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Six Tudor Queens: Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession: Six Tudor Queens 2 by Alison Weir (view source)
Revision as of 11:12, 17 June 2017
, 11:12, 17 June 2017no edit summary
{{infobox
|title=Six Tudor Queens: Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession: Six Tudor Queens 2
|author=Alison Weir
|reviewer=Ani Johnson
Through Anne's own eyes we see the different phases. First her disgust with Henry, especially regarding the situation between him and her sister Mary. Then comes the realisation that escape is impossible, in fact her father is less than supportive once he weighs up his loyalties to his daughter with his desire for wealth. Finally she begins to see the bright side of power but any urge to get it over with is hampered by Papal arguments, emissary visits back and forth and seeming interminability of it all.
With Katherine we felt the wasted years as she hoped for an heir, pregnancy after pregnancy. This time we feel the wasted years and growing frustration as Anne wonders if Henry will desert her for the wife he deserted for her rather than wait out Rome's delaying tactics.
Even though we know what happens, the story of the King and the Pope, two immovable forces trying to out-manoeuvre each other, is retold in a way that builds suspense. The pace of the novel lags slightly when it comes to the politics but they are fascinating which is just as well as they fill a fair chunk of book.
Further Reading: Although each book works as a stand-alone, you'd be missing a treat if you didn't read [[Six Tudor Queens: Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen: Six Tudor Queens 1 by Alison Weir|Book 1]] in this superlative series.
If you'd like to read more of Anne Boleyn, there's Alison's wonderful non-fiction work [[The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn by Alison Weir|The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn]]. If you'd rather something non-Tudor then come with us to the 14th century and [[The Shadow Queen by Anne O'Brien]].
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