This was one the first biographies of Anne Boleyn. In my opinion, I think t is still one of the best ones written on the subject. This biography was balanced and straightforward. This, I recommend this novels for fans of Anne Boleyn!

I want to begin by saying that I was accepted to review this book by Negalley (and publisher Sapere Books) but all thoughts remain my own. As a Tudor lover, when I was made aware that this was available, of course I had to read it and found it to be thorough, interesting and informative. This book was well written and well-researched and kept me engaged. I find that sometimes with non-fiction, it can become quite dull to read after a while just because of all of the information the reader takes in, but I didn't find it to be the case with this book. Typically, due to the amount of Tudor books I read, I don't tend to take in much new information, but enjoy reading the differences between what authors find important to make note of and what some choose to leave out, but with this book (originally published in 1972) I actually found myself learning new things about the relationships/friendships Anne had with some courtiers very close to Henry. Although it is around 50 years old now, I still think this book is highly informative and will provide the reader with plenty of knowledge around the early life, rise and fall of Anne Boleyn.

A detailed account of Anne Boleyn's rise to Queen of England and her subsequent downfall. A 'must read' for anyone interested in The Tudor dynasty.

Really enjoyed this book.
Informative and very detailed but easy ti read. Loved the author's writing style.
Would definitely recommend to people interested in Anne Boleyn and the Tudor period.

Thank you netgalley for my gifted copy.

this was a really good biography on Anne Boleyn, it was a wonderfully done biography that was well researched and I enjoyed going through this book.

This read like a novel, and was written in a rather flowery, entertaining style, which I liked. It certainly wasn't dry, like many historical biographies are today! I disagree with the reviewers who think that there are better books about Anne available today. Some of Marie Louise Bruce's research may be outdated, but the book was well-researched in its time.

This was a sympathetic account of Anne, which captures the atmosphere of the Tudor period brilliantly with its vivid descriptions. It is not sycophantic, however - Marie Louise Bruce studies Anne's flaws, and whether she could have played any part in certain suspicious murders, and her nastiness towards her step-daughter, Princess Mary. I found the parts about Anne's interest in the 'New Religion', and Tyndale's influence on her extremely interesting.

I am also watching "The Tudors" again, and I can see that the writers used this book quite heavily in their story-lines! Marie-Louise Bruce's biographies are so interesting that I want to read them all.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I love everything about the Tudor era and Anne Boleyn. I did enjoy reading this book but I felt it was a little too surface level for me. I wanted stuff more in depth.

This book was outside my normal comfort zone. I am pretty well-versed in American Revolutionary history now, and I'm trying to branch out into earlier English history. I chose this book because I know at least a little bit about the Tudor family, and I was looking forward to learning what was and was not true from the show The Tudors (which I loved). This book reads like it was the primary source for the show. It is salacious. It is over the top. And, according to a friend who knows more Tudor history than I do, the research in it is relatively outdated now.

Structure and Formatting 4/5
For the most part, this book is set up in a linear/chronological fashion, which I always enjoy.

Thoroughness of Research 2.5/5
This is probably just a victim of the time this was originally written. According to my friend when I was talking to her about it, there is a lot of stuff in this book that has since been debunked or misproven. The author also seems to take a single account on an event and gives it a lot of weight. (This is how rumors get started in the first place!)

Storytelling/Writing 1/5
Oh boy, the writing. This reads like a gossip column. Let me leave you with a quote as an example from chapter 18: "Experienced though Henry was in the art of penetrating the female body, impatience, undue self-regard, over-anxiety, could all too easily make a farce out of this romance at last about to flower."

Level of Enjoyment 3/5
I didn't dislike this book, but it definitely isn't like any books I regularly read. The writing was the worst part for me to get over. Otherwise, it was interesting to start learning about a somewhat new time period than my usual focus.

Prior Knowledge Needed 4/5
I was at least somewhat familiar with the names involved in this, and I do think that helps. Seeing the show The Tudors should be enough to get you comfortable with the cast of characters being discussed in this book.

I am interested in trying another history book from this time period, but I'll be doing a little more research on the book or prereading a chapter or two before I do.

Anne Boleyn is arguably one of England's best known historic figures. And also one of the most divisive. Originally published in 1972, Anne Boleyn by Marie Louise Bruce is an eminently readable account of Anne's life, loves, and downfall. As many people may know, Anne Boleyn started her life as the youngest daughter of a minor diplomat. While she had ties to several great houses, she was considered of little consequence herself -- until she caught the eye of Henry VIII and then refused to bed him unless they were wed first. From there her star rose... ultimately leading to Henry breaking from Rome and the creation of the Church of England. But when she couldn't give Henry the son she wanted, he soured towards her which led to her downfall and execution.

