The Raven's Widow

by Adrienne Dillard

The river was as calm as I had ever seen it. Ordinarily, the tide would have been wild by this time of year, and woe unto any man unfortunate enough to fall into the fierce currents of the Thames. Tonight the tides were still, and the surface of the water appeared glassy. When I peered down into the dark depths, I saw my tired, drawn face wavering in the reflection. I quickly turned away as I fought back a wave of nausea, frightened by the anguish I saw etched there.

“Only a few moments more my lady, the Tower is just ahead.”

--------------

Jane Parker never dreamed that her marriage into the Boleyn family would raise her star to such dizzying heights. Before long, she finds herself as trusted servant and confidante to her sister-in-law, Anne Boleyn; King Henry VIII’s second queen. On a gorgeous spring day, that golden era is cut short by the swing of a sword. Jane is unmoored by the tragic death of her husband, George, and her loss sets her on a reckless path that leads to her own imprisonment in the Tower of London. Surrounded by the remnants of her former life, Jane must come to terms with her actions. In the Tower, she will face up to who she really is and how everything went so wrong.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Tudor Period, Historical, Fiction, Royalty, Biographical Fiction, 16th Century

378 pages, Paperback

First published February 13, 2017

About the author

Adrienne Dillard earned her Master's in History from Eastern Washington University. Her works include best-selling novels, Cor Rotto: A Novel of Catherine Carey and The Raven's Widow: A Novel of Jane Boleyn. Keeper of the Queen's Jewels: A Novel of Jane Seymour was released in autumn 2022. When she isn't writing, Adrienne works as a Chief Operations Officer in the financial services industry and enjoys spending time with her son, Logan, at their home in the Pacific Northwest.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent historical novel about the much-maligned Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford. The characters are well-rounded and I liked the time sequencing. Looking forward to more from this author!

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford is one of the most maligned figures of the Tudor era. Sadly the fictional portrayals of The Other Boleyn Girl, The Boleyn Inheritance and The Tudors, have a lot to blame for this.
In this stunning work by Adrienne Dillard, Adrienne attempts (and 110% succeeds) in giving a fresh portrayal of Jane.

The story is beautifully told through the eyes of Jane herself. It reminded me of the 1972 film "Henry VIII and his Six Wives", with the story starting with Jane being taken to the Tower, and in her final months having flashbacks to happier times.

Personally, I felt this added to the beauty of the story. Just as you are reading about the glittering court masques, or a sweet moment between Jane and George, or Jane bonding with her sister-in-laws Anne and Mary, suddenly you are jolted back in to the cold, empty apartments of the Tower.

Adrienne truly has a remarkable gift for storytelling. She is able to bring you right into the rooms of the characters in the story, to the point where you can imagine the tapestries on the wall, smell the food on the table, and most importantly, sense how the characters in the story are feeling at that precise moment.

What is even more special, is that Adrienne gives a human element to the characters. Presenting their faults and their virtues, something that other popular historical fiction novels lack. The Boleyn family as much as Jane get a beautiful portrayal, challenging those myths that Jane was never close to her husband and is family.

I am not the biggest fan of historical fiction, but this book is something I cannot recommend enough. Whether you are simply interested in a quick easy to read book, or a book you can truly delve into for long hours, this is the book for you. Part of the magic of it is that it is suitable for everyone. A stunning masterpiece that deserves so much credit.

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 3 out of 5]

ROYAL READS PROJECT 2023

"That night, I cried until I grew hoarse. My mind had grown so strange that I was powerless to control it. I desperately prayed for God to return my sanity, but he ignored my pleas. I found myself living in fear of whatever might set me off next." - Lady Jane Rochford by Adrienne Dillard

Complete and total work of fiction. Author’s note may wish to be read before digging in; some, like myself, have a concept of Jane, and will just jump right in.
The choice is yours.

[Josephine (Jo) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a beautifully imagined story about an historical character of whom we really know virtually nothing. Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford married to George Boleyn Anne's borther, has always been given the role of the bad sister-in-law and unfaithful friend. In the book the author puts forward a different interpretation of Jane's story. We cannot truly know if she was 'good or bad' but I suspect like most of us she was a bit of both. We will never understand what it must have been like to live in the court of Henry VIII, he was so unpredictable and his moods changed with the wind. A person living in close quarters to this sort of atmosphere must have eventually developed a slightly lop sided and paranoid view of life. Many believe that Anne Boleyn was innocent of all charges brought against her, if they were trumped up to give Henry what he wanted then why should the Tudor propaganda about all the other members of her household be true? I so much enjoy reading alternative accounts of what may have been. It is always good to look at these people from both sides.
I was sorry not only for Jane but for all the poor people who were sent to such gruesome deaths on the whim of a spoilt and selfish man.
Whilst I was reading I kept thinking what it must have been like to be suddenly raised up to the highest position in the land, or to become the wife of one of the king's closest confidants. These people were like mayflies, starting off as normal people of the English aristocracy, then for a short time living a life of unlimited wealth, dressed in velvets, silks and covered in precious jewels, then after a short time a sudden and ignominious death.
I have only one small criticism of the book and that was my old bugbear of the use of modern words and phrases in an historical work. Jane says she is suffering from 'angst', she was certainly anxious and stressed but that word would not have been in her vocabulary. 'Let it go already Mary' not a Tudor phrase I think. And the word 'gotten' an Americanism, not around then. Otherwise a brilliant and touching story of what might have been.

