Anne Boleyn

By Marie Louise Bruce

Book Overview

An essential biography of Queen Anne Boleyn! Perfect for readers on Alison Weir, Eric Ives and John Guy.

'A very readable account of all the strands in the complicated tapestry of politics, religion, and that very uncertain quality, the King's love' The Times

Few queens of England are as famous as Anne Boleyn.

Yet, who was this woman? What was her life like before Henry VIII became infatuated with her? And just how influential was she in reshaping English religious and political life during the early years of the Reformation?

Marie Louise Bruce's engrossing account of Anne Boleyn charts the rise and fall of this remarkable young woman through the course of her short life, from her early days at Hever Castle to the luxurious courts of France and England to her terrifying last days in the Tower of London.

By utilising a wealth of primary sources, including the love letters between Henry and Anne along with innumerable documents written by courtiers and ambassadors, Bruce brings to life the splendour of the Tudor court and its most famous king and queen.

'Traces sympathetically and in great detail the life of Henry VIII's second queen. What a woman, and what a terrible time to be her kind of woman! Beautiful, clever, talkative and strong-willed, in this book Anne Boleyn lives and dies vividly, leaving behind the proud and inescapable fact that her daughter became England's greatest queen' She Magazine

'A readable and balanced portrait.' Kirkus Reviews

'Eminently readable... Marie Louise Bruce is admirably fair (and) makes good use of Henry's letters to Anne during their courtship' The Sunday Telegraph

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1800550618
• ISBN13: 9781800550612
• Release Date: December 2020
• Publisher: Sapere Books
• Length: 454 Pages
• Weight: 1.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

On of my favorite Anne Boleyn biographies

I must admit that it has been quite a while since I read this. It was always my favorite biography of Anne Boleyn - I thought it brought her to life more than most that I have read. Bruce has some very interesting speculations and insights. I was quite impressed at the care she took in placing certain incidents which other writers have inserted, apparently almost at random, during or after Anne's life. The prime example is the conversation between Henry VIII and Jane Seymour regarding their future children - this is often placed after Anne's imprisonment or death, but Bruce carefully locates it before any accusations were even made against Anne. This has now be superseded by Eric Ives' the Life and Death of Anne Boleyn, but it is still very much worth reading.

A Very Informational Read

In my quest to gain biographical information on the six wives of Henry VIII for historical novel purposes, Ms. Bruce's book on Henry VIII's second wife was one of the first to which I turned. Though it is difficult to prove a great many facts about Anne Boleyn, what Ms. Bruce has written is well supported by gripping evidence. Her extensive travel and study has rewarded her readers with a deep sense of knowledge concerning the knight's daughter-made-Queen and a good understanding of the rise and fall of Queen Anne. However, Ms. Bruce's biography has been succeeded by more recent works on Anne Boleyn, and the date of the studies conducted may point a reader in search of the hard facts in a different direction. Still, Bruce's "Anne Boleyn" is a wonderful and well-written source.