Product Description

Anne Boleyn has been persistently vilified, even after her execution in May 1536 - on trumped up charges of adultery - she has been pursued beyond the grave, subjected to all manner of accusations. Was she really the scheming temptress portrayed by her enemies, guilty of incest and witchcraft? Was she deformed? Could a woman with the abnormalities described by her detractors have drawn and held the love of the king for more than ten years? Joanna Denny's biography plunges the reader into the heart of the intrigue, romance and danger of the Tudor court, and paints a picture of the real woman - attractive, highly intelligent and devout - that has been hidden for centuries by the distortions of politics and religion.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #147602 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 400 pages

Customer Reviews

Anne Boleyn: A New Life of England's Tragic Queen
I have been interested in the life of Anne Boleyn for many years now, and i was excited to read a book that portrayed Anne in a positive light. The book covered Anne's life from her birth to the aftermath after her death in great detail.

I found the book read almost like a novel, in the sense that i could not put it down, there were moments i laughed out loud and moments i cried..

I think any tudor fanatic should read this book. In response to opinions of Catherine of Aragon being shown in a negative light, i agree, but i feel it was justified. As the book explains (and Starkey touches on this too) at the time it was custom for a marriage consumation to be watched - so many reported Catherine and Arthur had consumated the marriage. Also, with Catherine's lies about her fake pregnancy, it's difficult to believe her when she claims against witness statements that she was a virgin when she married Henry VIII.

Overall, i found the book well written and riveting, taking a whole new perspective of Anne Boleyn. I highly recommend it :)

well written but extremely biased!
I enjoyed this book, it was well written and interesting, it is just a shame that Denny made it totally unconvincing and so one sided. Anne Boleyn was painted as some kind of Angel whilst everyone around her were evil villains. I think it is generally agreed that Anne wasn't guilty of what she was accused of and she had many admirable qualities-but neither can she have been that perfect. Joanna Denny lets herself down as an historian by giving such a biased view. There seems to be plenty of evidence to suggest that Anne was more than capable of being bad tempered, vindictive and malicious but she seemed to be ultimately a good person. It is not fair to villify everybody who didn't like her; for example Denny claims that Mary (Henrys sister) didn't like Anne because she disapproved of Mary's flirtatiousness whilst they were in france together. This may be true, but she leaves out the fact that Mary and Catherine of Aragon were close friends-so it follows she would side with her. Her attitude towards Catherine of Aragon is particularly unfair, she describes her as 'arragont and stubborn' for not submitting to divorce-I think Catherine's reaction was perfectly natural, the man who she had been married to for over 20 years and loved deeply was trying to shrug off their marriage for somebody else. Catherine was also fighting to prevent her daughter being made illegitamite thus losing her place as heir to the throne, and her religion forbade divorce. Denny accuses her of lying to the king about her miscarriage. Starkey offers the more plausabile view that Catherine didn't know enough about sex and pregnancy to realise she was no longer pregnant-she just went with what the Doctors told her at the time. Denny twists alot of events to put very unjust slants on peoples actions and characters and writes off as lies and mistruths anything that puts Anne in a bad light whilst also omitting alot of events that don't do Anne credit. The book gives alot of detailed insight into anne Boleyn but doesn't allow for the fact that at the end of the day she was only human.

Another look at Anne Boleyn
I enjoy reading about the Tudor period and the kings and queens. I liked reading Joanna Denny's book about Anne Boleyn for the most part; some parts I disagreed with (especially coverage of Queen Catherine and Princess Mary). Denny examines Anne's life and times, in the background of the Tudor court and the turbulent love story of Anne and Henry VIII. Ironically, giving birth to a daughter who became Elizabeth I was considered a "failure." Elizabeth grew to be one of the greatest monarchs in British history. The author stresses the intelligence and beauty of Anne and refutes the stories that Anne was a "witch" and a "temptress." She noted just how influential Anne Boleyn was in the separation of England from the Catholic Church. Also, there is an intriguing look at Anne's family background, her sister Mary (who was an earlier mistress of Henry VIII) and brother George. Denny believes that Mary's two children Catherine and Henry were fathered by Henry VIII (other books contend they were from Mary Boleyn's marriage). If true, it would make the story of Elizabeth and Essex more intriguing, since he would be descended from Henry VIII.

What I didn't like was Denny's negative attitude towards Catherine of Aragon and Princess Mary. She contends that Catherine may not have told the truth about her virginity (and that her marriage to Prince Arthur was consummated). Being a religious woman, it is highly doubtful she would lie. Henry VIII was very anxious to marry Anne Boleyn and his case against Catherine was that she was married to his brother. Catherine stated that her first marriage was never consummated. Also, Denny talks about Catherine's arrogance in daring to challenge Henry. Why wouldn't she challenge the divorce? They were married all those years and she cruelly displaced as Queen of England. Princess Mary's unhappiness is related to "teenage tantrums" according to the author. The author condemns Henry for keeping Anne and Elizabeth apart, but not when he cruelly separates Catherine from her much loved daughter Mary. What the author should have said was Catherine and Anne were both victims and cruelly discarded by Henry VIII. Mary was a sensitive young woman whose way of life changed abruptly going from royal princess to illegitimate daughter. Anyone would have issues with that. Also, Catherine and Mary could have revolted against Henry VIII, but chose not to. The author contends that Catherine and Mary wanted to unseat Henry. Catherine was a loving wife to Henry and eventually, Mary went back to court and grew to love her father again.

Overall, I liked the book, but I wish the author had been more sympathetic to Catherine and Mary who were also victims of Henry's cruelty.