Anne Boleyn, An Illustrated Life of Henry VIII's Queen

by Roland Hui

Written by King Henry VIII to his sweetheart, the seductive and vivacious Anne Boleyn, his passion for her would be so great that Henry would make Anne his queen, and change the course of English history.

But the woman whom Henry had promised to love for all time would go from palace to prison, charged with heinous crimes. Her life ended on a bloody scaffold in the Tower of London.

Explore the incredible story of Anne Boleyn, the most famous and controversial of Henry VIII's six wives, in this exciting new account of her life told in words and pictures.

Genres: Tudor Period, Nonfiction, History, Biography, Renaissance, Royalty

192 pages, Hardcover

First published February 3, 2023

About the author

Roland Hui received his degree in Art History. After completing his studies, he went on to work in Interpretive Media for California State Parks, The U.S. Forest Service, and The National Park Service

Roland has written for 'Renaissance Magazine', 'Tudor Life Magazine', and 'Parergon - Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies'. He blogs about 16th century English art and personalities at 'Tudor Faces' (tudorfaces.blogspot.com).

Reviews

[*TUDOR^QUEEN* · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I was anticipating color illustrations when I gravitated towards this book. However, they are all black and white reproductions of various paintings, drawings of castles, coins, religious books, etc. However, my small disappointment with this was balanced out by the pleasant, concise writing (192 pages) focusing on the subject. At about the 80% mark the book proper ends and transitions to an epilogue, end notes/sources, and bibliography.

The book begins with a very short history of Anne Boleyn's heritage, then lunges forward to her being sent to the French court at (most likely) the age of 7. It was here that she learned the culture of French fashion, language and courtly ways that made her seem like an exotic creature at the Tudor court. The book of course ends with Anne's execution, but includes an intriguing chapter about what happened in the years after her death. Her legacy lived on through her daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth I, and although she didn't really talk about it there were clues and instances of remembrance documented that showed Queen Elizabeth's love and respect of Queen Anne, her mother. I did learn a few new kernels of information after decades of reading on this subject, and enjoyed the compact nature of its presentation.

Thank you to the publisher Pen & Sword History for "Granting my Wish" and providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

[Debra - can't post any comments on site today grrr · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This is a great book for those interested in Anny Boleyn. It is not overly wordy and has some illustrations. Those who are interested in the Tudors and have read various books on them will know most of the information told in this book. But it will serve as a nice refresher for those who find this time in history, Anne Boleyn, or the Tudors interesting.

Anne Boleyn was an interesting woman. She was the most famous of Henry VIII's wives. She was not considered to be beautiful according to the beauty standard for women at that time, but she was reportedly witty, talkative and confident. She was educated at the French court, spoke fluent in French, was intelligent, and cunning. She also failed to give the King a living son.

This book beings with her childhood and ends with her execution.

This book can easily be read in one sitting. My one complaint is that I could not zone in on the illustrations on my kindle. I would have liked to see them in more detail. With illustration in the title, I would have liked more and have them be bigger. But I did read an ARC and the physical book may have bigger illustrations.

Thank you to Pen and Sword History and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com

[Lisa Stoffers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roland Hui’s “Anne Boleyn, An Illustrated Life of Henry VIII’s Queen”, begins with the ongoing debate about the year in which Anne Boleyn was most likely born. Contrary to most contemporary historians, Hui believes Anne was born in 1507 and backs this with some great arguments, claiming that Anne was a child in the imperial schoolroom at the Court of Cambrai, where she, as the daughter of the English ambassador, got a first rate education among the children of other European nobles and aristocrats, rather than that she was a lady in waiting at the Court of Savoy to Margaret of Austria.
Hui does not quickly brush over Anne’s early life, but he gives some great details as to where Anne resided and things she might have experienced or seen in the Netherlands as well as in France.

