This Whiteness of Swans: The Surface and the Deep: Story of Anna of Cleves

by G. Lawrence, Amanda Benzecry (Narrator)

Swan Castle, Cleves, 1521

Nestled deep in a land rich in myth and fairy-tale, within the changing politics and religion of the Holy Roman Empire, a young girl grows to adulthood, watching war and faith tear the world she knows asunder. Sheltered within the court of women in which she and her sisters live, Anna of Cleves may be protected, but she is not in ignorance of the world outside her castle walls, and when the Tudor King of England begins to cast his eye upon Cleves, seeking a fourth wife, she is only too aware of the peril that may be placed upon her life, as the ring is slipped upon her finger.

This Whiteness of Swans is Book One of The Surface and the Story of Anna of Cleves, by G. Lawrence. The author's thanks are due to Julia Gibbs, proof reader of this work of fiction, Amanda Benzecry the narrator, and Giusy D'Anna, the cover artist.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Tudor Period, Royalty

Audible Audio

Published March 7, 2025

About the author

I am an independently published author, and proud to be so. Living in a little cottage in Wales in the UK, I love where I live as much as I love to write.

The age of the Tudors has been an obsession for me since I was a child, and many of my upcoming books will center on that time, but I also pen the odd dystopian fiction or historical fiction from other time periods. I will be releasing all my titles on amazon, for kindle and then hopefully for print later.

I studied Literature (with a capital L) at University and usually have twenty or more books I'm currently reading. Reading and writing are about mood for me, and I haven't found a genre I didn't enjoy something about so far...

You can often find me on Wattpad or Twitter when I'm not writing...

Reviews

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 3 out of 5]

"When women hold power, they are spoken ill of. Only when they fall can people feel for them."
- G. Lawrence, This Whiteness of Swans: The Surface and the Deep: Story of Anna of Cleves

3.5 stars.

I have to say, though I am a historical fiction fan, I knew almost nothing about Anna of Cleves. I mean literally nothing.

I knew about Henry the eighth‘s marriages and I knew the names of the wives but that’s pretty much all. This is an aspect of history that I just never read about.

No, I didn’t know this was a series when I chose it and as many of my Goodreads friends know I generally don’t do series but I have to give the author of Credit here because I’m going to read part two of this . Probably not part three.

, I think I’ll enjoy two more because in this first installment, Anna doesn’t actually get married yet and that comes in part two .


This format is more of a history lesson of events leading up to the marriage. It’s also about the relationship between Family members.
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The format was not quite for me , but not because the writer is not brilliant, which she is, but because it’s just not a format I get into a lot.

My interest is more geared, usually toward Egyptian Greek and Roman history. I’ve read lots of books on Cleopatra that have this format, and I’m just into more action oriented stories, which is why I think I like two better, but this was a beautiful story nonetheless.

I just have to say two things. I’m not going to make this long because it’s the middle of the night and I’m exhausted. But I will say that I think, the mother stole the show.

With all the characters and all the family members, there was just something about Lady mother, that was effervescent, and utterly shining.

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed reading about her. She reminded me of my own mom, gentle, tender, and oh so strong.

But the imagery of the swans, the story of the swan lady, is utterly captivating.

I am sort of obsessed with swans, which is what drew my attention to this book in the first place


I mean look at the cover! Is this not one of the most sumptuous covers that you’ve ever seen? I could devour the cover. And the writing is just like the cover.

It’s full of folklore and imagery and fantasy and floating, swans, and flying swans and mystical beings, and Forest dancers, and rows , and rows of swans, glowing feathers and beautiful, mythical beings.

And everywhere in the pages of the book, there are swans.


They are omnipresent , so, if you look at the cover and images of gleaming and mystical swans, come into your brain, rest assured you will find them in the pages of the book as well.


I really wish I knew more about this time. Period, so I could talk more about it in the review.

It kind of makes me wish that I had studied this aspect of history more but other than what I learned in my history class and in my literature classes I didn’t really know all that much and those days were long time ago.


So yes, I am going to go on to read part two which I can’t wait to do probably tomorrow night.

I want to emphasize I’m giving this strong, four stars and that even though I didn’t love all the pouring fourth of history, that’s just because I am more plot and action driven, and it has nothing to do with the extremely high-quality and beauty of the book.
Highly recommended.

