Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford

by Julia Fox

Book Overview

In a life of extraordinary drama, Jane Boleyn was catapulted from relative obscurity to the inner circle of King Henry VIII. As powerful men and women around her became victims of Henry's ruthless and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345485416
• ISBN13: 9780345485410
• Release Date: December 2007
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 379 Pages
• Weight: 1.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.6" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

A superb telling of Her Story

The comments against this book really are missing a lot of what this historical recreation of Jane Boelyn's life is about: and that is filling in the details of how a woman managed to outlive the Boelyn beheadings only to fall with Queen Catherine Howard. If they wonder how much is "true" then they should look at Barbara Tuchmans' A Distant Mirror which though much earlier in time, the "calamitious 14th century", written in 1987 where Ms Tuchman openly admits that her hero was chosen to guide us through the 14th century because only a scattering facts were available, which she openly called a "boon" and a "writer's delight". I personally thought that Ms Fox did a superb job weaving in this hihstory of King Henry and his various wives and how Mrs George Boelyn fit into the scene. I was rivetted and convinced that the shrewd and cunnig Jane would have escaped the Boelyn fall only to be felled by the outlandish Catherine Howard. I think that Ms Fox did such a good job here, I can only hope that she takes up pen to paper and writes another rousing good tale.

An Admirable Effort

Before I read this book, I'd heard it was more about Anne Boleyn than Jane Boleyn. After reading it, however, I don't think this is the case. Fox set out with a near impossible task...writing about a woman who lived in obscurity in an age where women, even noblewomen, were rarely considered worthy of paperwork. The sheer amount of research that went into discovering Jane's real story is astounding. Granted, a lot of the book is based on speculation, or perhaps educated guesses would be a better phrase. Since so little is known of Jane Parker's young life, though, Fox's extensive knowledge of what life was like for the average daughter of Tudor nobility gives a real insight into the way her ideals and character would have developed and, in turn, her life played out. I began this book with the faint hope that within its pages Lady Rochford's character would be redeemed. For so long she has been villified in both historical texts and fiction. I'm a big fan of both Tudor history and fiction, and I've always had a hard time believing anyone could be both as scheming and twisted as Jane was portrayed in the Anne Boleyn scandal, while also being as stupid and careless as she seemed in the Catherine Howard affair. Thanks to Fox's book, I feel the mystery of this ambiguity is clearly explained. I could break down Foxes theories on Lady Rochford's behavior, but instead I'll point out a few of the important points. First, there is her actual involvement, or lack therof, in the trial of the Boleyns accoring to records. Then there is an inspection of what Lady Rochford could expect to gain, or lose, from "betraying" her husband. Most touching, however, Fox examines a text translated by Jane Rochford's father and presented as a gift to King Henry after her execution...a text which alters from the original in a way that seems to subtly comment on his daughter's innocence. Perhaps this book isn't as precise as many one would expect from history but, all things considered, it does and excellent job of what it set out to do...vindicate Jane Rochford. Any true lover of Tudor history would be doing themself a great disservice by overlooking it.

A well researched book for the serious student of history

A good historian researches all the information available on a subject and then sets out to put the best of that information into a format that is well written and exciting. Ms Fox has done just that. She not only read all of the most popular material about Jane Parker Boleyn, but she also went to original sources instead of taking someone else's word for what was in those sources. Then she proceeded to write a book so compelling that it reads like a great work of fiction one can hardly stand to put down. The story of Lady Rochford, like so many historical figures, is shrouded in mystery and clouded by the writings of those who had reasons to obscure the true facts long after the person had died. Going back to the earliest information about Jane Boleyn still extant, Ms Fox has pieced together the story of a very different person than history has allowed to come down to us. She has taken all the various viewpoints about her subject and combed through them to find which one(s) made the most sense and had the most concrete information available to back it up. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I will be reading anything else of hers I can find.

Marvelous

Julia Fox has created a marvelous experience in reading in Jane Boleyn. Her research is meticulous and her conclusions fasninating, even if speculative. Brava!

Learning more about Jane

The mystery and intrigue that surrounds Henry VIII and his court has been the subject of much research and has spawned countless historical fiction novels. One of the major players of this time, Jane Boleyn, has been a focus of much of this research, and the story behind her has been the subject of much speculation, rumor, and innuendo. With detailed research and immaculate organization, Julia Fox puts together the fact behind all the fiction to give us the true story of one of histories most influential players. This is a non-fiction book that reads like a novel. It is filled to the brim with historical details that are put together to form a breathtaking story. Touching on the start of Jane Boleyn's life, the main focus of the book is Jane's life during her service to four of Henry VIII's queens. From serving as a lady in waiting to the doomed Anne Boleyn, to the death of her husband, to her final downfall that was intertwined with the fall of Catherine Howard, Jane's life is fully explored and the rumors dispelled. One of the most intriguing aspects of the book is the explanation of where the information was coming from. Detailing the documents that were used, including who wrote them, what the circumstances surrounding the documents were, and where they are currently located added a layer of authenticity and detail to the book. Any missing information was also descried. There was no "guessing" in this book. The author stated plainly when a piece was missing from the historical record. This further lends authenticity and realism to the author's work. Julia Fox's research into the role that Jane Boleyn played during a volatile and historically important time brings the people and places into vivid and detailed reality that any lover of history will relish. Armchair Interviews says: If you love history, this is for you.