Waterstones The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn
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Price: £16.95
Brand: Waterstones
Description: This definitive biography of Anne Boleyn establishes her as a figure of considerable importance and influence in her own right. A full biography of Anne Boleyn, based on the latest scholarly research. Focusses on Anne's life and legacy and establishes Anne as a figure of considerable importance and influence in her own right. Adulteress or innocent victim? Looks afresh at the issues at the heart of Anne's downfall. Pays attention to her importance as a patron of the arts, particularly in relation to Hans Holbein. Presents evidence about Anne's spirituality and her interest in the intellectual debates of the period. Takes account of significant advances in knowledge in recent years. Waterstones The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: Waterstones
Product ID: 9781405134637
Delivery cost: 2.99
ISBN: 9781405134637
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Author: Boleyn
Rating: 5
Review: The reviews here are enough to invite you to read this book, and I reinforce the good reviews, for in all what I have read about Anne Boleyn, this book has proven to be the most insightful. Based on facts, though supporting some, 'What if', narrative, Ives has brought to life the Tudor court and a love that both made Anne Boleyn and destroyed her. Most of us grow up thinking perhaps Anne was a sinful, wicked woman, but she proved to be ambitious, talanted, sympethetic to the poor, and many other things. She's a woman who you may not like, but who you can certainly admire. I found myself not entirely liking Anne, but not disliking her, which adds to the charm of the book - it's not biased. No one is good or bad, there is no black or white. Ives outlines Anne's charitable, kind nature, but also introduces the ambitious, sharp-tongued woman who would be queen, and would fight for her crown when a rival -Jane Seymour- appeared and when her life was at stake. This is indeed the mother of Queen Elizabeth I. He also goes into the life of Henry and Cromwell, even Wosely. Again, he does not make Henry bad, nor good. Ives leaves it for us to judge, which I like. Now, I have read plenty of books about Henry VIII, and always they take to forcing the opinion that Henry was a bad man, a bad king. I agree of course, but I rather figure that out myself than being told. This is what Ives does; he shows me Henry as a person, as a king, and lets me judge. It also introduces breifly Jane Seymour. Not a lot is known about her actually, and I always assumed since I was a young girl that she was a good, sincere woman. Though Ives by no means ruin that image for me, he opened up my eyes and revealed that even women like Jane were ambitious. He brings that out well in such a short time. I found this book so compelling. The passion between Anne Boleyn and Henry was beautifully written, backed up with facts and 'what if's'. Their married life was insightful, because usually we skip their married life right to her beheading. Instead, Ives slowly takes us through Queen Anne's life at court and with Henry, and the pressures she faced. Then, finally, he takes us to the events that would lead to her tragic end. It is indeed a book about the life of Anne, not just the death. Utterly amazing book; Ives's version of Anne's life is the best I've read so far.
Author: Cairistiona
Rating: 3
Review: It's obvious that Ives loves his subject, that he's an expert on the period. But it's almost to the extent that it's difficult for a green horn (such as myself) to understand. I picked up this book because I wanted to better educate myself on Boleyn. I'm not an absolute stranger to her times, I know her life story in brush stokes in the umpteen times I've learnt about her at school or watching "Wolf Hall" and "The Tudors," but I still found this biography difficult. For a start, Ives promises to keep things chronological but then jumps around in Anne's timeline at an athletic pace. The most I take issue with this is the structure of the chapters - first one is Anne's continental education, her start in life and family, how she met Henry and where. So that's all the action, all the plot so to speak. But then the following chapters take two step backwards, the analyses of her portraits so we could know what she looked like. The chapter following is a discussion of the biased source material which of course is all the source material throughout her life. Surely these would be better placed before the "plot"? I gave up after these chapters with no further understanding on Tudor society or even Anne Boleyn. At the moment I'm whipping through Amanda Foreman's "Georgiana, The Duchess of Devonshire." The late 18th century is something that I'm completely unfamiliar with, but under Foreman's guidance I feel that this society is second nature to me, and Georgiana a person I could meet in the street. Anne with Ives always felt like a subject long dead, Tudor society impregnable. I'm not going to recommend "The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn" for beginners, but I will recommend it to those who have a greater acquaintance with Anne and know her timeline and the period thoroughly. My overall summary