Anne of Cleve is one of Henry VIII's wives. Anne is lesser known than some of his other wives so I was excited to find an entire book about her. There was so much research that went into this book - well done.

One of the lesser known of Henry Vlll wives, we have a look into her life and why he may have rejected her by asking for a divorce but not from his life. Why? We find out events in her life to why Henry may have kept her in his life. A historical content in the Tudor era of Henry Vlll is s fascinating look into this time.

"Anne of Cleves" offered some interesting information on the life of Henry VIII's fourth wife who is less often focused on than his other wives who got disposed of in a more "spectacular" manner.

Unfortunately, I really disliked the writing style and felt like this book didn't offer a lot of details that I hadn't been aware of before reading it.

This is a really interesting and informative non fiction book about the live of Anne of Cleves. Before reading this book I didn't know much about Henry VIII 4th wife, despite being obsessed with history I much prefer earlier era's and the Tudor's have passed me by, but I found myself drawn into this book and interested in the strong woman it is about.

Sarah-Beth Watkins has done a very good job writing this. The writing flowed really well and it was never bogged down with to much unneeded detail. Often I get frustrated with books about historic women because there is so little information out there that we always invariably view women through the personality and actions of the men in their life. Watkin does a good job of portraying Anne not just as the queen of a womanizing king but as a human being.

I highly recommend this book to those interested in history.

A well-researched, if short account of Henry VIII's lesser known wife Anne of Cleves. Much of the book is taken up with Anne's short marriage to Henry VIII and I thought the biography was at its strongest when discussing what happened to Anne after the annulment of her marriage, much of which I didn't know.

Anne of Cleves seems to have been rather neglected by historians, which is a shame as all the evidence seems to indicate that she was a strong, intelligent woman. This short, but well researched book gives us plenty of reason to admire Anne. Not least that she negotiated the court, survived marriage to Henry and thrived.

I like to read anything related to Henry VIII so when this book got approved I went right at it...sadly though I had to push my way through this book. I have read books about the marriages and so I knew a bit of what went on with them, but didn’t know about what happened after his death.

Some new things for me, but it still didn’t peak my interest to finish this book in one go.

I received this ebook copy from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review .

So boring, took forever to chip away at. I did skim my way through it, and it seemed scholarly. But it was not conveyed in an engaging way. A 2 star read, it shouldn't take a month to get through a book under 200 pages long. I feel like not enough is known about her, so much of it was definitely filler.

While she might not have the name recognition of Anne Boleyn or Catherine of Aragon, Anne of Cleves has always been one of my favourites when it comes to the six wives of Henry VII. Part of me feels sorry for her, for the way Henry treated her – deciding as soon as he saw her that he didn’t (and couldn’t) love her. Part of me is slightly in awe of how she handled herself once Henry decided he didn’t want her for a wife, navigating as she did the difficult and often deadly life in the Tudor Court to outlive not just Henry but the rest of his wives too.
Probably because of her lack of star power when it comes to Henry’s wives, I haven’t ever been able to find much about her in the history books – her marriage and subsequent life always seems to be rushed in favour of the wife number five (Katerine Howard, who cheated on Henry and was executed as a result). Thankfully, this has now been rectified by Sarah-Beth Watkins who breathes life into a somewhat forgotten queen.
She paints a picture of a shy girl, struggling to get to grips with a world where courtly love was more important than propriety at times and where not being able to speak the language was a huge hindrance for her and her understanding of the world in which she found herself. She also tells the story of a woman who found her own way in the world and her own voice, which was a powerful one (well, as powerful as a woman’s voice could be at the time). I liked seeing her growth as a person.
My only criticism is that the book felt too short to me: it’s only 176 pages. I got to the end and didn’t think I had learned enough. Still, it was more than enough to fill the gaps in my knowledge of Henry VII’s forgotten queen – though now I want to know more.

After Jane Seymour's death, Henry once again felt he needed to marry to get more sons, to ensure his dynasty was secure. Looking out of England this time, his first choices were either taken or had no desire to marry this King who chopped off his wives heads. He, with Cromwellss help, settles on Anne of Cleves. Her arrival in England and their first meet has him saying, I like her not. These words would bring a new life for Anne, but cost Cromwell his head.

Tudor England was not a place nor time period where I would want to live. Intrigue on top of intrigue, the king's friend one day, his enemy the next. Yet Anne, a young sheltered woman was smart enough to not oppose Henry's desire for an annulment, and worked out a good deal for herself in the bargain. Her life as his sister, bought her property and money.

