Product Description

From the bestselling author of 'The Other Boleyn Girl' comes a wonderfully atmospheric evocation of the court of Henry VIII, and the one woman who destroyed two of his queens. The year is 1539 and the court of Henry VIII is increasingly fearful at the moods of the ageing sick king. With only a baby in the cradle for an heir, Henry has to take another wife and the dangerous prize of the crown of England is won by Anne of Cleves. She has her own good reasons for agreeing to marry a man old enough to be her father, in a country where to her both language and habits are foreign. Although fascinated by the glamour of her new surroundings, she senses a trap closing around her. Katherine is confident that she can follow in the steps of her cousin Anne Boleyn to dazzle her way to the throne but her kinswoman Jane Boleyn, haunted by the past, knows that Anne's path led to Tower Green and to an adulterer's death. The story of these three young women, trying to make their own way through the most volatile court in Europe at a time of religious upheaval and political uncertainty, is Philippa Gregory's most compelling novel yet.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13147 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Returning to the scene of The Other Boleyn Girl, historical powerhouse Gregory again brings the women of Henry VIII's court vividly to life. Among the cast, who alternately narrate: Henry's fourth wife, Bavarian-born Anne of Cleves; his fifth wife, English teenager Katherine Howard; and Lady Rochford (Jane Boleyn), the jealous spouse whose testimony helped send her husband... and sister-in-law Anne Boleyn to their execution. Attended by Lady Rochford, 24-year-old Anne of Cleves endures a disastrous first encounter with the twice-her-age king—an occasion where Henry takes notice of Katherine Howard. Gregory beautifully explains Anne of Cleves's decision to stay in England after her divorce, and offers contemporary descriptions of Lady Rochford's madness. While Gregory renders Lady Rochford with great emotion, and Anne of Cleves with sympathy, her most captivating portrayal is Katherine, the clever yet naïve 16th-century adolescent counting her gowns and trinkets. Male characters are not nearly as endearing. Gregory's accounts of events are accurate enough to be persuasive, her characterizations modern enough to be convincing. Rich in intrigue and irony, this is a tale where readers will already know who was divorced, beheaded or survived, but will savor Gregory's sharp staging of how and why. (Dec. 5)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
King Henry VIII, fat, ill, and suspicious of everyone, still desires their attention and love. Alternating diary entries of Jane Boleyn (sister-in-law to Anne Boleyn), Anne of Cleves, and Katherine Howard describe the king and life in court, including the many potential political pitfalls. Dagmara Dominczyk brings the conniving Jane Boleyn to life, showing first her determination to spy for the Duke of Norfolk, then her attempts to disentangle herself from deceit. Bianca Amato characterizes Anne of Cleves as a nave woman with a soft German accent who bows to everyones demands. Ruthie Henshall portrays Katherine Howard, the empty-headed teenager who counts her good luck AND her dresses as she becomes Henrys lover, then his wife. As Gregory depicts the three women, the narrators entice listeners to follow each one to the end of her tangled story. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
Just when we think we have heard the last of the Boleyns, after The Other Boleyn Girl (2002), Gregory resurrects the ill-fated family in the persona of Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford. After her damning testimony results in the execution of both her husband and her sister-in-law, Anne Boleyn, Jane continues her ruthless scheming as she serves as lady-in-waiting to Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII's reviled Bavarian-born fourth wife, and naive, doomed [fifth] wife, Catherine Howard. Narrated in turn by this trio of intriguing women, this tale of court politics and treachery unfolds from three equally compelling points of view. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

An Enjoyable Read
In this marvellous novel, Ms Gregory brings out from the depth of history Jane Boleyn, Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard she also adds all sorts of wild cards making this a poignant historical thriller. The story is told in the first person with the three alternating voices of this trio. Each is replaying their brief, vulnerable and sad life while trying to make their way through the years of the most volatile court under Henry V111's tyranny.

The novel picks up with Henry's third wife, an arranged marriage to Anne of Cleves; this created an alliance between England and Cleves thus avoiding a war. He soon realises the futility of it and turns his attention to the Queen's maid-in-waiting Katherine Howard. Life with the King thirty years her senior is not what Little Kitty (14) had expected, after a year together, her childish behaviour and flirting aggravates Henry's bad temper. She soon finds herself in the shadow of the axe that had claimed so many before her.

Jane Boleyn who was a trusted friend of many Queens turns out to be the perfect spy for her uncle, the Duke of Norfolk. She stops at nothing to promote the ambitions of her family ...no one is safe .... With the constant betrayals not even her....

This is an enjoyable read one that captures the imagination by creating a strong atmosphere, its details emphasising the sheer horror suffered during the years under the rule of Henry V111. An entertaining work of historical fiction, I am looking forward to reading Ms Gregory's other work.

Good read
This was the second this series that I have read. The Other Boleyn Girl was the first and the best, IMHO.

This was a good read. Philippa Gregory is truly able to bring the characters and the time to life. I feel as if I too am at court, hearing the plots and schemes, and joining in everyone's revulsion of Henry.

Very good book - 4 stars from me.

Remember it's fiction
This is another book that I enjoy in the bubble bath. It's a light but engaging read as a tale is told from the first person perspective of three women: Katherine Howard, Jane Boleyn, and Anne of Cleves. It's interesting that the three women are experiencing the same events but see them in a completely different light.

However, as much as I did enjoy the book (it's not PG's best book, but I enjoyed it still), it's absolutely critical to remember that you're not reading anything that's historically accurate. The big things, like the executions, are accurate in that they did happen. The details, like Kitty Howard's last words, are strictly legend. As long as this book isn't read with the expectation of doubling as a history primer, I definitely recommend it.