[Juliew. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this portrayal of Jane Boleyn as a human being who is neither all good or all bad.While history makes her unredeemable I think this author has done just that.We can't ever know with hundred percent certainty what or who historical figures really were.We only have what is written about them from people who perhaps were there perhaps not.Some had reasons to write what they did to influence,flatter or condemn but behind every story is a living,breathing individual who did amazing things,good things and bad things but ultimately human things and Jane Boleyn from this portrayal was no different.I thought the author really brought her to life without the prejudices from the past and showed her as she could really have been.

[Amalia Bouranta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, Jane Boleyn is given the justice she's been denied for so long! George and Jane for ever!

Jane Boleyn, née Parker, Lady Rochford, wife of George Boleyn, Lord Rochford, and sister-in-law of Queen Anne Boleyn of England, is unfortunately often portrayed as a villain and vengeful wife who brought them down. But, this is far from the truth. Actually, we don't know much about Jane, but the few facts we have, based on contemporary sources, prove that she was a friendly person and like a sister to Anne and that she had a happy marriage with George, whom she had known since their early adolescence at court of King Henry VIII.
Some of these facts, like the message of comfort Jane sent to George while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London, Jane's helping Anne banish a King's mistress from the court, Jane's refusal to remarry after George's execution and her wearing black gowns till her own execution, indicate her true good nature and loveable character and they are described in this excellent novel in a meticulously researched way that every Anglophile and Anne Boleyn fan, like me, will love.
This book is how I imagined Jane to be. Her feelings, her personality, her life, described on the novel, are exactly how I regarded her. I am a glad I found a novel on the real Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, based on contemporary sources. A true wife and sister! I hope this book becomes a movie/series. for everyone to see!
There are many people, among them Mrs Dillard, the author of the book, who have set a bright light on Jane's life, like Julia Fox, Jane's biographer, excellent historian Claire Ridgway and Clare Cherry, who co-wrote George's biography, Charlie Fenton and many others. Hopefully there will be more and more in the future!

Thank Mrs Dillard for this masterpiece!!!

In a few days, 13th February, there will be the 480th anniversary of Jane Boleyn's and Queen Catherine Howard's executions, victims of King Henry VIII. May their souls rest in peace!

[Gareth Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

When she was asked to review books written by any of her friends, a mid-century British socialite remarked with commendable honesty that, of course, friendship with the author predisposed a reviewer to write more favourably than they might for a complete stranger - and that only by acknowledging that could one hope to turn in a fair review. In the spirit of that towardness, I should note that I have met novelist Adrienne Dillard on several occasions and I like her very much. We also share the same publishers for some of our works and, when a mutual friend let me know that she was completing a novel about Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford, I was able to send her an advanced copy of my biography of Jane’s final employer, Queen Catherine Howard.

With that acknowledgement out of the way, I should note that I sometimes approach a friend or colleague’s book with anticipation and trepidation. To dislike a stranger’s book is one thing, but to recoil from, or labour through, the work of a friend, loved one, or colleague is a deeply unpleasant prospect. Fortunately, “The Raven’s Widow”, which dramatises its subject’s life through the disjointed memories of her final weeks alive, was far from a chore.

Very early on in “The Raven’s Widow”, its eponymous character exhibits a moment of clueless naïveté. As she is being escorted by barge to the Tower of London, Jane gazes across the river to the houses passing by on the bank. Drifting by in the winter’s gathering nocturnal gloom, these houses prompt an exercise of imagination for Jane: -

“The inhabitants of one of these homes invaded my thoughts, and I envied the present comfort they enjoyed. A mother, father, and their three children sat down to a small wooden table in the cottage of my mind. Curlicues of steam from a meat pie hovered around heads bowed in prayer. I noted a lack of fine tapestries and plates of gold as I took in the room around them; yet, a fire crackled invitingly in the hearth, and an air of joy permeated the dwelling.”

It’s a fantasy, of course, and a particularly absurd one. The idea that the poor are inherently happy and that their reduced circumstances produce a domestic idyll is the same kind of benign, well-meaning idiocy that prompted unfortunate Marie-Antoinette’s private village or juxtaposed scenes in James Cameron’s “Titanic" of dancing, laughing, hospitable immigrants, all of them full of the joys of life, against the stultifying, charmless boredom of first-class’s smoke-filled lounges. Concerns about the cholera pandemic that had swept the European migrant community in 1912 are excised; they’re poor, therefore they are happy. Similarly, Dillard’s Jane knows apparently nothing about the inflation that had swept England in the late 1530s and early 1540s, meaning that most of the families she sailed by were likely to be producing far fewer meat pies than they might have liked. It doesn’t matter, of course, because in the same way as so many today, born and raised in the prosperous West, eulogise as “pure”, “superior”, “warmer” etc. those cultures that have escaped the Kardashians, super-malls, credit cards, and social media without realising that they may also endure fewer civil rights, healthcare facilities, or running water, Dillard gifts Jane with that unique myopia of the privileged: there are no “fine tapestries or plates of gold”, thus there must be “an air of joy” throughout the home.

