A good book. It was refreshing, as I have read quite a bit about Anne Boleyn and her fall from grace. This novel deals with her life in France, before she ever sets eyes on Henry VIII. ( )

This book was published in 2007 & I am rather surprised that it took me this long to read it. I guess I'm rather late to the game.

This book is a rather decent historically accurate (and the biggest things that Maxwell takes liberties with, she tells you about in the back of the book) book about Anne Boleyn before she becomes infamous, told from her point of view. It's rather different than other Tudor stuff I've read, & I rather enjoy how different the tale is. Anne is seen first as a young, confused child, who later grows into a strong, beautiful, powerful individual, who has learned to take control of her own destiny.

The book has a few adult scenes in it, which I wasn't expecting, but considering the court & the times, I guess I should have seen them coming. Most of it "fit" and wasn't an explicit scene just to have an explicit scene.

All in all, I liked the book - why only 4 stars? I love Anne Boleyn; she's my favorite of the 6 wives, and she's the one I enjoy reading about the most. But the Anne of this book, as much as I enjoyed reading it, I couldn't really fall in love with.

I got this book from the library. ( )

The book starts with her arrival at the French court and is full of intrigue. It is narrated by Anne, so we see her relationships with her sister Mary, Queen Claude and the rest of the royal family through her own eyes. We also get to see the beginning of the strong bond between her brother and herself, fostered through letters.

It is an unusual side to see of Anne, usually stories start with her meeting Henry and little is shown of her outside this relationship. Her father, a ruthless man, and his lack of mercy in terms of his daughters, was also shown to great effect here.

If you want a different look at Anne Boleyn, I would recommend this book. ( )

Light, engaging, and well-paced. The author outright says that she is attempting to present Anne in a sympathetic light in reaction to the near universal condemnation Anne typically finds. It is a take I enjoyed, even if Anne thus comes off a little "too good to be true." I think the truth lies somewhere in between. Maxwell does give good foundation to Anne's reformationist leanings via her upbringing in the French court, and it is a good story/theory about how Anne became so independent-minded. ( )

A new take on the same tired old story: Anne Boleyn during her formative years, showing all the things that made her into the extraordinary woman she would become. I quite enjoyed this perspective, which was not one I had read before. I didn't really like Maxwell's previous Boleyn novel, but in this one I think she learned much from her previous mistakes, though she still overuses italics.

Although the story was at times a little implausible -- I find it hard to believe that a little girl could attract that kind of attention from so many important people including Leonardo Da Vinci -- I think it's a good illustration of the forces at work in Anne's life, especially the way women were treated. I would recommend it to anyone who is already well-versed in the story of her later life. ( )