The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn
by Robin Maxwell
Copyright 1997
ISBN 0-684-84969-0
Paperback Edition
281 Pages
The premise of this book is that Anne Boleyn kept a secret diary throughout her years at the Tudor court of Henry VIII. Before her execution, Anne gave the diary to a trusted servant to deliver in the future to Elizabeth, Anne's only child with King Henry VIII. Most know without this book that Anne Boleyn was beheaded for "treason, witchery and incest" at the behest of her husband, Henry VIII' court. At the time of her mother's death, Elizabeth, someday to be coronated as the Queen of England Elizabeth I, was only three years old.
The most compelling aspect of the book is to read about the machinations of the whole Anne Boleyn - Henry VIII relationship from Anne's personal point of view. She is not always a sympathetic character, even in her own words. Her diary honestly discusses her willing and sometimes humiliating politics, both civil and sexual that she undertook to become Queen of England and the second wife of Henry VIII.
The diary entries make up the bulk of the book. Interesting, too, are the vignettes about Elizabeth I's life over the days that she reads her mother's words. The diary not only opens Elizabeth's eyes to the true character of her beloved father, but also causes her to rethink a close relationship that she is having in her personal life with her favorite for years, Robert Dudley.
I expected this book to be somewhat "corny" and to throw a completely sympathetic light on the life of Anne Boleyn, her friends and her family. It was neither "corny" or self-serving. Many of Anne's diary entries are compelling and make for can't-put-it-down reading. At one point, when Anne writes an entry for Elizabeth, knowing she'll never see her grow to womanhood, brought me to tears.
If you're at all interested in historical fiction or in particular The Tudors, you should read this book. It's a compelling tale that though is fiction, serves the history of the time honestly. I would give this book four full stars out of five stars.
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Comments: 21
Henry and his wives are endlessly fascinating, aren't they?
I'm on a real Tudor binge. I'm just mesmerized by it all.
We've noticed. :-)
Thank you so much for reviewing this book. I had no idea something like that existed! I so look forward to reading it!
Since it was published over 10 years ago, it might be easy to find in the library or for a small price on the web.
Sounds like an interesting book. I have been reading the books written by Alison Weir who is a historian. She has done several books on the Tudor family and all her information is true (except for the couple of novels she wrote) and backed by primary resources. She is also a good writer, so the history isn't boring.
Heather, I have one of Alison Weir's fictions about Elizabeth.. can't recall the title but it's buried around here in my Tudor stacks... anyway, yes, I want to read some of her true history.
Great review. Sounds fascinating.
Sherrie, it's a good read and you don't have to have lots of background on the Tudors to enjoy it. What got to me was when Anne thought of her little girl as an adult and what it was like for women in society then. Some really touching stuff in here.
I studied the Tudors and Stuarts at uni .... methinks I'd be chomping at the bit if I read this ... after all, there were many others who were aggrieved by Anne Boleyn's rise to power and her subsequent fall. So I'll give this one a big miss.
Oh, I agree, Magi... Anne is not a sympathetic character. She caused much death and misery with her obsession about reformation and other things, too. It was just an interesting book, and she didn't always try to paint herself as a saint, for sure.
I think the fate that befell so many of the wives was tragic ... with ripple on effects, of course.
Not my kind of liesurely reading, but thanks for the review.
Marianne, I understand. I wouldn't have read it a year ago if you'd paid me. Okay, maybe if you paid me :) But I got into this Tudor stuff and it's like a snowball rolling downhill. Now I'm branching out to other royal families. It's like a rash!
This book sounds very interesting for when I'm in the mood for such a read...is the diary part written in regular English or in the words that would of been used during her time?
Katherine, the diary parts are not the English they used in formal documents of that time, they are much easier to understand, but it helps if you've read other literature from this time period. Her voice sounds very real to me, regal yet sometimes brutally honest. It's one of the best book I've read in a couple of years.
I'll add it to my stack of titles to read in the future...when I'm in the mood...I think I'd really enjoy it at the right time
Interesting story. I'm a little confused, though. Is this a real diary or fiction? Your review does make it sound interesting enough for me to read, and I generally stay far, far away from historical books, fiction or otherwise.
I love the Tudors! I'll have to check this out.
I probably would want to read this if I were English. Or maybe I'd want to read it if I didn't feel like the book market is saturated with fiction and nonfiction about Englilsh aristocracy, maybe especially Anne Boleyn. What more of INTEREST can possibly be said that hasn't already been said?