Alison Weir

Incorporates "new research into the story of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's most infamous wife, a woman ahead of her time whose very life--and death--forever changed a nation"--Amazon.com.

Anne Boleyn, a King's Obsession

Lacy W

3.5 stars! 

Well, this wasn't what I was expecting. And that is both good and bad. Of course, I shall explain because this is a review.

When I heard that Alison Weir was doing a six book series of the wives of King Henry, I was ecstatic. Philippa Gregory has some some books about the wives but never to this extent, where the book was strictly about them. I thought for sure that this was going to be very informative. 

Katharine of Aragon was a fascinating creature. I admired her strength and her capacity for love, despite everything Henry put her through. She truly was a remarkable woman. 

As for Anne, I felt...disappointed? Is that the word I'm looking for? It's 4am CST, I've been awake for longer than 12 hours and the screen is blurry so you will have to forgive my confusion. 

See, I had always thought of Anne to be this wily seductress who was borderline a b-word, if you will. I thought of her and her family to be ruthless and they wanted nothing more than to have all the power by any means necessary. 

But what I got with Anne was something different. I had no idea she was such a well learned woman for her time. I also had no idea she was quite the feminist. It was awesome to learn about that her. It gave me a whole new respect for her as well. I think she really should have been born later in life. She would have really done well in our time, I think. 

However, I couldn’t get over the boredom I felt while I read this book. Most of this book was her constantly repeating herself about her desire to have power and hating men. Then, once she sunk her hooks into Henry, I read about her wait to marry him and become Queen all while she raged at Katharine and Princess Mary. It got really old real quick. It felt like all she did was wait around, mope or yell at everybody. 

Regardless of how I felt about Anne, I'm glad I read this book. My eyes have been opened to how mistreat Anne was and how she really didn't deserve to be executed. I hope she gets some sort of royal pardon because I truly think she deserves. 

I am anxious to read about Jane Seymour. As far as I remember, she wasn't that interesting. I hope Alison Weir is able to breath some life into her.

Judy Hudgins

A bit over all his wives at the moment, but I needed a book with a purple cover for book bingo!

Alyssa Jacunski

After devouring The True Queen, I was really excited to pick this up. Anne Boleyn is a fascinating women and I couldn't wait to get to her story. 

I think this book is a case of not the right book at the right time. It took me two months to read this, which is very unlike me. I knew that if I could get to a very specific point in Anne Boleyn's story, that it would fly by. Good news is that was true. However, it felt like I was forcing myself to read when I wasn't that into the story.

At this point, I'm going to be putting my reading of this series on hold. Maybe at a different point in time, I won't feel like I'm forcing myself to read the book. Overall, this is a really good book. Weir writes the characters well given the information we have available from this time period.

Trigger warning: rape; assault; murder; miscarriage.

Holly 

wren

Emily Akerman

In this second novel of Alison Weir’s epic Six Tudor Queens series, the acclaimed author and historian weaves exciting new research into the story of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s most infamous wife, a woman ahead of her time whose very life—and death—forever changed a nation. Born into a noble English family, Anne is barely a teenager when she is sent from her family’s Hever Castle to serve at the royal court of the Netherlands. This strategic move on the part of her opportunistic father also becomes a chance for the girl to grow and discover herself. There, and later in France, Anne thrives, preferring to absorb the works of progressive writers rather than participate in courtly flirtations. She also begins to understand the inequalities and indignities suffered by her gender. Anne isn’t completely inured to the longings of the heart, but her powerful family has ambitious plans for her future that override any wishes of her own. When the King of England himself, Henry VIII, asks Anne to be his mistress, she spurns his advances—reminding him that he is a married man who has already conducted an affair with her sister, Mary. Anne’s rejection only intensifies Henry’s pursuit, but in the absence of a male heir—and given an aging Queen Katherine—the opportunity to elevate and protect the Boleyn family, and to exact vengeance on her envious detractors, is too tempting for Anne to resist, even as it proves to be her undoing. While history tells of how Anne Boleyn died, this compelling new novel reveals how fully she lived. Praise for Anne Boleyn, A King’s Obession “Superb . . . page-turning biographical fiction, hauntingly and beautifully told . . . psychologically penetrating.”—Historical Novels Review “Immaculately researched and convincing . . . This tale of Anne’s ascent and demise cannot escape comparisons with Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall series.”—The Times “A tragic, misrepresented figure, one of history’s original nasty women . . . Weir’s fictional Anne is ferociously smart and guilty of nothing but craving the power that's rightfully hers to claim.”—NPR “One of historical fiction’s most compelling and exciting portraits of the enduringly fascinating and mysterious Anne Boleyn.”—Lancashire Evening Post “As always, Weir demonstrates a keen eye for crafting dramatic scenes of beautiful, accurate detail, instilling in the reader a vivid sense of being there.”—Booklist