Mademoiselle Boleyn

by Robin Maxwell

Book Overview

From the author of The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn comes a riveting portrait of Anne Boleyn's youth and her unconventional education in the court of the King of France. When her father is assigned the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451222091
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 355 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.8" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Different Point of View

Very well-written, I couldn't put it down. The idea of Anne Boleyn as morally superior and upright is played out well in this historical novel. This book may go along with Joanna Denny's "Anne Boleyn: the New Life of England's Tragic Queen". It is interesting to contemplate the other side of the coin in the story of the infamous Anne...

Just when you thought there were too many Boleyn novels...

Just when you thought there were too many Boleyn novels someone comes along with something like this and you realize that there is always space for fresh perspective. Unlike Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl, Maxwell focuses on Mary's life in the French court. This is where Anne receives her real education in the world of men and where she blossoms from a girl to a woman. I haven't seen any other author write about this period of Anne and Mary's lives, and I highly recommend this book to anyone who can't get enough of the Boleyn saga. As other reviewers pointed out, the novel does have some raunchy bits, but they in no way detract from the story Maxwell is trying to tell, and overall, I'd say this book is well worth the price and time invested!

Applause for the Historically Plausible

I love historically based novels, with one caveat - it must be historically possible. I wouldn't call myself a history buff, per se, but I am fascinated by European history. Unfortunately, historical accounts are often biased and incomplete, and I love that there are authors like Robin Maxwell who create fictional works creating possible pieces of the puzzle. This novel was full of intrigue and page turning fun, that was so much scandelous fun to read simply because it could've been true.

Unforgettable tale....

Everyone knows Anne Boleyn's tragic ending, but what of her youthful years? Robin Maxwell ties together historical facts with a bit of fiction to present Anne's blossoming from a child to a woman in MADEMOISELLE BOLEYN. At the young age of nine, Anne and her older sister, Mary, are sent to the French court. Court life is filled with various intrigues and Anne quickly learns to maneuver her way around. The sexually promiscuous atmosphere of the French court soon overtakes Mary, but Anne is determined not to have the same fate. Torn between her friendships in the French court of Francois I and her father's insistence that she spy on the French, Anne must learn to walk a careful path or all will be lost. How will she avoid her sister's fate as Anne is starting to mature? Step inside the pages and watch as her formative years are revealed.... Before reading MADEMOISELLE BOLEYN, all I really knew about Anne Boleyn was her death by beheading. Robin Maxwell has opened my eyes to a period of history I had never really thought about. Her fascinating prose kept me riveted to the pages of this book long past my bedtime. The descriptive imagery draws the reader into the heart of this tale, but it is Anne herself who makes it so powerful. Told through the eyes of a child, the debauchery of the French court is almost obscene. And yet, Anne continually sees the good in others despite their excesses. She is not naïve, however. Rather, Anne is a strong female and her ever growing confidence in herself is empowering and poignant, particularly against a backdrop in which women are so powerless. The comparisons between her fate and Mary's is startling poignant. Anne is not the only strong female, however, as Marguerite is herself a powerful woman. Even Claude shows great strength of character as she makes the most of a role she has been forced to take by the strictures of the time in which she lives. Robin Maxwell infuses a passion and beauty into MADEMOISELLE BOLEYN that makes this an unforgettable tale of both heroism and the corruption of power. The note from the author at the end clarifies some of the history of the tale. The last two paragraphs left me in tears, as Anne's tale is all the more heart breaking. Kudos to Robin Maxwell for making a time period come so vividly alive. COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES