I love Anne of Cleves, but I just couldn't get into this book. The parts that featured Henry VIII weren't very interesting, and of course it's a book about his wives so he's in it quite a few times. I liked the invention of a hopeless love between court painter Hans Holbein and Anne. I just gave up reading. It's not boring, exactly, it's just... not intriguing, I guess? I'm not sure. I read books before I go to bed and I found I was putting off going to bed so I wouldn't have to read the book. It's not BAD. I'm sure for readers in 1952 who didn't have a wealth of other, more exciting Tudor fiction it was pretty good.
Also my copy (published in 1952!) was full of typos and there's some occasionally confusing sentence structure, so I'd have to go back and reread something three times to figure out who was talking. Like it would say "...he said" but the dialogue sounded like it should've been said by Anne.

I mean I love reading but it took me a month to get through 40 pages. My recommendation is to check it out of a library if possible, don't buy unless you can get it for super cheap.

Also this isn't really a review, but the cover for the 1952 version is hilarious - we all know approximately what Anne looked like because of a few paintings of her, but the 1952 cover features a 1950s-style pinup of an almost blue-skinned woman with shoulder-length black hair and curved bangs. Looks absolutely nothing like Anne of Cleves, it's actually pretty funny. ( )

Margaret Campbell Barnes’s works have often cropped up in historical fiction lists, but this is the first book of hers that I’ve read and I’ve been very pleasantly surprised. Although My Lady of Cleves was first published in 1946, it doesn’t feel remotely prim or dated: only a certain elegant restraint hints at its age. It feels very much like a Norah Lofts story in that sense. Yes, it’s yet another Tudor historical novel, but Barnes rings the changes by focusing in on the least familiar and most appealing of Henry VIII’s many mistreated wives: Anne of Cleves. With grace, generosity and gentle humour, she gives this much-maligned woman her moment in the spotlight and pays tribute to the quiet pragmatism that allowed Anne to do what none of her five sister-queens managed: to keep both Henry’s affection and, more crucially, her head...

For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2018/07/10/my-lady-of-cleves-margaret-campbell-barnes/ ( )

Anne of Cleves was Henry VIII’s fourth wife. After a bad first meeting, they married anyway, but almost immediately, Henry was taken with Katherine Howard, so Henry and Anne’s marriage only lasted six months. They divorced and from then on, Anne was considered his “sister” and was treated quite well. This is a fictional account of their life together, and Anne’s life afterward, up until Henry’s death.

I thought it was really good. I’ve read a little bit about Anne of Cleves, but most of what I’ve read stops after her and Henry’s divorce, so it was fun to read what her life might have been like afterwards. For that reason, I found that part - the second half of the book - a little more interesting than the first half, though I did enjoy the entire book. ( )

I'm just beginning this and already the characters do not ring "true to form".....Henry seems to have a conscience, Anna seems to be more self assures, self actualized, forward and alive than any other account I have ever read of her, her brother meeker and not at all in charge of his household....

So, I'm guessing that I might not finish this.....
Next ( )

I really liked how Anne of Cleves was portrayed in this book! and it proved to be a very enjoyable read. I had to get used to the writing style though, and it took a little longer to get into the book. It proved to be a very interesting read, and I really did like this book.

It’s hard not to sympathize with Anne. Practically alone in a country where English is a foreign language, and with different customs and clothing to get used to, I felt really sorry for her in the beginning of the book. When she becomes the target of ridicule, you sympathize with her even more and can’t help but feel angry towards Henry and his crew for being so mean. The biggest surprise in this book is her friendship with Thomas Culpepper. I didn’t think they’d get along, but I liked their friendship. Also, the Thomas in this book is much nicer than say, The Tudors version. This book painted Culpepper in a rather sympathetic light and it’s a whole different version of him than what I am used to, and I like this one much better.

What I enjoyed most about this book is how Anne gracefully became an outsider of the court, to a well beloved one. She gradually warmed characters’ hearts and the reader’s. She was seen as a person you could approach to, and talk to while she listened and gave good advice. In a way, you could say she would make a wonderful therapist. You could not help but love her up until the end. I especially liked how she managed to get Henry to come crawling back (so to speak). I thought Henry’s portrayal here was different, he’s still a tyrant, but he’s also seen as an old curmudgeon. Perhaps that’s what Margaret Campbell Barnes wanted in the first place.

The plot is certainly slow moving and although it’s not what you would call a very exciting type of book, I think it’s a book meant to be read and appreciated thoroughly and slowly. I believe this book was really meant to really look into Anne as a character and how she develops throughout the story. This book is really all about the characters. Would I recommend this? I would to Tudor history lovers out there. It helps to know the history and to know who’s who before getting into this book. Also keep in mind, the writing style is a bit different -I’d say similar to Jean Plaidy’s. So, it will take a bit to get used to, but it’s well worth the time.

This was one of the better Tudor books I’ve read, filled with great character development and most importantly, shows some of the characters in a very different light. I definitely recommend this. It was a great read, and reinforces my opinion as Anne of Cleves being one of my favorite Queens (even if she was Queen for a little while). ( )