Old English is difficult to read and there are many letters within written that way. So formal, and ten words used when one could suffice. The book covers Anne through Henry's death, her treatment under his Don's reign, Lady Jane Grey and her beheading, and then Mary taking the throne. Her fortune and treatment would change with each monarch. The book follows a clear progression, with letters and thoughts petinent to each. The history of the times is also related. I enjoyed reading this but in truth, didn't feel as if I personally got the measure of Anne's character. There is just too little known about her, but I will always think of her as the Queen who not only escaped with her head intact, but who got the best of that much married King.

ARC from Netgalley.

A well written and accessible account of the fourth wife of Henry VIII, Anne of Cleves. This is a short biography of a woman that does not receive as much attention in history books as Henry's other wives. I am new to history and this was an excellent starting point for me before I delve deeper into Tudor history.

We follow the life of Anne from when she was a young girl living in Germany to her time at the royal court and ultimately her death. Although this was a short read (under 200 pages), I feel like I got to know Anne pretty well. The author did an excellent job fleshing out the hopes, motivations and desires that Anne had throughout her life.

Anne was never meant to marry a king. Although she came from a respected lineage, she was primed to marry a duke or a prince. A king was far from what her family envisioned as a marriage partner. As a result, she never learned what it meant to be an English lady of the court. The only language she knew was German and her skill set solely consisted of needlework and embroidery. Her life was completely changed when she was approached to marry the King of England. At that time, Henry VIII was urged to find a wife from Germany to form an alliance.

Upon seeing Anne for the first time, Henry VIII had no positive things to say about her appearance. He thought her plain and physically lacking. As much as Henry tried to get out of the marriage, he was forced to proceed with the ceremony because it would have endangered England's alliance with Germany. The marriage lasted six months before it was annulled. Anne was then adopted by the King as his sister.

This was a fascinating read. I am looking forward to reading more from Sarah-Beth Watkins's back list. She has written books that are similar to this in that they provide an introductory snapshot of Tudor history.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Anne of Cleves is probably Henry VIII's last known and last written about wife. The great survivor, whose divorce from Henry saw the downfall of Thomas Cromwell, is usually given very little attention by Tudor historians. Often overshadowed by the more enigmatic figure of Anne Boleyn, or the charismatic Catherine of Aragon, or get reckless, foolhardy successor, Catherine Howard, Anne of Cleves is little more than a sideshow in the great story of Henry VIII's dramatic love life.
It is highly refreshing, therefore, to find a while book dedicated to telling the story off the German princess who survived marriage to Henry a.c.loved the remainder of her life as his 'sister' with her head firmly attached to her shoulders.
Sarah-Beth Watkins follows Anne's story from her life at the Cleves court, providing a thorough background into her family and the German political environment in which Anne and her siblings grew up. This provides a wonderful contrast with Henry's marital exploits in England at the same time; his discarding of Catherine of Aragon, subsequent marriages with Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour.. The author provides a thorough and entertaining narrative and analysis of Henry's search for a 4th wife and need for a spare heir.
Throughout the book, the author presents Anne's stark choices, throughout her marriage, divorce and life as 'the king's sister', portraying the fine line she has to walk in order to remain in the kings good graces. Sarah-Beth Watkins also presents wonderful analysis of the dangers Anne faced and the pitfalls she managed too avoid, clearly demonstrating why she is often seem as the ultimate survivor of Henry's court.
My one problem with this book is it was too short, although that also means that it was fastened it with unnecessary asides and irrelevant detail. The easy, engaging narrative and insightful analysis made it a pleasure to read. A truly enjoyable biography!

Once again I would like to give my thanks to NetGalley for providing a kindle copy of this book for me to read and impartially review.
According the 'Blurb' associated with this book, Anne of Cleves left her homeland in 1539 to marry the king of England. She was not brought up to be a queen, yet out of many possible choices she was the bride Henry VIII chose as his fourth wife. But, from their first meeting the king decided he liked her not and sought an immediate divorce. After just six months their marriage was annulled, leaving Anne one of the wealthiest women in England. This is the story of Anne's marriage to Henry, how the daughter of Cleves survived him and her life afterwards.
This was an engaging entertaining little book of around 176 pages, therefore an easy read apart that is for the numerous authentic documents produced as they were written at the time. While i am someone who as always enjoyed History i can in no way be classed as an expert, therefore i cannot nor would i attempt to comment on the accuracy of the book facts wise, but it appears well researched and written, i felt the Lady Anne came alive and off the pages with feeling. A clever resourceful woman who though unwanted, kept her head so to speak when many around her quite literally did not, she kept on good terms with the king, received a good settlement and became known as his 'Beloved Sister'. After the Kings death she continued to have the support of his daughters Mary and Elizabeth who both featured in her will.
Recommended for those who would like to know more about Henry VIII least known wife.

