This is a fictional account of Anne Boleyn from the time she came back to England from France (where she grew up) and met Henry VIII to just after she was beheaded.

It was good. It (probably no surprise) picked up in the last 1/3 of the book once Henry turned his attention to Jane Seymour and was looking for a way to get rid of Anne. Anne's not my favourite of Henry's wives, but I do feel badly for how it all ended for her. I wonder, though, if I'm getting tired of reading about the Tudors, or if I just need to read more about some of the Tudors I've read less about. Anne is probably who I've read the most about. It was still good, overall, though. ( )

I thought this was an excellent alternative and realistic portrayal of Anne. I enjoyed how Lofts added some first source materials and book excerpts to the beginning of the chapters. No one really will ever know what Anne could have possibly been thinking but the ideas presented make sense and are interesting to contemplate. Could Anne really just have been a victim of circumstance and not the master manipulator? ( )

Over the last years there has been a resurgence of interest in the Tudorperiod that has produced something of a glut of Anne bolyn fiction - this one written in the early 60s sets the bar for the modern efforts.

Lofts excellent efforts at charcaterisation - in part based on primary materials - lifts this well known story from the predictibility of a simple romance or indeed the over simplifictaion of an "evil" Anne or "lusty" Henry.

the side story of Anne's lady Emma and her interets in the new faith provides an interetsing second story - one I will be lloking to seperate fact from fiction for at a later date.

In all everything a good historical movel should be ( )

I've long been fascinated by the impetuous, strong willed, stubborn, intelligent Anne Boleyn. Since the early years of the 1500's, she has remained a historical figure portrayed in many different ways. Was she a scheming, cantankerous shrew who brought about England's break with the Catholic church? Or, was she a misguided victim of Henry VIII who used her and cruelly discarded her, then ordered her death by the French sword, after which her body was hastily packed in an arrow box.

The facts bear that Henry was initially so enthralled and enchanted that he remained celibate for nine years, divorced Catherine of Aragon, a woman he loved, sent loyal friends and powerful people to their death, and placed his soul in peril by the huge rent in the fabric of the Catholic domination of England by breaking with the Pope and claiming himself supreme head.

The facts also show that after Anne's capitulation to Henry, and her inability to produce a male heir, he lost interest and like a spoiled brat, he cast her aside like a toy he grew weary of playing with and promptly broke to move along to a brighter, newer package.

I've read many books regarding the Tudor period of history. This book is one of the best. Anne is portrayed in a very human manner. While she isn't made into a hero, she is definitely likable and admirable.

Highly recommended. ( )

To my mind, a really good historical, biographical novel deserves to take its place with serious nonfiction. The best that such a novel can do is to imagine the person as he / she might have been, filling in the lacunae that history leaves us. This can do as much for us in imagining the past as history does.

This novel is told from the point of view of a servant of Anne Boleyn. She accompanies Anne back home from court after her courtship with Henry Percy is abruptly broken off, and remains with her throughout her life. The story is not entirely historically accurate, but I have rarely seen Anne Boleyn so plausibly brought to life. One of the most interesting angles is that Lofts has Anne argue that she has been perfectly virtuous: she never even kissed Henry until he claimed that he wasn't married. Anne's possible reactions to her sister Mary are also very well done.

Well worth reading and pondering for anyone interested in the period. Another excellent book is Brief Gaudy Hour by Margaret Campbell Barnes. ( )