[Rosie Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author never disappoints #KindleUnlimited

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a romanticized tale of Henry VIII's much-maligned wife, Anne of Cleves. There are no maidens waving their favors as knights compete in jousts. This is a deep dive into the religious and political strife that occurred during this period in Europe. We watch as Anne grows up in the company of the women of her family and how these intrigues affect them. This book, the first in a new series, ends with her setting out for England to marry Henry VIII.

"The world does not welcome tales of women who do well, or, as we learnt as young maids, those women who manage to balance the books of their life, to come out as well as we began."

Full disclosure: I have always had a soft spot for Anne of Cleves. When I began reading about the wives of Henry VIII in my early teens, I was initially drawn to the flashier and more dramatic queens. It was my mother who pointed me in the direction of Anne of Cleves, the only true survivor in her estimation. Anne not only survived...she thrived. This book is deeply researched and I learned much about the complicated history of the time, compounded by religious strife. Anne is presented as worldly and although not enthused about her marriage, understanding of her role for Cleves. I look forward to reading more.

"They will say I was discarded. I say I became free. The story all depends on who is telling it, and who hears it."

[Karen Hackett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read!!!!

[Anne Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting historical novel which gives a very detailed view of the religious and political world into which Anne of Cleves was born. I found the use of myth and the relationship between the three sisters in the castle very moving.

[Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anne of Cleves is an interesting minor character in English history. After the death of his third wife, Henry VIII sought a bride in Europe for an alliance and ended up with the middle daughter of a medium-sized duchy in the Holy Roman Empire. When Anne arrived, Henry almost immediately started complaining about her, but went ahead with the marriage anyways. Afterwards, he quickly sought to divorce her on a technicality. He was so grateful she acceded to the annulment gracefully that he granted her fabulous wealth and a unique title, "The King's Good Sister". So she ended up the richest, second noblest woman in England, and almost completely independent as well.

Such an odd life path is ripe for an imaginative telling in historical fiction, and that basic premise is what drew me to this book. Unfortunately, I didn't really get what I was hoping for. This first entry serves mostly as an introduction, and it seems like most of the book is taken up by characters relating the events of early 16th Century Western Europe to each other. Anna is sort of developed by her reactions to hearing about the War of the Knights, the Great Peasant War, Charles V's sack of Rome, etc. Very little happens to her, and she does almost nothing. "What did contemporaries think about these important historical events?" can be an interesting question, but I didn't find the author's presentation here very engaging.

However, there are some bits I really liked. The relating of the various historical events usually take the form of a dialogue between Anna and her older sister, which adds a some drama as their relationship is developed. And things start to get much more interesting towards the end, as Anna comes to accept that she's being sent to England to marry a man twice her age, someone already notorious throughout Europe for his mistreatment of his previous wives.

For all my complaints, I'm still planning on buying the second book in the series.

[Ivy Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne of Cleves was much vilified in history for being the not so attractive fourth wife of Henry the VIII, misrepresented by her portrait. There was probably much more to this young woman who was later accorded the title of Beloved Sister to the King . For this I thank author G Lawrence for her painstakingly meticulous portrayal of Anne or Anna as the book 'This Whiteness of Swans' refers to her.

Anna is a historical figure but the charming and unembellished manner with which the author steps into Anna's shoes leaves one astounded. It's definitely not any easy thing to do. History supplies one with historical facts and dates but to explore and present ~ the thoughts, fears, joys, aspirations and the every day life of the little known 4th queen of Henry the VIII and elaborate on her childhood takes a lot of courage.

G Lawrence presents a sublime picture of sisterly bonds and affection that hold through despite differences in temperament and marriage. The author elaborates on the relationship with a strong mother guiding her in the virtues a young woman must possess. The sorrow at the death of a beloved father and the acceptance of the marriage with Henry VIII to protect her younger sister from a possibly terrible fate. Most of all the book is interspersed with historical facts of the religious and political strife at that time interwoven beautifully into the tapestry of the lives of Anna and her family.

I truly believe historical fiction is a work of art . Taking history and breathing life into it, giving it feeling and warmth takes considerable talent and imagination ~ that makes author G Lawrence an artist of great calibre. I look forward to exploring more of her work.

