I recently finished my NetGalley copy of Alison Weir's fabulous new novel JANE SEYMOUR: THE HAUNTED QUEEN. Wow, what a fantastic story. I've always thought of Jane Seymour as a mousy, quiet woman. A woman who was the antithesis of Anne Boleyn. The calm after the storm. Well, this book throws all my preconceived ideas out the window. I have no doubt she was the calm after the storm that was Anne Boleyn, but she was no shrinking violet, either. The Jane Seymour portrayed by Alison Weir (one of THE BEST historical novelist I've ever read), is a calm, but highly intelligent young woman. One who happened to catch the eye of Henry. The only woman who was able to give him the son and heir he required and craved. She was full of life and joy, but the title tells it all. She was haunted. There is an element of the supernatural in this book. She is haunted by a dark figure; she feels partly responsible for the death of ...
Title: Anne of Cleves: Henry's Luckiest Wife
Author: D. Lawrence-Young
Genre: Historical Fiction
Length: 292 pages
Release Date: July 2013
ISBN-13: 978-0615827377
Imprint: Celestial Press - GMTA Publishing
Book Description:
It is winter 1539. King Henry VIII is galloping through the night to Rochester to meet a young woman. Just arrived in England from Germany, Anne of Cleves is destined to become his fourth wife. He has never met her before. He has only seen her portrait – the portrait of a sweet, demure and innocent young woman. The impatient and lovesick king must see her before their marriage. But this rushed and unplanned rendezvous will shock them and the country both. It will also lead to some completely unexpected and fatal results.
my thoughts
I was thrilled to read this book. I am fascinated by Anne of Cleves. Henry's luckiest wife? Not certain about that. I think anyone unfortunate enough to be involved in anyway with such a vain, pompous man can hardly be considered lucky.
Henry chose Anne based on the famous Holbein portrait. When he met her, he felt he was misled.
Judge for yourself. Below is the famous portrait
I know you can't see the actual Anne to compare, however, Holbein has a history of painting his subjects in a realistic manner.
On to the book-
Fantastic! I loved this book. Couldn't put it down. I was fascinated to read about Anne's life in England. I'm not certain whether she truly cared for Henry, but she was grateful to get out of Cleves.
The author created a real person. I felt as if I was getting to know Anne while reading these pages. I found her to be a likable and friendly person. She was sheltered as a child, but grew into a knowledgable, charming and intelligent person.
The author, Mr. Lawrence-Young, was able to create 16th century England. In my mind, I was able to 'see' the places he described. I 'heard' the voices of the individuals from the story.
As you may have guessed, I completely enjoyed this book and I thank GMTA tours for allowing me to participate in this book tour.
About the Author:
David Lawrence-Young
D. Lawrence-Young takes the often pompous and frequently silly “Shakespeare Authorship Controversy” and turns it into a fast-paced page-turning detective story. All the nooks and crannies of rival candidates and claims are traversed in interesting locations and often funny encounters. The SAC has got under the Shakespeare-loving and teaching David Young’s skin and he has turned this irritant into a pleasure to read and from which there is much to learn.
Connect with D. Lawrence – Young
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