Anne Boleyn

by Vercors

Explores the life and political intrigue surrounding the young queen whose daughter, Elizabeth, would become one of the greatest rulers of all time

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Vercors was the pen name of Jean Marcel Bruller, taken from a French province where Bruller fought during the early stages of the Second World War. During the Nazi occupation of France in the 1940s, Vercors/Bruller co-founded the clandestine publishing operation Les Éditions de Minuit (The Midnight Press) and was a key literary figure in the Resistance.

Reviews

[Adrienne Dillard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a much different form than I am used to. I think the author intended it to be a biography, but it is written as a narrative told from the perspective of a woman raised with Anne and attendant on her during her lifetime. The identity of the woman is never revealed as she is supposedly writing at the behest of Queen Elizabeth I and QE has asked her to keep it secret. This was an interesting take on Anne...it was written in the 80s, but echoes the most recent portrayal of Anne as someone who agrees to marry the king so that she can claim the crown...not out of love. However, Vercors' version has her agreeing, not for royal glory, but so that she can gain power to reform the church. While I don't wholeheartedly agree with this depiction, I found his thoughts on Henry VIII refreshing and inspired. Religious reform flourishes on the island, not because of him, but in spite of him. He puts up a good show of enlightenment, but in his heart it rings hollow. I wanted to rate this book four stars, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it when there were so many historical errors in it...none more irritating than the author's assertion that it was Jane Boleyn who gave evidence of incest...utterly leaving out Nan Cobham and Lady Worcester. I realize that this book was written well before her rehabilitation, but it truly seemed to come out of nowhere. Earlier in the book he had Jane and George seemingly supporting each other when they were ostracized together at the beginning of the Boleyn's fall...then quite suddenly conniving against them. That's just sloppy writing. This is a book that serious Tudor historians should read in order to get a French perspective on the very French Anne Boleyn (even though she is surprisingly nationalistic in this book), but proceed with caution.