An enjoyable read about Henry VIII’s fourth wife.

Henry commissioned Holbein to paint Anne’s portrait, before seeing her, not a good idea when choosing a potential bride!

The painting somewhat flattered her, so Anne of Cleves was unfortunate that the king took an instant dislike to her, through her boorish conduct, as well as her plain looks. So despite going through the ceremony in 1540, the marriage was already dead in the water. Being nothing more than a politically astute alliance, rather than a great love affair.

From the first word you find yourself immersed in her world, due to the wealth of research that Watkins has put into this work. I can sometime’s get bored of a heavy biography, but having enjoyed the Penguin Monarch series it was a delight that Sarah- Beth Watkins has also produced a concise enjoyable read (less than 200 pages), about a Queen that is often forgotten about.

If you are interested in Henry VIII, his wives and the Tudor period, this is the book for you.

I hoped that this book would get closer to the real Anne of Cleves, the least known of all of Henry's wives. While the book does add some colour to the political environment in which the marriage was contracted and later annulled, Anne is still in the shadow as a woman around whom events happened.

One thing I did appreciate about this book was that it gave room to presenting contemporary accounts in a way that allowed the reader to follow events as they unfolded, rather than with the benefit of hindsight. The lengend of the "Flanders Mare" was firmly put to bed as being a comment first documented about 150 years after the events, and without any support from contemporary sources.

So while this book will help the reader to understand more about the times in which Anne lived, unfortunately you don't get any closer to the real woman.

This is a really interesting study of a historical figure who played an important role, or was forced into doing so, but who is often overlooked. The book gives us a picture not often seen or studied properly. I really enjoyed it.

Anne of Cleves is frankly a bit of a mystery. She somehow managed to marry a man known for disposing of wives on a regular and rather bloody series of occasions and escape not only with her head still on her shoulders but also with what may have been one of the worlds first alimony arrangements. Strangely shes often portrayed as a rather sad figure but from what I could gather nothing could be further from the truth. This book seems to follow the same vein of thought - the girl had a lucky escape! At under 200 pages, its quite a slim book but with the information available about Anne of Cleves anything else would have been padding. As it is its an interesting and sympathetic portrait of a one forced to play the game of marriage that came out not only free(ish) and single but also to be one of the wealthiest women of her time. I wish we could know more about her, but this book concisely gathers what we do know into an entertaining portrayal.

Personally, I didn't think this book had enough depth to compete with other books in the genre. I've spent a lot of time reading about Tudor history, and especially Henry VIII and his wives, and to be honest, I found this book lacking. I never felt like Anne, the actual person, was revealed to the reader.
Most of the facts in this book can be found elsewhere relatively easily.

I want to feel like when I pick up an historical nonfiction book that I am learning something new, even if that's only one or two small things. I like to feel that the author dug to the very core of the subject and came up with something fresh, but I did not feel that way after reading this book.

The book is well-written and makes perfect sense, and the writing style is easy enough to appreciate, but for me, it was lacking in background of the central figure and didn't contain anything I had not read before.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but not particularly memorable.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Anne of Cleves was Henry VIII's fourth wife. Anne was from Germany and her marriage to Henry lasted for only a short time - six months to be exact.
It was claimed that the King didn't like Anne at all, accusing her of not being a virgin.
Sarah Beth Watkins's style and approach to Anne's in her book wasn't a disappointment. She shows the real Anne of Cleves, who was a stranger in a foreign country, and who married the "King", an obsess tyrant.
You get a history lesson from this book, as long as enjoying a real story. She goes into Anne's childhood and also delves into the history of marriage and contracts, and even Anne's last will and testament. Unfortunately, the King wasn't interested in being married to Anne, and wanted to dissolve the marriage almost from day one.
Once this happened, he moved onto to Kathryn Howard, and Anne of Cleves was given the title of Sister of the King.
Such a fascinating story Henry VIII's many wives and how he handled them in and out of his marriages.
Very well written story and if you like the Tudor history, you will enjoy this book.

I have been fascinated by Henry the 8th and his life, particularly his 6 wives since school. I have read a lot of historical fiction on the topic. The usual mentions of Anne on fiction are brief and usually not favourable. Of course there is a lot more to her story. I don't usually pick up non-fiction but the premise for this book was intriguing and it was a short read so I gave it a go.

The author has an engaging style of writing and the fact it was a short read is a plus for me. It was fascinating to learn about how Anne ended up in the extraordinary situation of being Henry's 4th wife and was also a brave survivor.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, I will be looking up more of this authors work.