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Tera's Review:
Man this book was amazing. But I really wasn’t surprised in the least. I am becoming a HUGE Alison Weir fan. I can’t wait to get all her books and read them.
I didn’t know much about Anne Bolyen except what I knew from watching Tudors. And frankly they didn’t do a very good job now that I have read this book. I use to hate Anne, and now I feel sorry for her. Like I do most women in that era. I actually had someone comment to me on a social media post stating that “she strung him along for years” Ummmm so because she was protecting her virtue she deserved to have her head chopped off just because she couldn’t produce a living male heir? Ugh of course the comment was from a guy *insert eye roll*
Anne was a fierce lady. Although she didn’t start out like that. It wasn’t until she became a lady for the Archduchess Margaret of Austria, Dowager Duchess of Savoy and Regent of the Netherlands did she start learning how to stand her ground as a women. She started becoming very outspoken. Which was very unheard of in that era. I loved it. As a women of the modern age it’s nice to see that a few women learned to push back a little even back then. Anne was a very well-educated young lady. She was no dummy.
I loved that she stood up to King Henry VIII all those years and refused to sleep with him until they were married. She refused to become a mistress. Honestly I’m starting to fall in love with all Henry’s wives and LOATHING Henry. He was a complete and total jackass.
While watching the show, Tudors, I thought Anne was a snob and pushing and if she would have just shut her mouth she would still have a head. But….I was so wrong! While I did cringe sometimes reading this and saying to myself “Oh Anne if you had only….” but at the same time I wanted to cheer her along. She was so miserable. I don’t believe she ever loved Henry. I believe her only love was Henry Percy, son of the 5th Earl of Northumberland. When Cardinal Wolsey lied to her and make her engagement void to Henry Percy and forced Henry to marry another Anne was heartbroken. From then on I think anything she did was for revenge. Her marriage to the King was her ticket to revenge on Wolsey. Who in my opinion was a slime bag.
As far as the accusations King Henry VIII made against Anne was complete fabrication. It was another excuse for him to get rid of one wife to take another. He needed that male heir and he would stop at nothing to get it.
Alison Weir once again did such an amazing job with Anne Boleyn’s story. Bringing it to life and making her out to be who she truly was. Anne gets so much crap from people all because of the King and his group of slime bags. My heart breaks for her. And that ending was the worst. Not as in the worst ending/writing but in painful to read and brought me to tears.
I can’t wait for the next installment in this series!
Cat's Review:
Another great book by Alison Weir, not surprisingly.
This one is going to be tough giving my feelings without spoiling anything.
Well, you all should know who Anne Boleyn is, it’s common knowledge she is the second wife of Henry VIII, who, after not producing a son that was “promised”, had her head chopped off. So, knowing all that I read the book at a very slow speed. I even did that with the second season on the Tudors. No one wants to see their favourite character die, especially like that.
I’m just going to put my opinions out there from the start; I believe Anne Boleyn is innocent, and the only reason these outlandish accusations happened was because Henry lost interest (as per usual), and desperately wanted that son as soon as possible.
I’ve had people come up to me and say Anne is a hussy…. I’m not making any of that up.
Like Alison Weir has stated in her book, Anne didn’t even want to get with Henry at the beginning, I just believe she was hungry for power and she believed she could make the world a better place. She did, she had the bible translated so everyone can read it.
This book was brilliant, you got to see an intelligent side to Anne, and where she got her ideas and independence from. I’ve always believed Anne wasn’t an idiot, that’s why I never believed the accusations.
I don’t know how I’m going to feel about reading the next book in the series, Jane Seymour. I have strong opinions about her, and none of them are good. Saying that, I am looking forward in reading about her, mainly because of Alison Weir.