This is a personality trait that stays with Jane Boleyn as “The Raven’s Widow” moves through the major events of her life, from girlhood to widowhood. It is initially an unremarkable path for those born in to the top one per cent of Tudor society. Jane is a nobleman’s daughter, raised in the countryside; she becomes a debutante at court, where her good looks and strident personality catch several eyes, before she marries a man of similar age and background. What made Jane Boleyn’s life extraordinary was the rapid upward trajectory of her sister-in-law’s career as Anne Boleyn, the most sophisticated of the mid-1520s court belles, became the object of Henry VIII’s unrequited obsession and marriage proposals. The circumstances of Anne Boleyn’s rise and fall are notoriously controversial and several historians, including several writing within a generation of Anne's death, suggested that the heroine of “The Raven’s Widow”, Jane Boleyn, had actively helped destroy Queen Anne by committing perjury which helped unjustly condemn the Queen, and Jane’s husband, to death on a charges of incest.

In the last decade or so, the historiography on Jane’s role in the horrible events of 1536 has been questioned to the point of being pulled apart. Dillard’s author’s note at the end of “The Raven’s Widow” proves that she is well abreast of the most recent scholarship on Jane Boleyn’s politics, personality, and her family background. She praises highly Julia Fox’s non-fiction biography “Jane Boleyn: The Infamous Lady Rochford” and both books see far more that was positive in Jane than negative. Whether or not you agree with them is largely irrelevant. It’s hard to believe that Jane was the monster portrayed in most other fictional accounts of her life or that her marriage to George Boleyn was the unending cavalcade of misery that we have been treated to in other accounts of their life together. By depicting Jane’s faults as manifest yet trivial everyday vices and restoring George Boleyn’s fiery evangelical faith to him, Dillard gives her readers a portrait of a couple and a marriage that is radically different to anything in Tudor-inspired fiction. She is a good enough author that even if, like me, you err more on the High Church side of things and thus find George’s Bible-thumping, tradition-eviscerating mini-sermons to be eye-rollingly sanctimonious, you still cheer him on, thanks in no small part to the passion Adrienne Dillard allows him.

One thing cannot be left unsaid in praise of “The Raven’s Widow” – its depiction of mental health. Recently, in the United Kingdom, a director remarked that it is no longer acceptable to simply portray Hamlet as stereotypically “mad”, because modern audiences have mercifully become so much more attune to the nuances of psychological ill-health. We know from surviving sources that the historical Jane Boleyn did suffer what appears to have been a nervous breakdown towards the end of her life. Dillard uses this to depict Jane as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and, truly, the way the author achieves this is masterful. The challenge of giving someone the symptoms of a disease centuries before it was understood, let alone named, is something Dillard rises to with aplomb. It dawns on you, very slowly, piece by piece, as Jane herself remarks that she “hovered somewhere near the border between madness and sanity.” Those are the only words she has for what’s happening to her mind, so Dillard does not allow self-analysis to go further for her character. For a modern audience, however, the breadcrumb trail of Jane’s mental anguish is harrowingly and perfectly delivered.

Jane’s PTSD forms the cornerstone of some of the novel’s strongest and most upsetting scenes – the framing device of her interrogations during the downfall of Catherine Howard in 1541 and 1542. Dillard excels in the minutiae of life and she narrows the focus of her narrative to Jane’s world as she might have seen it, particularly her private world - be it the misery of her interrogation or the details of her married life. There are times when Dillard’s shrinking of the scale leads to opportunities lost, mostly with larger, more politicised moments. These are especially noticeable when she has just pulled off a particularly strong or moving account of a scene which then seems to end prematurely. Once, after an achingly lovely description of a court ball at Greenwich – “lilies wrought of golden thread blossomed down the crimson silk carpeting the floor beneath our feet, and a painting of the world as seen through the eyes of the king’s artist, Hans Holbein, stretched across the ceiling above us” – the scene concludes abruptly as “the spell we had fallen under broken when a page burst in with the devastating news that the Emperor had sacked Rome and taken the Pope as hostage.”

This may admittedly be tactical good-sense from Dillard. Historically, Hapsburg military triumphs in Europe stalled Henry VIII’s quest to divorce his first wife and several other Tudor-era novels have already made English reactions to them a central plot point – Charles V’s triumph at the Battle of Pavia, for instance, is a memorable moment in Philippa Gregory’s “The Other Boleyn Girl”, while the Sack of Rome’s dramatic disruption of court festivities, as mentioned above, is a gorgeously-shot scene in the Oscar-winning biopic “Anne of the Thousand Days”. Dillard may shrewdly have decided to scale the focus to the personal, since the high politics or diplomacy have been covered elsewhere. That being said, occasionally this jars when set next to her adept handling of domestic moments. Early on while I was reading this novel, I was enjoying those scenes so much that I almost wished Dillard had written solely about Jane’s final months alive. However, as the novel progressed Jane’s earlier love affairs and friendships are so uplifting to read that it truly would have been a shame for Dillard to deprive her readers of them.

There are, quite simply, insufficient words to praise her characterisation of Anne Boleyn highly enough. I mentioned earlier that I know the author; a joke that was born from a conference we both attended was good-natured teasing about “Harry Potter” houses. If you’ll bear with me, for those who have read them: the best way to link the joke with an explanation of how “The Raven’s Widow” portrays Anne Boleyn is through the Hogwarts houses, of jokes and one thousand Internet memes. Anne Boleyn has not had a particularly kind press, with so many of her modern-day portraitists insisting that she was the worst kind of Slytherin, a remorselessly ambitious harpy with precious few, or no, redeeming characteristics. In retaliation, Anne’s modern defenders have often resorted to stripping her of any discernible “edge” to give us the epitome of a Hufflepuff, a loyal, dependable, unambitious, worthy-to-the-point-of-dull do-gooder. Dillard, however, has given us as an Anne who is a Ravenclaw to her very fingertips. In one superb scene in which Anne gazes on with incredulous boredom at Jane’s refusal to accept bleeding finger-tips as an acceptable price to pay for lute-playing excellence, Anne exhibits the frustration, even to the point of annoying, that comes when a naturally intelligent over-achiever encounters someone who quite simply does not care as much as they do or want to try quite so hard. Anne applies this to her toilette, wardrobe, her diet, her library, and her intellect. “The Raven’s Widow” Anne Boleyn is bossy, opinionated, extravagant, chic, possessed of a razor-sharp intellect, a flammable temper, and a great capacity for kindness. She is, by far and away, one of the most psychologically and historically believable Anne Boleyns I have read in Tudor fiction.

Peopled with well-drawn minor characters – Anne’s maid Margery Horsman, Jane’s siblings, a kind yet often thoughtless Mary Boleyn, and Thomas Wriothesley, with his eerily beautiful blue eyes – “The Raven’s Widow” centres on a troubled heroine. As with her sister-in-law Anne, Jane here is not a saint, but that doesn’t mean she was a horror. Confrontational and prone to jumping to conclusions, there are subtle hints throughout the book that she may be able to wilfully ignore what she does not want to see – I certainly thought there was one point where Jane decided to ignore the suggestion that the affectionate George may have had an affair or a one-night stand he subsequently regretted. Likewise, Jane lowers her eyes and misjudges the situation badly with Catherine Howard. However, like her musings at the start of the novel, they are not born from any sense of wickedness, nor do they result in any. Yes, Jane may have absolutely no idea about how the majority of the population actually lived under Henry VIII, but she is at least good-natured enough to occasionally help out in the gardens so she can appreciate what is an acceptable workload to request from her staff.

As with its heroine, any flaws in “The Raven’s Widow” are minor and tend to be thrown in to sharper relief only when set alongside its many strengths. Adrienne Dillard already has one historical novel under her belt, based on the life of Elizabeth I’s cousin Catherine Carey, and with “The Raven’s Widow” – by turns uplifting, dark, heart-warming, romantic, and chilling – she has established herself as a novelist of whom great things can be expected.

[Elizabeth S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book in my effort to find some justice for George Boleyn, and it was just as fun as I hoped.

To give some explanation to my comment above, I will say I know George Boleyn is hardly the most slandered historical figure out there. However, he’s become so associated with a completely false narrative (that he’s incestuous, raped his wife who he hated, etc.) that was constructed for a novel flouted as close to reality.


How this characterization has stuck so strongly baffles me a little.

But even though we don’t have as many primary sources as we could wish, we do know from historical fact that George didn’t really meet any of those horrific descriptions created by an author trying to sensationalize Tudor history. (Why anyone would make up insane nonsense instead of just writing a fictional version of the truth, which was already wildly soapy, is beyond me.)

Instead, George Boleyn was basically just a nerd who wanted to get everyone on board with the Reformation and shout from the rooftops about improving the church. While he was close with his sisters, especially Anne, there is no reason to think they ever committed incest, especially now that fact has disproven Henry VIII’s accusations against his second wife.


The misconception overturned most strongly in The Raven’s Widow is the idea that George and Jane Boleyn had a loveless, perhaps even abusive marriage.


Though we can’t assert their relationship was passionate, there’s also no real reason to claim it was the horrendous union perpetuated alongside the image of George as the type of guy who would sleep with his sister’s suitors and his sister, herself.

This is a work of fiction, but it gives more life to Jane Boleyn than ever before.

Traditionally, she has been cast aside as the conniving aide to Katherine Howard’s many trysts. It’s hardly surprising that if you’re ready to point fingers at a young teenager for things in her past far before she was near the age of an adult, you’re also prepared to damn the woman helping her rendezvous with a new paramour as a scheming criminal.