Taken from George Cavendish’s “Thomas Wolsey, Late Cardinall, his Lyffe and Deathe”, Hui believes in Cavendish’s claim that after Wolsey broke off the marriage that Anne Boleyn tried to arrange for herself with Thomas Percy, she swore to revenge herself on the cardinal for separating her from Percy. He believes that it was Anne who eventually was the one who succeeded in causing Wolsey’s downfall years later, with the help of Thomas Boleyn, Thomas Howard and Charles Brandon. Hui therefore gives more credit to the notion of Anne Boleyn taking revenge on Wolsey than most other recent biographers.

Many authors make the mistake of giving Eustace Chapuys, imperial ambassador from 1529 to 1545, too much credit, and Hui often makes this mistake as well. It is easy to do so, for Chapuys is pretty much the only source who provides a constant stream of information about Anne’s time as queen. One must however be cautious in giving too much credence to the imperial ambassador, as Chapuys was a notorious Anne Boleyn hater, and Catherine of Aragon supporter, who often reported court gossip as fact to Emperor Charles V in his dispatches.

At one point the author makes a common mistake, stating that Henry and Anne wore yellow in celebration of the news of the death of Catherine of Aragon, naming Chapuys as source. However, if you read Chapuys’ dispatch in which this is mentioned carefully, you will observe that even Chapuys with his hate for Anne Boleyn does in fact only mention Henry dressing in yellow and parading Elizabeth around court. Anne therefore did in fact not wear yellow, a common misconception.

Hui describes in much detail the renovations that were made to the Tower of London in preparation for Anne Boleyn’s coronation. He also states that a comet was observed in October 1532 and June 1533, which was at the time seen as a sign of bad omen regarding Anne Boleyn.

The author makes a great assessment of Anne’s downfall, describing various elements in great detail. For example, he writes that the flirtatious banter between Anne Boleyn and Henry Norris -“You look for dead men’s shoes, for if aught came to the King but good, you would look to have me”- being overheard, is the reason that Anne famously entreated Henry at Greenwich, who was looking from an open window into the courtyard, where Anne stood with Elizabeth in her arms.

Hui also believes that Henry commissioned Cromwell to get rid of Anne, and not that Cromwell acted alone and convinced Henry to get rid of her. He also states that it is most likely that Henry convinced himself to believe in Anne’s guilt “in order to square his conscience and to justify his callous disposal of her”.

In conclusion, I greatly enjoyed reading Hui’s biography about Anne Boleyn.
He does not write conform to the most popular beliefs about the queen, but gives some great arguments for his alternative ideas. In a very brief biography (of only 181 pages, of which many are filled with images), he manages to mention the most important elements about the infamous Queen Anne Boleyn’s life.

[Juliew. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting illustrations,paintings and drawings in this.I was particularly fascinated by the Holbeins and I thought the story of Anne's life was well sourced and told.My only real issue with this was that it seemed a bit dated and newer information on her is out there and widely circulating on the internet today.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Boleyn, executed by her husband Henry VIII before she turned thirty, had an immense effect on English history. Henry’s desire to marry her caused a split with the Roman Catholic Church and the formation of the Church of England. Elizabeth, her only child, became one of the most powerful rulers the country has had. Anne Boleyn, An Illustrated Life of Henry VIII's Queen by Roland Hui, is a detailed. biography of Anne, full of many illustrations and little known facts.

There are three parts. The first tells of her childhood. Her ambitious father sent her abroad when she was only seven, first to court in the Netherlands, then to France. The skills she learns there are valuable. She is independent, knowledgeable in court politics, skilled in dance and, most important, bilingual. Part two begins after she returns to England and is immediately popular at court. Henry notices her but his mind is on the inability of his wife Katherine to bear a much needed male heir. And in the third part, his desire to marry Anne leads to the schism with Rome, his divorce, subsequent marriage, birth of a daughter and Anne’s fall into disfavor. When Henry moves on to another, Anne’s fate is secured.

We are all familiar with this tale. What is different here is the attention to detail, the compelling illustrations and author Hui’s ability to turn facts into a fast paced story. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pen & Sword and Roland Hui for this ARC.

[Anna Wooliver Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely biography, illustrating the short life of a woman caught in the middle of a royal machine. Sent as a child from England to France, Anne Boleyn has greater depth and meaning than simply being one of Henry's headless wives. Her story deserves a look into the woman herself, rather than her love life or who she married, and certainly she deserves more than how she died. This is a richly illustrated and highly digestible book about a 16th century royal figure, and a delightful read. You'll end this book knowing more, and having more compassion for the woman herself.

This book was given as an ARC from Net Galley.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this because I've been reading just about everything published on Anne Boleyn since I was a teenager. I found this book slightly puzzling until I looked up the author. He is an art historian with a concentration on Tudor images. That explains the somewhat shallow look at the historical content, it's text to support the collection of images. I don't know enough about most of them to know whether it's all public domain stuff, but the number of images "after Holbein" were slightly distressing as the originals are so much better as portraits! There are a few quite interesting items among them, including the Black Book of the Garter which you can better see on the author's blog because it has clear detail images in color. I'm not sure whether the published book will have any color in the images.

The book is not badly written at all. And Hui is cautious about the "Anne must have felt' stuff that is so common in modern historical writing - he says things like, "Given her subsequent bold attitude, Anne must have found this event..." It's marginally less annoying. He comes down on the side of Anne's birth date being 1507, and I'm not convinced by the reasons he gives - just because someone who knew her later said X or Y doesn't make it true, personal recollections are the most unreliable possible source of history. I would defer to someone like Eric Ives on such a topic. I did find his reliance on the Calendar of State Papers/Spanish somewhat disturbing, it's like relying on transcripts of Fox News to write a history of the Biden administration. This is the first time I've seen an assertion that Jane Seymour was actively dissing the Boleyn family and Henry's marriage as her relationship with Henry developed - just because it's in Chapuys' letters doesn't make it true, and it seems like an inordinately risky thing to do given Jane was being promoted by her family as meek and unpolitical, and people were being executed for less.

In sum, I would not recommend this as an introduction to Anne Boleyn, it's rather shallow and mechanical as history. But I'd recommend looking at the author's blog!

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read an advance copy of this book.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne Boleyn. The second of Henry VIII’s six wives. She is often the subject of debate - what year was she born? Was she the elder or younger daughter? Was she guilty or innocent? When new books, or documentaries, about Anne are released, I cannot help myself. This was the very reason that I just had to read Roland Hui’s new book entitled Anne Boleyn, An Illustrated Life of Henry VIII’s Queen. A huge thank you to NetGalley and Pen and Sword Books for an advanced copy of this book.

Anne Boleyn, An Illustrated Life of Henry VIII’s Queen starts by explaining Anne’s parentage and likely year of birth. We learn about the Boleyn children, their religious education and upbringing. We learn about Anne’s early years and influences such as Margaret of Austria and Queen Claude of France. On Anne’s return to England, Hui delves into how she was received at court and Anne’s involvement in the Chateau Vert pageant. Readers are introduced to Henry and Anne’s lengthy courtship, and the issue of the King’s Great Matter. We see Anne rise to great heights, followed by her quick downfall.

This book is well-written and highly accessible. It is short, and provides a good overview of Anne Boleyn’s life while touching on some of the popular misconceptions about her. The incorporation of over a hundred images throughout the text helped to bring Anne’s story to life. Overall, this book is a great introductory text for readers new to Tudor history, or for those looking for an accessible biography of Anne Boleyn.

[Lauralee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Boleyn is one of King Henry VIII’s most notorious queens. She is famous for being a key player in England's break from the Catholic Church. In this new biography, it tells the story of Anne’s life through various illustrations. It also examines some of the controversy surrounding this famous queen.

This biography has given me some new pieces of information. This book states that Anne was most likely born in 1507. This was surprising to me because it has always been assumed that she was older. But it provides good evidence that she might have been younger. The book also suggests that Anne Boleyn’s mother was still alive while it is generally believed she died young. The author states that it was because of a typo from Agnes Strickland. The author also details Anne’s romance with King Henry VIII. I also liked how the author talks about her Protestant beliefs. He said that she believed in the sacredness of the Catholic mass. However, her beliefs that were Protestant were that she believed in the Bible being in English and having more scholars to interpret scripture. I also found it interesting that the author believes that with King Henry VIII’s permission, Cromwell was the main instigator in Anne’s downfall.

