Reviews

The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell

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fictionallyyours's review

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emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

readwithjordss's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

erinkayata's review against another edition

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3.0

I had a hard time getting through this one. I picked it up because of 1) the title (love anything Tudors) and 2) the high praise this book has gotten. And while I appreciate that it highlighted a much neglected corner of Tudor historical fiction (Anne and Elizabeth’s relationship), I just could not get into it. I took issue with the pacing (seemed like we went from Henry wooing Anne to them being together real fast but then the divorce took FOREVER which I know it did IRL but c’mon) and the focus on the religious reform. Just not my cup of tea. I also love Tudor historical fiction because everyone has a different take on different figures with Anne being especially polarizing. I fall somewhere in the middle on her but I felt this portrayal of her was super sympathetic and made her seem too passive at times. BUT overall I do appreciate the message and it what it did for the Tudors and the genre.

vikingwolf's review against another edition

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3.0

Queen Elizabeth is surprised when a woman comes to see her, claiming to be an attendant of her mother Anne Boleyn in the Tower before her death. She gives Elizabeth Anne's diary and from it she learns about the mother that she never knew.

This book switches between the important things happening to Elizabeth, her memories of past events and the story in the diary. I liked this as you didn't get bored just reading the same POV all the time. This book took the side that Anne did not love Henry and only married him to suit her family and her own ambitions.

However, it was not factually accurate! When you are writing historical fiction, I think it is fine to use your own opinion to interpret disputed facts ie did Anne love Henry. But I do not believe that you should change known historical facts for the hell of it! On one page she said, talking of Henry VIII, and I quote '...Then his father died and soon thereafter Arthur died too...' Um, no actually! Prince Arthur died 5 months after marrying his princess, and King Henry VII's death about 7 years later paved the way for Henry VIII to marry his brother's widow. The King did NOT die before his son Arthur and this kind of lazyness in research for your book really grates my cheese. Talk about getting it badly wrong! There were several other mistakes which were disappointing.

I did like the way the book was written and I felt that the author gave a more human face to Anne Boleyn, which was fun.

bookishblond's review against another edition

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4.0

WOW. I enjoyed this book even more than I did "The Other Boleyn Girl". I don't know if I've ever enjoyed a historical fiction novel more than I did this one. Everything was perfect: the language, just the right amount of sexiness, strong female characters... Anne Boleyn and her daughter Elizabeth I are just the way I imagined them to be. No, they're more than that. Robin Maxwell took these larger-than-life historical figures and made them real people. Real women. This book was so strong, and had such a strong ending, I think I'm going to read it again before I turn it ack into the library.
Seriously, read this book. Put down your Phillipa Gregory and pick it up. You won't be sorry!

bergamotandbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

Stuck on whether this is a 3.5 star or 4 star read. I really did enjoy it, a fanciful tale about Elizabeth I being given her mother's diary and how it could have affected her decision to become the Virgin Queen. I think I would have enjoyed this more if I had not just finished The Other Boleyn Girl - it was just a lot of the same information (albeit slightly more historically accurate), retold.

Quick easy read, mostly Diary style. Recommended.