Jane was condemned to death for her assistance here, and there is reasonable proof to think she played some sort of role.

Yet there’s little foundation for twisting her into the bitter figure she’s so often become in fictionalizations.

Ranting aside, the life Dillard breathed into the oft ignored Jane was absolutely delightful. She is by no means perfect, but she’s a truly three dimensional figure who fills her own story in a way I never would imagine someone might allow.

As Dillard acknowledges at the end, many aspects must be fictionalized. But even if Jane and Anne were not incredibly close friends, they did have a strong rapport, and painting them as such here allows the reader to see a version of this story that doesn’t unnecessarily demonize either of Henry’s first two queens just to explain the other.

Jane herself is devout and headstrong, with a love for books and a reluctance to let go of what she knows so well - be it the validity of her former mistress’ marriage to the king, the upstanding nature of her lifelong faith, or the possibility of her own sister-in-law becoming queen.

The protagonist of The Raven’s Widow has far more personality and realistic characterization than most people from this era are afforded in novels. There’s no ridiculous twisting of Jane’s attitudes or flattening of her into someone who’s so one-note it’s obvious she’s just meant to help make a single point the author hopes to push.

And that’s when comparing her to characters written after figures who have plenty more sources about them and thus even less need to butcher for no reason!

All in all, this was a light yet touching read that provided an audience to a much overlooked woman who played perhaps more of a role (if not necessarily a hugely impactful one) than we deign to recognize.

It was greatly enjoyable to follow Jane’s story, and I appreciated all of the well-drawn work Dillard executed.

Plus, I must acknowledge that at least this is one positive step on the #JusticeForGeorgeBoleyn path. Undoing false, harmful narratives is always a wonderful thing!

If you read this review (amazing you made it this far, thank you) and thought perhaps there seemed to be some shade being thrown at a particular novel that ruined George and Jane’s reputations for the sake of creating unfounded drama out of an already dramatic part of history… well, you might even be understating it.

[Wendy Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dillard has a real and wonderful gift for telling history through bringing alive the voices of the past. This richly and meticulously researched work not only gives us a fresh perspective of the Anne Boleyn tale through the eyes of her sister-in-law Jane Boleyn, but also makes us see Jane anew as a woman trying her best to navigate a turbulent and dangerous world. A woman called ‘wicked’ and a major player in two terrible Tudor tragedies, Dillard constructs Jane in an empathetic and sympathetic light. Jane is in a sense ‘everywoman’ – a woman who is swept out of her depths and forced to fight for her own survival as she loses all hope and sanity. The reader feels both for Jane and her husband George Boleyn in a story that tells poignantly of the frailty of the human condition and makes us wonder what we would do in similar circumstances.

The Raven's Widow powerfully brings home to us that Jane was yet another victim of Henry VIII’s bloody reign.

[Sandra Vasoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the moment you begin this book - from the very first paragraph - you will be hooked. The author's style is all at the same time familiar, approachable, sophisticated and very engaging. So, while it is engrossing and readable, the technique is excellent. Dillard does a great job of moving the reader from the 'present' in the story, to reflecting through flashbacks as narrated by Jane, the protagonist. Jane's story, her reputation, has been one of an accepted opinion as a jealous, mean and manipulative sneak. This work, although of fiction, completely erases that long held rumor. The reader easily finds herself convinced that Jane was a woman with great qualities, and very believable - with sometimes shaky self-esteem, feeling nervous around those with more confidence and flash, and someone trying to do the right thing in a time and setting which was fraught with danger at every turn. It's the best work about Jane Partker Rochford I have ever read, and I believe it will hold its own for many many years to come. Great job Ms Dillard!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved that the author portrayed Jane Boleyn sympathetically. Jane was relatable, instead of the traditional Jane Boleyn who is always portrayed as a jealous, vindictive, and scorned wife. I hope there's another installment for this book that details Janes service to Anne of Cleve's and Queen Catherine Howard.

Bravo!

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed how Adrienne Dillard portrayed Jane Parker Boleyn in this novel. Jane became real to me. I also liked how her relationships with the Boleyns' were depicted. This novel explored the vast emotions and the depth of a person going through the many stages of life plus adding on the court dealings of Henry VIII on top of that. 😰

The Raven's Widow flips back and forth into the past with Queen Anne and her husband George Boleyn starting at the family's highlight at the court of Henry VIII to the downfall. The "present" section of the novel is her last days in the Tower with the matter with Queen Katherine Howard.

This is the first novel I have read that made me care for Jane Parker and I really appreciated seeing how Anne and George were portrayed. This a great book for anyone who wants to see more sides of the major players of Henry VIII's court.

The author note was really helpful. There is a good amount of historical events and documents on some of the major players, but there is a lack of such things for Jane Parker Boleyn. It is very minimal; like basic census information such as her birth, getting married, and the more famous date: her death. The author explained that there might have been events that Jane was no where near the court but it is applied by other novels that she could have been. It was a fantastic look into a person that has not much of a paper trail and more rumor based to create a 2-dimensional character. It was nice to see something different. Since none of us was there, who's to say who Jane Parker Boleyn was and how she acted.