This book takes you through it all. Utilizing primary resources where she can, Bruce illuminates just who Anne was. She wasn't the harlot and harpy that her detractors paint her as, nor was she the victim to the whims of her father and eventual husband. She's a complex woman who was often neglected and forgotten as child. Shuttled off to be raised in the French court, she learned early on how to make the most of what she had. And Bruce supplies several pieces of evidence that supports this. And what's more, she provides context to the primary sources that she uses. This makes the book much easier to understand... while some people might think that by providing context she's fictionalizing the accounts, but that's not what I'm seeing here. The words are right there on the page and are open to interpretation. What she provides is information about that source... who they are known to have supported... what motives they might have had based on the prior (and future) behavior. It's not fiction, but a biography that goes beyond names, dates, and actions and into how those names, dates, and actions relate in the greater whole. There's context. And for someone who loves this period and in particular this tiny but crucial portion of history, context is everything.

So this is where I need to admit my own bias, which Bruce also does in both her introduction and conclusion to this book, I like Anne Boleyn. I respect her. I feel sorry for her. I acknowledge that she was an emotional and stubborn woman who likely rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. So seeing a portrayal of her where she isn't demonized or worse. is heartening. I am also 90% certain that I read this book in college as part of researching a paper on Anne Boleyn. The book was my jumping off point to other sources, and it is a good resource for people who are interested in the politics of the time.

This is the kind of book that fans of the Tudor era will adore.

Five Stars

Thank you to Sapere Books for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I've long been fascinated by Anne Boleyn and reading her biography gave me a new appreciation of how important her existence actually was for the history of the English nation.

This biography was well written and very detailed. Some of the lists of presents and such could have been left out, in my opinion, but apart from that I really loved this.

In all honesty, I have read many books that centre around Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII and there are some that I've loved more than others.
This one was definitely one of the more informative ones that I have read, and I really enjoyed the style of writing and delivery.

There were a couple of points raised within the text that I wasn't sure about, and some that I questioned the accuracy of, but that didn't deter me from continuing.
If you are interested in the sad history of Anne Boleyn, then this would be a great addition to your list of books to read.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

I didn’t realise at first that this was a reprint of a 1970’s book. As such it has all the evidence and prejudices of its time. I had previously read this book, as a historian, and didn’t enjoy it first time around. Several of the theories included are now out of date. It is well written but very much of its time, there have been much better books on Anne published since.

The first few chapters of this book had enough flowery prose/descriptions that I wasn't sure I was going to be able to keep reading it. But somewhere along the way the writing style changed into a more head-on style and I got really into the book. Everyone knows how the story will end, but in this case it is definitely the journey that keeps the reader going. This book was carefully researched, providing plenty of details that enhanced your understanding and vision of the time period and the people, and while quotes from contemporary sources support the narrative, they are not so frequently used as to overpower it. Here the reader gets to know Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII and those around them, as well as understand some of the politics that drove the actions and decisions we know today.

Overall well-written and highly readable for historians and the casual reader alike, this was an excellent biography of the doomed English Queen and the times she lived in.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Thank you so much for net galley forget I need a chance to read this book. I have always been fascinated about the Tudor era, and especially Anne. I found the book to be very easy to read, and enjoyable! I think anyone with interest in Anne, Will enjoy this book!!

I have read many books on the Tudors, both fiction and non-fiction, and this book was very easy to read. Kept me entertained and read like a novel. A definite for a new Tudor fan.

Really well researched, very well written, incredible detail. I didn’t realize until after I’d finished that this is a republish of a book from the 70s. It’s not flattering to anyone but does appear to take a realistic approach. Very well done.

I received a copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting take on Anne Boleyn. Her life has been written about, romanticized, and torn to shreds by those who wished to bring her down. Mary Louise Bruce brings Anne to the front again, and in some ways, rehashing all of the information that has already been presented about her.

I was looking forward to gaining deeper insight into Anne Boleyn through this book, but nothing truly jumped out as new and exciting. Nevertheless, it was a decent biographical work of this young woman who became the queen of England, losing her life at a young age.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC. I normally dont read non-fiction books but since I am obsessed with everything Tudor I chose this book anyways. I am so glad i did! It read like fiction and I loved every page of it. I even learned a thing or two! A must read for any history buff!

Thoroughly enjoyed this account of Anne Boleyn. Bruce provides a detailed account with excerpts of letters between Anne, Henry and Wolsey. The narrative is almost conversational, making it a very easy and enjoyable read.

Bruce doesn't note Anne's time at the court of Margaret of Austria and instead refers to Mary spending time there.

The book is clearly the result of much research and covers the matter of Henry's Great Matter in much detail using George Cavendish's account of Wolsey as a fascinating source. Bruce conveys the tumultuous relationship between Anne and Wolsey which I found extremely interesting.

The original edition was published in 1972  and has been credited in works of other biographies of Anne.

If you are looking for an easy to read interpretation of Anne's life I would highly recommend this book.

We all know the story of Anne Boleyn. The woman who made a king fall for her. Divorce his first wife and lead to the break with the Catholic Church. I’ve ready many books on the woman and was hoping that this book would give be a new insight into the Woman.
Marie Louise Bruce certainly did not disappoint. This book is well researched and written. I finished the book feeling I knew more about Anne as a person. Lots of historical research with segments of letters written by the lover. (Anne’s letters survived at the Vatican)
I discovered more of her character and her family life. She was a very clever person. I certainly didn’t realise it took so many years for her to get her man.
Take the time to enjoy this book.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC