Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession by Alison Weir, an original retelling of a famous Tudor woman's life

Prominent royal biographer and historical novelist Weir is well-placed to craft this detailed fictional portrait of Henry VIII’s second wife.

Second in the Six Tudor Queens series, following Katherine of Aragon (2016), it begins with Anne Boleyn’s youth at the courts of the Netherlands and France, where she receives an education, learns to value independent thought, and views men’s perfidy firsthand. Also transforming her character are her ongoing rivalries with her sister, Mary, and Cardinal Wolsey, who she blames for her greatest romantic disappointment.

Naturally, considerable space is devoted to the king’s “Great Matter,” the political and religious entanglements that ensued as Henry sought to divorce Katherine and wed Anne. Weir isn’t blindly sympathetic toward Anne and doesn’t excuse Anne’s malice towards Katherine and her daughter, Mary. Instead, she explores Anne’s influences and motivations, creating a multifaceted portrait of an ambitious woman who reluctantly accedes to Henry’s courtship and later acts out of desperation to protect herself and her daughter, Elizabeth.

Even readers who know Anne’s story well should gain insights from this revealing novel.

Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession was published this month by Ballantine (US) and Headline Review (UK). I wrote this review for Booklist's historical fiction issue (4/15).

Some additional notes:

- Yes, it's true that Tudormania peaked a few years ago, and numerous novels about the period (and Henry VIII's wives in particular) have been written. Anything new, therefore, needs to offer something original to readers. Fortunately, this one does. I appreciated the attention given to Anne's early years on the Continent, nourishing her intellect at the courts of the Netherlands and France, as well as her thwarted romance with Henry Percy.

- At 550pp long, this has to be the most substantial novel about Anne Boleyn that I've read, and I've read many (nonetheless, it moves along quickly).

- Interested in following along with the Six Tudor Queens series? On her website, Alison Weir has some info and a trailer for the upcoming third book in the series, about Jane Seymour.