb 27, 2012
Pete daPixie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
history-tudor,
biogs
The closest I've come to the subject matter of this book is Weir's 'The Lady in the Tower' (2009).
Julia Fox's 'Jane Boleyn-The Infamous Lady Rochford' was published in 2007. Of course, the story of Anne Boleyn, with the enduring mystery of her downfall, has been pored over from the sixteenth century to the present day. But who was Jane Boleyn? Her standing in Tudor history is clearly not as great as Anne's, and the historical documentation trail for Jane is extremely scant. Yet history has been...more
Julia Fox's 'Jane Boleyn-The Infamous Lady Rochford' was published in 2007. Of course, the story of Anne Boleyn, with the enduring mystery of her downfall, has been pored over from the sixteenth century to the present day. But who was Jane Boleyn? Her standing in Tudor history is clearly not as great as Anne's, and the historical documentation trail for Jane is extremely scant. Yet history has been...more
Too much conjecture, not enough fact. Despite the title, this book was more about Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard than Jane Boleyn, doing little more than tying Jane's whereabouts and functions to the more well-known figures around her. Nearly everything else about her as an individual is guessed by the author, who usually goes for the optimistic view of Jane as a pawn and leaves little room for the fact Jane might just have been a bad, if not somewhat dumb, human being. And, as many others hav...more
2 likes · like · see review
This pretty well researched book takes a look at an important side story to the saga of the Boleyns in the Tudor court of Henry VIII. Lady Rochford was born Jane Parker and married Anne Boleyn's brother George, Lord Rochford. As such, she gained a place at court as one of Anne Boleyn's ladies in waiting. She managed to avoid much of the scandal that attended Queen Anne's downfall (although her circumstances were greatly reduced with the execution of her husband). Later, with the help of Thomas C...more
IMHO, Julia Fox took what little information is known about Jane Boleyn (wife of George Boleyn and sister-in-law to Anne Boleyn) and wrote a "possible" story.
What if Jane Boleyn's reputation was not that of a scheming informer out to promote her own interests? Could she have been a true innocent caught up in the intrigues and power plays of the Tudor royal court?
Remember that women had little personal independence during this time in history. They lived with their families until they were marri...more
What if Jane Boleyn's reputation was not that of a scheming informer out to promote her own interests? Could she have been a true innocent caught up in the intrigues and power plays of the Tudor royal court?
Remember that women had little personal independence during this time in history. They lived with their families until they were marri...more
Mar 14, 2010
Brigid
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people interested in British history, people interested in the Tudors
Julia Fox writes Jane Boleyn's story with a strong narrative voice, weaving as many details as she can find on this elusive figure of history with those of the people we understand better. Not much is known about Lady Rochford except for a few surface details. Like many of her contemporaries, we do not know her birthdate or any of the inner working of her mind. We do, however, know that she was married to Anne Boleyn's brother, has been implicated in both their deaths, and herself died six years...more
Not to bad . I always new that Henry Vlll had a lot of wives but that is the first time I read in detail of how they wre made away with and on such filmsy excuses without a lawyer to defend them . The part i was amazed at is that he did not do a through investigation into their character before he agreed to marry them . It would have revealed some of what he later found out , so then he would have had to marry only half as many women . And a lot lest others characters would have had to been deca...more
Overall, an interesting read. Generally, not centered on Jane.
The biography here tells mostly the story of other, bigger players on the court stage - Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, King Henry, etc. Jane is oftentimes just a side note in comments like "Jane would have known of her sister-in-law's worries" amid a long stretch devoted to Anne.
Granted, this is necessary. Jane's life was so tied up in the fortunes of those around her that it's impossible to get a grasp on her life without knowing t...more
The biography here tells mostly the story of other, bigger players on the court stage - Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, King Henry, etc. Jane is oftentimes just a side note in comments like "Jane would have known of her sister-in-law's worries" amid a long stretch devoted to Anne.
Granted, this is necessary. Jane's life was so tied up in the fortunes of those around her that it's impossible to get a grasp on her life without knowing t...more
I've been trying to reconstruct the process by which this book was published, and I've come to the conclusion that a few years ago, somebody was buying everything with the name "Boleyn" in it. The part that is *actually* about Jane Boleyn (the wife of George Boleyn, who was executed by Henry VIII along with his sister/Henry's wife Anne Boleyn) -- is basically a bit of the last few chapters and then some close reading of historical sources in the epilogue. There is *maybe* enough material here fo...more
I finally got around to picking up Julia Fox’s Jane Boleyn: The Infamous Lady Rochford, after having heard good things about the book. As far as I’m aware, it’s the first and only biography of Jane Parker. I was intrigued by and attracted to the book because for many years now I’ve been aware of the misconception that Jane Parker was the individual who witnessed against her husband, George Boleyn, and her sister-in-law, Queen Anne Boleyn, on the concocted charge of incest. Although there is no d...more
I think Julia Fox did an amazing job with this book. I will be the first to admit a great deal of the work was conjecture but Jane Boleyns life was not well documented. Fox obviously put a great deal of effort into researching what little information is available about Jane and then to add to her theory she researched the norms and expectations of the social and political environment in which Jane existed.
I had no problem with the author making certain logical assumptions based on this informat...more
I had no problem with the author making certain logical assumptions based on this informat...more
An unfortunate disappointment. This would make a great historical novel, but it's trying to be a Srs Biography, and there is not enough material to work with - the sources about Jane herself just aren't there, so to stretch this to book-length, the author has inserted far too much supposition and speculation. This quote from the middle of the book kind of sums it up: "Nothing remains extant about her feelings at this time. For contemporary reporters... she was a bit player, hidden in the chorus...more
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Biography
Julia Fox was born in London. From a very early age, she set her heart on becoming a teacher and taught in a public and private schools in north London. She left teaching to concentrate on researching and writing 'Jane Boleyn'. Her interests include music, theatre, walking and cooking. She lives in London with her husband, the Tudor historian John Guy, and their three cats.
More about Julia Fox...
Julia Fox was born in London. From a very early age, she set her heart on becoming a teacher and taught in a public and private schools in north London. She left teaching to concentrate on researching and writing 'Jane Boleyn'. Her interests include music, theatre, walking and cooking. She lives in London with her husband, the Tudor historian John Guy, and their three cats.
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