I loved this book and never wanted it to end, I couldn't wait to get into the car at the beginning and ending of each day to enjoy each delicious chapter of the story from the points of view of it's 3 main characters. The narrator was terrific and did a wonderful job of portraying the German pragmatism of the Cleves contingent, the naive teenage inflections of Kitty Howard and the haunted memories of Jane Boleyn.
The year is 1539 and the court of Henry VIII is increasingly fearful at the moods of the ageing sick king. With only a baby in the cradle for an heir, Henry has to take another wife and the dangerous prize of the crown of England is won by Anne of Cleves.
She has her own good reasons for agreeing to marry a man old enough to be her father, in a country where to her both language and habits are foreign. Although fascinated by the glamour of her new surroundings, she senses a trap closing around her....
We all know the story of Henry's wives, and of course The Other Boleyn Girl is currently out in movie form, but this version picks up three years after The Only Boleyn Girl by
telling the story of Anne of Cleves, Jane Boleyn, and Katherine Howard
though their unique view points alternating from one to the next as the story unfolds. This must-read for all Tudor fans delves into the behind the door machinations, plotting and intrigue in a wonderful blend of fact and fiction regarding Henry's Tudor reign.
Jayne
Community Manager
"We cannot really love anybody with whom we never laugh"—Agnes Repplier
Sounds interesting,
Sounds interesting, Jayne. My husband might even like this one. He's an avid reader of historically-based novels. One of his favorites is the US Southern saga - Gone With the Wind! He's currently reading Antony and Cleopatra by Colleen McCullough.
My husband and I both like costume dramas, and I must confess to occasionally watching THE TUDORS (that naughty little Showtime series).
I've noticed a definite trend in Tudor English themes, both in books and movies, haven't you?
Snood envy
Definitely there's a fascination with the Tudor court again....it was Marie Antoinette too not all that long ago too wasn't it, with the movie staring Kirsten Dunst? I know that folks were claiming that Marie Antoinette's influence was being seen in fashion trends etc in 2007...wonder what Tudor type things we'll be seeing at Walmart and Target. I'm thinking snoods......
Jayne
Community Manager
"We cannot really love anybody with whom we never laugh"—Agnes Repplier
Definitely snoods....
That's funny. Second on the hit fashion list would have to be the Elizabethan ruffs - those starched ruffled collars. I can just hear fashion divas all across the world: "Ooh, the latest ruff! Cool. I've got to have one of those!" Paris Hilton might look good in one. And Britney actually needs one.
Have you ever noticed, in the Elizabethan paintings, how loooong the ladies torsos were? How did they manage to make their hips disappear so completely anyway? Can the designers be persuaded into creating that kind of magic for us, I wonder? On the other hand, the Stuarts and Elizabethans had metal in their corsets, and it would probably require a ton of steel to make my hips vanish like that!