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A review by chluless
Anne Boleyn: 500 Years of Lies by Hayley Nolan
2.0
Interesting content but highly (and at times irritatingly) sensationalist in delivery. Nothing here is new and previously undiscovered as Nolan rather aggressively claims.
The author also has a firmly reformist stance at odds with the complexity of the religious turmoil they narrate. In fact, there is little impartiality to be found across this work.
And thirdly, there’s the diagnosis of Henry VIII as a sociopath. The only counter arguments presented are those which further support this theory. As such, the fixation on this argument comes across oddly in a book which repeatedly states it’s intention to report only fact. Unless, of course, the concern with fact is only applied to Anne Boleyn and I really can’t believe I seem to be defending Henry VIII here. Ew. But other plausible theories exist and the book would’ve benefited greatly from dividing its time between an exploration of at least a few of them.
Oh, and the sources. There is so much speculation in this book, and where sources are consulted they are used sparingly. For a work of historical non-fiction the sources and citations are not what I would reasonably expect. One source liberally quoted and generally declared to be reliable throughout is suddenly revealed near the end to have NEVER MET Anne before one brief encounter during the final portion of her life.
The author also has a firmly reformist stance at odds with the complexity of the religious turmoil they narrate. In fact, there is little impartiality to be found across this work.
And thirdly, there’s the diagnosis of Henry VIII as a sociopath. The only counter arguments presented are those which further support this theory. As such, the fixation on this argument comes across oddly in a book which repeatedly states it’s intention to report only fact. Unless, of course, the concern with fact is only applied to Anne Boleyn and I really can’t believe I seem to be defending Henry VIII here. Ew. But other plausible theories exist and the book would’ve benefited greatly from dividing its time between an exploration of at least a few of them.
Oh, and the sources. There is so much speculation in this book, and where sources are consulted they are used sparingly. For a work of historical non-fiction the sources and citations are not what I would reasonably expect. One source liberally quoted and generally declared to be reliable throughout is suddenly revealed near the end to have NEVER MET Anne before one brief encounter during the final portion of her life.