[kathleen r. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Extraordinarily slow

In general I enjoy this author's work but this time I struggled to keep awake while reading. Most who read of the monster Henry 8 will be familiar with the accounts of his very we6 wives, but of #4 Anne of Cleves, little might be very well understood. Personally I tend to think she's possibly the most clever of them all, because not only did she manage to free herself from his contempt and dislike, she also engineered a wealthy and rather successful future as well.
I think Anne was definitely sold into a marriage of distrust and apparent frugal means by her brother Wilhelm who had only recently inherited his title after the unfortunate early death of his father, but unlike her predecessors she made all the negatives of the marriage turn to her advantage, manage to keep a vast fortune and still enjoy a life free from the control of any man for the rest of her life.
But since it is told in a conversant, first person style it's a bit boring and quite long winded.
I didn't enjoy the style or the endless plot points of her interaction with and conversations between her mother and her sisters, but I understand for some readers those affect actions often are necessary to convey the basic premises and actions.
I probably read far too much about Tudor history, and I think that's to found them forced and too wordy.
I'm going to skip the second book. I don't think there's anything in it I haven't already read.

[Terry Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most fascinating exploration of the wife of Henry VIII that we probably know the least about, showing that she was so much more than just a wife of Henry VIII. She was, after all, the survivor, to a far greater extent than Katherine Parr, who lost and suffered a great deal more at the hands of the tyrant king.

Ms Lawrence has portrayed Anna of Cleves as I imagined her to be: more like the version brought to life by Joss Stone in the TV series The Tudors, than the 'Flanders Mare' of legend. Educated, moral, reserved and dutiful, and quite realistic about her expectations of Henry, in this first book which covers the period from her childhood until her journey to England.

I very much liked reading the folk tales and the imagery of swans (I just love both the cover and the title of this book!) used in the narrative, particularly on, and also the part where her father dies; this was so poignant and real. The whole story had a feel of three princesses in a fairy tale castle, somehow, though of course the real world kept invading.

I did feel that the book was a little research-heavy, particularly in the first half, in which much information about events elsewhere is given to the reader by way of dialogue; I felt this could have been trimmed down. However, I enjoyed the final third of the book much more, and await the next episode with bated breath!

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the use of folk tales and swan imagery, but oh dear, the book is almost ALL info dumping, as Anna stands around and listens to people tell her about the latest news from the rest of Europe (mostly England and Henry's marital saga) and then Anna analyses these current events through the lens of The Patriarchy is Bad. This would be fine if it happened now and then - but it's the ONLY thing that happens. We get very little of Anna and her life - it's all overwhelmed by a need to foreshadow she is going to be the fourth wife of Henry VIII.

And it gets to a ridiculous level that all Anna and her family seem to care about is the news from England, rather than more about the countries around them. Also - we get nothing of the news slightly farther afield - nothing from the Holy Land, or Russia, or all that is happening with the New World journeys of the time.

So, a good recap of the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn, as well as the European Catholic / Protestant geo-politics of the era, but not much on Anna herself.

[Moona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Whiteness of Swans: The Surface and the Deep: Story of Anna of Cleves" by G. Lawrence, with illustrations by Giusy D'Anna, is an evocative historical novel set in 1521 at Swan Castle, Cleves. Against the backdrop of the shifting politics and religion of the Holy Roman Empire, Anna of Cleves grows up amidst the turmoil. Sheltered within a court of women, Anna is nonetheless aware of the world's dangers, especially when King Henry VIII of England seeks her hand in marriage. This first book in the series vividly captures Anna's life and the perilous journey she embarks upon as she becomes entangled with the Tudor court. Perfect for fans of the Tudor period and historical fiction.

[Frances Player · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read!

Of all of Henry VIII’s wives, I feel she possibly the smartest! I loved hearing about her story. I also do not know very much of Cleves, so I found the history of their court very interesting.

[Lisette Kristensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful story. Ms. Lawrence to life a woman so many of us know little about, thank you. Once again great writing and in depth understand of a period of time most of us have little knowledge.

[Gillie Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly historical background to the story of Anne of Cleves.

[Keely · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really do enjoy this authors works.

[Daniel Stencler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enlightening

I found this representation of Anne as quite believable. Living in a time of unstable tyranny in the US were women must be subtle and careful.

[Nadine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know why I keep coming back to this author, maybe in the hopes she got better? Don't get me wrong, she has great potential, but just has a habit of droning on, and on, and on.

[Diane Williamson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too exciting!

I like MS Lawrence and have read their books of hers but I found this one very boring because most of it was just conversations