[Annette O'grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

very interesting to read

[Kathryn Holeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adrienne Dillard is a natural writer. What I mean is that she seamlessly mixes believable dialogue, dramatic story, and true emotions, all while incorporating actual Tudor history. I found myself immersed in the past and tied to the characters immediately. The time jumps added the perfect amount of suspense, and, even thought I knew how it would end, I found myself turning pages at a feverish rate to find out what would happen next. Thanks to this book, Adrienne has actually changed how I thought it ended in terms of my understanding of the real people involved. I feel so much more compassion for the "infamous" Jane, George, and the many other victims of Henry VIII's reign. I highly recommend this book for fans of historical fiction and Tudor history.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guh, couldn't put it down. I even teared up at the end, knowing what was coming for Jane. Wonderful novel, full review to come.

+++++

You can see my full review on my blog, either at:

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[Robbi Leah Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Jane Parker Boleyn (Lady Rochford) and George Boleyn written as fiction with significant researching. Author keeps it as a love marriage, which is different from most books about Jane & George. I wish we knew the truth but authors have to base most history on snippets left behind.

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Adrienne Dillard delivered an exceptional novel with significant historical insight. Her talent lies in unveiling an historical perspective that has been left unexplored. Jane has been vilified throughout the years and it has been piled on, layer upon layer, and Dillard was daring in her approach to Jane Boleyn, whose character has been previously cemented in a negative fashion in the past. Her research is impeccable and she captured the dark Tudor court intrigue with all of the traps and hypocrisy that shaped the history of Tudor England. History comes alive on the page. She created a sympathetic portayal of Jane Boleyn, how difficult it must have been to be childless when the very center of the world was focused on the inability of Henry VIII to gain a legitimate male heir. Cromwell's interogation of Jane is brilliantly written, it is an inspiration. I look for to reading her next novel. Huzzah for The Raven's Widow!

[MzIce2u · Rating 5 out of 5]

How excited I was to find that Ms. Dillard had released a new book. I enjoyed Cor Rotto and couldn't wait to get started on this novel. She didn't disappoint!! I've read a few novels written about Jane Boleyn but majority of them never really caught my attention. This one did...Jane Boleyn came across as a real person with feelings and thoughts. I really felt for her because she didn't have anyone to protect her interests. Her quest to please everyone caused her life to be cut short. Now to wait on the next one novel by Adrienne Dillard...hope it's not a long wait!!

[Anne Vaughan · Rating 4 out of 5]

really enjoyed this gave a great and different take of the life of Jane Boylen Lady Roachford. interesting take on her marriage to George Boylen and was she just in the wrong place at the wrong time?? recomend this to anyone who loves the Tudor period not a lot written about Jane Boylen and when it is its usally negative so it makes a refreshing change to read about positives although they are at the discretion and imagination of the author.

[Nikkolle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was really good. I enjoyed viewing Jane this way as it's something we rarely get to see, I also really enjoyed George. Liked to the Doctor Who Easter egg , funny.

[Heidi Malagisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The rise and fall of the Boleyns have been something that has fascinated those who study the Tudor dynasty for centuries. We often view these series of events from the immediate Boleyn family, but what might it have been like for someone who was married to a Boleyn, like Jane Parker Boleyn, the wife of George Boleyn? Jane is often portrayed in literature as a woman who had a tumultuous marriage who sold out her husband when she was interrogated, someone who helped Katherine Howard with her secret liaisons behind Henry VIII’s back, and a woman who suffered from mental illness while in prison. If you take a look at Jane Boleyn’s life from this lens, she sounds like a troubled woman, but what if there was a different side to her? What if she was a good person who loved her husband and his family? That is the Jane Boleyn that Adrienne Dillard wanted to portray in her latest book, “The Raven’s Widow: A Novel of Jane Boleyn”.

Adrienne Dillard explains how she views Jane Boleyn and why she chose to write this particular story:

When the traces of Jane’s humanity are washed away, it’s easy for later generations to demonize her actions. What could have been perfectly innocent behaviour is seen through the prism of her later behaviour and ultimate ending: death as a traitor to the crown. It is my goal in writing this novel to give Jane some of that humanity back. I want to put a face to a name that has been blackened by assumption for the last five centuries. I want to remind people that Jane wasn’t some spectre lurking in the corner, plotting the downfall of others. She was a sister, a daughter, a wife, a friend, and a loyal servant. She had hopes and dreams. She had flaws and quirks. And to further muddy the waters, we have to consider her mental state. The choices she made may be hard to understand now, but at the moment that she made them, they made sense to her. (Dillard, 350).

