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My Lady Of Cleves: A Novel Of Henry VIII And Anne Of Cleves (1946)

by Margaret Campbell Barnes(Favorite Author)

3.95 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1402214316 (ISBN13: 9781402214318)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Sourcebooks Landmark

review 1: The wives of Henry VIII have fascinated me for a long time, and Anne of Cleves is certainly one of my favorites. Of Henry's wives, she was truly the only one to escape and have anything approaching a normal life with the exception of Katherine Parr, his last wife, who outlived him. However, as much as I like Anne of Cleves, I did not find this book particularly believable when it came to the male characters. Anne is smart, sympathetic, and resourceful; her tragic and doomed romance with Hans Holbein is heartbreaking and truly makes you feel for what she went through. The men of the book, on the other hand, are entirely too involved with thinking about how much Anne is suffering and how dignified she looks doing it. Really? Men during that time period would have been wholly... more focused on their sons, their wealth, and the intrigues of the court, not a German princess who barely made six months as Henry's wife. They would not concern themselves with her wellbeing as she didn't bring them any benefit, and once she was out of sight, she would have been forgotten unless the time came when they needed her again for some underhanded purpose. The fact that the majority of the men in this book keep noticing how noble / long-suffering / dignified / etc. Anne is actually causes her to become less sympathetic as we are constantly being reminded of how humble / great / kind she is by men who, in real life, would not have cared about her in the least except as a stepping stone. An interesting foray into the life of Anne of Cleves, though I much prefer Phillipa Gregory's version.
review 2: This book was very informing of the almost unthought of fourth wife of Henry VIII, Anne of Cleves. The author scripted together a realistic story that told of Anne's awkward arrival and her short, disastrous marriage the of King of England. The reader roots and cries for this silent heroine who lived though one of the most dangerous times in history--the Tudor period--where back-door deals, illicit affairs, and death were around every corner. A must read for Tudor period fans who want to learn more about this almost forgotten about woman, who survived marriage and divorce to one of the "deadliest" men alive. less

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