ANNE BOLEYN: A King’s Obsession By Alison Weir

Katherine of Aragon was the first irresistible installment in bestselling author Alison Weir’s “Six Tudor Queens” Series. Now, chronicling perhaps the most famous wife, comes ANNE BOLEYN: A King’s Obsession (Ballantine Hardcover/On Sale: May 16, 2017). 

Born into a noble English family, Anne Boleyn is barely a teenager when she is sent from her family’s Hever Castle to serve at the royal court of the Netherlands. Yet what seems a strategic move on the part of her opportunistic father is actually a chance for the girl to grow and discover herself. There, and later in France, Anne thrives, preferring to absorb the works of progressive writers rather than participate in courtly flirtations. She also begins to understand the inequalities and indignities suffered by her gender.

Anne isn’t completely inured to the longings of the heart, but her powerful family has ambitious plans for her future that override any wishes of her own. When the King of England himself, Henry VIII, asks Anne to be his mistress, she spurns his advances—reminding him that he is a married man who has already conducted an affair with her sister, Mary. Anne’s rejection only intensifies Henry’s pursuit, but in the absence of a male heir—and given an aging Queen Katherine—the opportunity to elevate and protect the Boleyn family, and to exact vengeance on her envious detractors, is too tempting for Anne to resist, even as it proves to be her undoing.

While history tells of how Anne Boleyn died, this compelling new novel shows just how she lived.

ALISON WEIR is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The Marriage Game, A Dangerous Inheritance, Captive Queen, The Lady Elizabeth, and Innocent Traitor and numerous historical biographies, including The Lost Tudor Princess, Elizabeth of York, Mary Boleyn, The Lady in the Tower, The Mistress of the Monarchy, Henry VIII, Eleanor of Aquitaine, The Life of Elizabeth I, and The Six Wives of Henry VIII. She lives in Surrey, England, with her husband.  

My Thoughts

ANNE BOLEYN: A King’s Obsession brings us the story of Henry the VIII's second wife. Ann was born into a noble family and went to court when she was just a teenager.  Soon she catches the eye of Henry, and he divorces his first wife for her. But she is independent and strong willed--traits that can only lead to her downfall.  She was a strong women, and while she may not have lived long after the future Queen Elizabeth was born, you can see where Elizabeth got her independence. This book takes us through her life, and will help you feel an even greater compassion for the women who has haunted the lives of so many, and who may even be haunting the tower where she lost her head. 

This was a thrilling novel that brought the history of this doomed queen to life. Reading these books is like taking step back in time. The characters and settings are painted so vividly that you feel like you are really there at court with the Tudors. I'm looking forward to reading the other novels in the series. There will be an installment for all of Henry's wives. I'm sure each one will be a masterpiece, just like this one.