Dillard structures her story as a parallel narrative, which is unique and effective when telling Jane’s story as it allows the reader to see the parallels between what happened to the Boleyns during their fall and Jane’s own fall. We are first introduced to Jane as she enters the Tower of London, awaiting her sentence after being involved with Katherine Howard. While Jane is in the Tower, she has flashbacks to her time with Anne and George Boleyn. Jane’s father wanted her to marry well and so he chose George Boleyn as her husband. To say that Jane was reluctant to marry such a man was an understatement, but as their story progressed, George and Jane grew to love each other, even through the countless miscarriages that Jane suffered.

Jane acts as a perfect “fly on the wall” character as she is a servant in the court of many of Henry VIII’s wives. She cares for not only her sister-in-law Anne Boleyn, but for Katherine of Aragon and it is rather interesting to read how Jane viewed this complex time in English history known as “The Great Matter”. Another great matter discussed throughout this novel is how religion was changing with new, radical theological ideas. Though we are not sure where Jane exactly stood on these issues, it is interesting to see how she might have responded to them.

Adrienne Dillard brought Jane Boleyn’s story from the shadows and illuminates it. By showing Jane as a loving and caring wife, daughter, servant, and friend, Dillard gives her readers a different perspective towards this captivating woman who suffered from mental illness. I did not know much about Jane’s story before reading this novel, but now I want to know more about her. If you want an engaging and thought-provoking novel about Jane Boleyn and the Boleyns, I highly recommend, “The Raven’s Widow: A Novel of Jane Boleyn” by Adrienne Dillard.

[Humanteapot · Rating 4 out of 5]

14/20

In a band, there is always a favorite. People have a favorite Beatle and historians and fans of the Tudor era alike (historians could be considered as “serious” fans tbh) have a favorite Henry the VIII wife and they are ready to throw down for her.

Funnily, the competition is not so much as who Henry loved the most anymore; because Henry ain’t shit, but nowadays is more a “Who was the best queen” or the also popular “Who endured the most bullshit” (Hi Six!). And in this competition, fans will usually trash the previous and next queens to defend their favorite (not helped by Henry who usually picked the antithesis of his current wife. Every single time!).

But in all of that, a woman is not that popular and it’s Jane Boleyn/Jane Parker/Lady Rochford pick the title or name you like the most. She can’t be popular with Catherine of Aragon fans because she was in cahoots with the Boleyns nor with the Anne’s people since she was a witness against her and George. Jane Seymour died too fast and Anne of Cleves wisely called quits so we didn’t have much time for more back stabbing and are left with Katherine Howard and we know how this ends. So I was super excited to have a book trying to depict one of the most hated ladies by pretty much everyone and have her depicted in a more sympathetic light. Too bad, the raven’s widow doesn’t hold up to this super high expectation I had for it.

The good:

• Good call to have the chapters switching from young Jane to Jane waiting in the Tower for her trial so we hope to see her entire life.
• Jane genuinely loving Anne and the other Boleyns and not being a black sheep only.
• Anne’s depiction is rather kind, makes sense of her situation and hammers how everyone involved was innocent. With centuries of historians trashing her, it’s always needed.
• A kind characterization of George! If people are kinder to Anne, it’s still pretty rare to have them being the same with George. He may or may not have be unfaithful to his wife but there is no way he was the incestuous monster some would like to depict.
• Jane as a main character. I always love to hear the story of History super unpopular women and her life must have been incredibly interesting.

The meh:

• Jane and George’s marriage. I get that Dillard wanted to depict it as happy unlike everyone else but their romance lacks substance and is too fairy tale like for my liking. I can imagine there was love at some point but here, everything is too perfect to feel real.
• “Pacing”. We are promised a book about Jane and it’s once again limited to Anne and George’s deaths. We have background infos about her time after their deaths and that’s it. It’s a shame because it really reduces Jane to her marriage while she outlived them and witnessed many many things after. I was super excited to see her life post Anne and sadly this never happens and I felt really disappointed about that.
• Some clichés of the genre.
• Doesn’t live up to its strong premise of a Jane Boleyn centric book. It’s more of another downfall of the Boleyn book.

[historic_chronicles · Rating 4 out of 5]

For centuries Lady Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford has been maligned and treated as a villain following the tragic fall and subsequent executions of Queen Anne Boleyn and her brother George.

Blamed for providing 'evidence' of their crimes she has been treated throughout history with disdain and a distinct lack of respect. Dillard's novel is a refreshing stance on a more rounded and humane portrait of Lady Rochford, giving her some recognition that she deserves.

We jump between the time of her arrest in 1542 alongside that of Henry VIII's fifth wife, Katherine Howard, to reflect on times gone by as the harsh imprisonment of the Tower of London causes Lady Rochford to recount her past life with her husband George and Anne Boleyn.

The prose is written with such beauty. Dillard truly set the scenes in order for Lady Rochford and her supporting characters to thrive and become alive. I felt so close to everything going on, like I was a fly on the wall to their conversations.

Dillard captured the stresses and tension or living in the Tudor Era, especially in the Tudor Court, masterfully and the I felt this was even further strengthened when it was shown alongside the easy way in which one could be sucked in to the glory and majesty it presented.

