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mbenzz's review
4.0
I've read a gazillion Tudor novels over the years, so I was very familiar with the story going into this book. I think Ms. Arnopp did a great job with her interpretation of Henry and Anne's relationship. While this book doesn't offer anything new or different to make it stand out among all the other Historical Fiction Tudor novels out there, I did appreciate the more realistic and human version of Anne that was portrayed here.
Many authors do one of two things to Anne Boleyn...they make her a calculating monster with no feelings other than impatience and rage...or they make her a saint who was just a pawn caught up in the whims of the larger-than-life Henry VIII. Personally, I don't believe she was either of those, but was somewhere in the middle. Was she a cunning witch who turned down Henry's advances because she thought she could get a crown out of it? Or was she just a young woman who refused to be treated like her used and discarded sister (mistress to two Kings) and hold on to her virginity until marriage, even if it meant denying the King of England? We'll never truly know, but I like to think she was in real life much like the way she's portrayed here in this novel.
Overall, this was a really good story, and I absolutely recommend it...especially to Tudor fans (obviously). It moved along quickly and was very well written. Everything is told from Anne's point of view, so you won't read much about what's going on elsewhere in the court, but I didn't mind. Some Tudor books try and take on too much and it becomes overwhelming. Not the case with this novel.
Many authors do one of two things to Anne Boleyn...they make her a calculating monster with no feelings other than impatience and rage...or they make her a saint who was just a pawn caught up in the whims of the larger-than-life Henry VIII. Personally, I don't believe she was either of those, but was somewhere in the middle. Was she a cunning witch who turned down Henry's advances because she thought she could get a crown out of it? Or was she just a young woman who refused to be treated like her used and discarded sister (mistress to two Kings) and hold on to her virginity until marriage, even if it meant denying the King of England? We'll never truly know, but I like to think she was in real life much like the way she's portrayed here in this novel.
Overall, this was a really good story, and I absolutely recommend it...especially to Tudor fans (obviously). It moved along quickly and was very well written. Everything is told from Anne's point of view, so you won't read much about what's going on elsewhere in the court, but I didn't mind. Some Tudor books try and take on too much and it becomes overwhelming. Not the case with this novel.
aribruzze's review
4.0
everything i could ever want from a retelling of the story of anne boleyn. it was amazing ! the only thing i didn't like was that the ending was rushed, but other than that it was perfect.
mrs_george's review
4.0
Nothing new, since it is historical fiction, but enjoyable nonetheless. It's always nice to read a positive account of Anne Boleyn since it's usually the opposite.
herbalmoon's review
1.0
Does nothing to add to or expand upon existing Anne stories. A disappointment.
trejondunkley's review
4.0
One of the better books I've read on the Tudors. Nothing grundbreaking, but compelling and well-written, characters were realistic, if often a bit modern. Refreshing to see a first-person view of Anne, and a unique spin on the relationship that focuses on love rather than politics, but reamains remarkably un-shmaltzy most of the time. Highly reccomended for any Tudor buff.
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