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A review by wildwolverine
The Lady in the Tower by Jean Plaidy
5.0
Ahhh, Anne Boleyn. Where would the Western world be if not for you? Protestantism might never have gotten such a foothold in European (and subsequently American) culture if not for her. Clever, dazzling, and tempestuous Anne Boleyn leads readers on the tumultuous journey of her life from her simple life at Hever Castle at six years old to the Tower Green at 29. All throughout the book, readers get a strong sense of Anne's personality and motivations. In my humble opinion, Anne Boleyn is such a fascinating person that it would be pretty hard to screw up a telling of her life story. Jean Plaidy takes readers on a ride where you alternately sympathize for Anne, cringe for her, and cry for her.
From the beginning, Anne is positioned as being exceptionally bright. At first, she comes across as timid, as she is only a child in the licentious French court. Her observations about those around her are astute, but I could do without all of the giant info dumps about various historical personages like Louise of Savoy and Charles Brandon, both of whom feature very little in the book; yet, you still get pages on their background.
As Anne gets older, she desires to set herself apart. She sees how her sister Mary is treated for sleeping around, and she decides to avoid that fate at all costs. Not only that, when Mary's husband dies, she is left penniless, having received nothing from Henry, despite being his mistress for several years. Poverty frightens everyone. And so, when Anne meets Henry VIII, her resolution doesn't waver. She will not have him if it compromises her virtue.
Plaidy positions Anne's ambitions as a reaction to being slighted by Wolsey who turns down Percy (essentially her boyfriend) for wanting to marry her. I find this cheapens Anne's ambition, and I prefer to think that, while she may have been disappointed in love, ultimately, she wouldn't be happy unless it was at court in the middle of everything.
The curse of being an active player in history is that sometimes you're the "bad guy" as you make all of the wrong decisions. For a lot of people, Anne Boleyn fits that to a T. She picks fights with Katherine of Aragon, is almost cruel to Mary who's a preteen at this time, is vindictive towards her perceived enemies, and she often lashes out verbally to the king. She never learns when to just let things go, and this is her downfall.
Overall, I highly recommend this Tudor novel about one of the most important women in Western history. It's a nuanced and sympathetic portrayal of Anne Boleyn while also criticizing her more outlandish actions. Anne was far from perfect, but that doesn't mean, we as readers, won't stop sympathizing with her. Once she found herself at the mercy of the king, she became determined to make the best of her situation so that she came out on top. She almost succeeded. Should we begrudge her that because she was so proud? I don't.
From the beginning, Anne is positioned as being exceptionally bright. At first, she comes across as timid, as she is only a child in the licentious French court. Her observations about those around her are astute, but I could do without all of the giant info dumps about various historical personages like Louise of Savoy and Charles Brandon, both of whom feature very little in the book; yet, you still get pages on their background.
As Anne gets older, she desires to set herself apart. She sees how her sister Mary is treated for sleeping around, and she decides to avoid that fate at all costs. Not only that, when Mary's husband dies, she is left penniless, having received nothing from Henry, despite being his mistress for several years. Poverty frightens everyone. And so, when Anne meets Henry VIII, her resolution doesn't waver. She will not have him if it compromises her virtue.
Plaidy positions Anne's ambitions as a reaction to being slighted by Wolsey who turns down Percy (essentially her boyfriend) for wanting to marry her. I find this cheapens Anne's ambition, and I prefer to think that, while she may have been disappointed in love, ultimately, she wouldn't be happy unless it was at court in the middle of everything.
The curse of being an active player in history is that sometimes you're the "bad guy" as you make all of the wrong decisions. For a lot of people, Anne Boleyn fits that to a T. She picks fights with Katherine of Aragon, is almost cruel to Mary who's a preteen at this time, is vindictive towards her perceived enemies, and she often lashes out verbally to the king. She never learns when to just let things go, and this is her downfall.
Overall, I highly recommend this Tudor novel about one of the most important women in Western history. It's a nuanced and sympathetic portrayal of Anne Boleyn while also criticizing her more outlandish actions. Anne was far from perfect, but that doesn't mean, we as readers, won't stop sympathizing with her. Once she found herself at the mercy of the king, she became determined to make the best of her situation so that she came out on top. She almost succeeded. Should we begrudge her that because she was so proud? I don't.