This novel is a wonderfully evocative, sympathetic and very humane picture of Lady Rochford that I feel will readily please many of those fascinated with the Tudor Era. I have already purchased Dillard's other novel, Cor Rotto which focuses on the life of Catherine Carey and cannot wait to read it!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very excited to read this book; a novel that doesn't portray Jane Boleyn as a bitter, jealous shrew with an unhappy marriage is a rarity indeed. With historical fiction, there are often important events happening in the world away from the characters, and thus there is a lot of telling of events as opposed to showing in books of this genre. That being said, I felt like half the book was simply a listing of events as opposed to an actual story: "We went here and saw a bearbaiting, and then we went to Greenwich for Christmas, and by March this was happening..." I wanted to see more of how Jane and George lived their everyday lives together, as opposed to small snippets of conversations with Anne concerning the waiting to be married. And while it is true that Jane is no bitter shrew, I feel she only seemed to exist to be loyal to George and Anne; I didn't get a feeling of who she was as an individual at all. For a long time I didn't really feel the connection between George and Jane; they were just in love because the story demanded it.

However, the book improves once the sections during Jane's imprisonment grow longer, and when the story turns to Anne's fall from Henry's graces. I felt for Jane when she began to break down mentally, and was powerless to stop it. Likewise, I could empathize with Anne; she was losing the king's favor and knew her outbursts made her situation worse, but her temper would get the better of her and she'd make dangerous comments like the "dead man's shoes" to Henry Norris. It could not have been easy to "waste away your youth" waiting for the king to divorce, only to have him lose interest within a few years of marriage. And the ending! I was moved when Jane was finally allowed to visit George's resting place; it was at that point that I finally believed in their love. I'm not sure what their relationship was really like, but I hope it was happier that how it is usually portrayed.

I'm still going to find and read Adrienne Dillard's novel on Catherine Carey, since she is another that is so rarely written about, even in Tudor historical fiction. But next time I should probably temper my expectations.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great effort to reconstruct the historical facts available to us; Adrienne Dillard's fine research has made Jane Parker Boleyn a sympathetic as well as dramatic figure. I applaud her for that and totally agree; a 10 year marriage, where Jane cohabited with George Boleyn and lived in the court supports this hypothesis.

There are many people who were players in, and victims of, Henry VIII 's cruel narcissistic rampage through his reign who deserve our sympathies. Jane apparently was one such and I am sure that Mary Boleyn and her children were also. Adrienne's fine first novel "Cor Rotto" sheds light on Mary Boleyn's life after Henry though her daughter Catherine Carey Knollys.

This novel has even more depth, character development as well as giving readers historical vignette's back and forth in time. A very fine Author's note take us through the known facts, including many that were unknown up until fairly recently.

Jane Boleyn was, and is, a sympathetic figure of course; who would not be who was executed in this time? What the author has done is to make her a vivid and believable heroine who was resilient for as long as she could . I look for more by this fine author.

Recommended for fans of those affected by Henry VIII and other novels in this turbulent era.

[MJ LaBeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adrienne Dillard immediately drew me into Jane Boleyn’s world, and I was swept up in the intrigue, opulence and secrecy of King Henry’s court. Jane’s loyalty was her greatest downfall. I don’t think she intended to hurt Katherine of Aragon or her sister-in-law, Anne. It is easy to understand her decision to put family first. The King sought an annulment from Katherine and divided the kingdom. It appears Katherine had many fierce and loyal supporters, but if Anne was to become queen wouldn’t their loyalty shift to honor the King anyway? After reading the author’s notes and learning about Jane’s “shadowy” reputation in Tudor history, I’m glad Dillard filled in her past in such a way that made me sympathize with Jane and the choices she faced and decisions she made. I would highly recommend this novel to book clubs and fans of the 16th Century. Dillard’s research alone provides much to talk about and the questions at the end of novel offers so much more for a lively discussion. Bravo, Adrienne Dillard! Can’t wait to read your next book!!

[Breeanna Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adrienne gave SO much life to a woman who is so often vilified in Tudor writing. She made Jane a human, flaws and all. She sheds light onto what it must've been like being a woman in a time, when women were expected to bear children, and what it must have been like to not deliver. I love her voice, I love her story telling ability, and I love the historical facts woven into the story. Jane was truly a woman caught up in a real life Game of Thrones. A must read if you like Tudor stories.

[Helen Hollick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has received a Discovering Diamonds Review:

Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs

"This novel presents an alternative view in which Jane did not hate Anne, did not have a bad marriage and grieved over the executions. It is well-written and probably a more realistic view of Jane than the bitter and spiteful character portrayed in most historical novels"

[Gary R Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable revision of Jane's life

Well researched and thoroughly entertaining retake of the life of one of history's greatest villainesses. The characterisation seems plausible throughout and the evocation of time and place is authentic. This was a quick and satisfying read which is recommend to any fans of historical fiction, esp Boleynites like myself!

[Christine Cazeneuve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

Positively loved this book. What a refreshing take on Jane Boleyn. No other author has attempted to humanize her and it certainly has you look at things from a different angle. Must read for Tudor lovers.