Overall, this was a concise and very comprehensive biography. I have read several recent biographies of Anne Boleyn. However, this one provided me with new information about her life. I did think that the illustrations in this book could have been better. There were not many illustrations of the queen in this book. The few illustrations that I have seen were from other biographies of her. Still, it was a very detailed and thorough biography. It was also a very short book that could be read in one sitting. I also liked the notes. The author tells exactly what page he found his information. Therefore, it was a scholarly researched biography. I recommend this book for fans of Alison Weir, Elizabeth Norton, and Eric Ives! Anne Boleyn, An Illustrated Life of Henry VIII’s Queen is definitely a must read for Anne Boleyn enthusiasts!
(Note: I read an ARC copy of this book in courtesy of Netgalley.)

[Mariama Thorlu-Bangura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, as I do with most books about the Tudor era. Even though most of the information was not new to me, there were a few instances where the author's perception came through. That is what makes this book unique, because it is always interesting to see how a particular author will present his or her views on the events he or she is writing about. The illustrations were nice, but would have been better if they had been in color.
Thanks to NetGalley and Pen&Sword for access to this ARC, which I voluntarily read and reviewed.

[Heidi Malagisi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The wives of King Henry VIII have been discussed for centuries in length through novels and nonfiction books. Katherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr are all very popular queens, but there is one that you have all been waiting for, the most famous Tudor queen, Anne Boleyn. Her story has been told so many different ways by historians and historical fiction authors for centuries, and now it is time for another historian to write their spin on her story. In his latest book, “Anne Boleyn, An Illustrated Life of Henry VIII’s Queen,” Roland Hui paints a picture of the tumultuous life, love life, and death of Anne Boleyn.

Thank you, Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley, for sending me a copy of this book. I am always looking for a new approach to the lives of the Tudors in books, and when I heard about this title, it caught my eye.

Like so many books about Anne Boleyn, this biography covers Anne’s childhood, her reign and rocky relationship with Henry VIII, her tragic downfall, and her gruesome execution. Hui begins with the origins of the Boleyn family and Anne Boleyn’s childhood. I am glad Hui decided to focus on Anne’s upbringing in the court of Margaret of Austria because this is the aspect that I was always curious about when it came to Anne. We often talk about how the French court shaped Anne’s upbringing, but Hui shows his readers that the Burgundian court was just as transformative and impacted her life.

This book focuses on the relationship between Anne and Henry VIII and how she helped influence his reign, especially regarding religious matters. With the Great Matter and the creation of the Church of England alongside the rise of the English Reformation, we see Anne Boleyn’s opinions on religious matters. Anne had books written by humanists and reformers like Jacques Lefevre d’Etaples, Johannes Brenz, Simon Fish, and William Tyndale. She also surrounded herself with men like Nicholas Bourbon, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Shaxton, William Betts, William Latymer, and John Skip. Finally, Hui discusses how Anne Boleyn fell from her husband’s good favor and was executed.

This is an excellent book to introduce people to the story of Anne Boleyn, as you can easily read it in one sitting. I found some of the material in this book repetitive compared to other books about Anne Boleyn, but Hui does lift it with new facts and the images he includes in this book. Overall, I did enjoy the new information Hui had in his nonfiction book. If you are a fan of Anne Boleyn and want to learn new facts about her life, I suggest you check “Anne Boleyn, An Illustrated Life of Henry VIII’s Queen” by Roland Hui.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Pen & Sword History for the uncorrected proof of this book.

Synopsis: The book explores the rise and fall of England's most infamous Queen Consort. Anne Boleyn's story has captivated popular imagination for centuries, but rarely is her story accompanied by multiple visual representations. Hui explores her life while integrating images of her friends, family, rivals, personal objects, and royal palaces.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this book. It was a well-written and researched work examining Anne's life. I particularly enjoyed the visual aspects of this book as they showed people and things in Anne's story that I had never seen visually represented before. Unfortunately, some of the images did not load because this was an uncorrected proof, but I was able to read all of the picture captions and can see how each image was selected to highlight an important aspect of Anne's story.

I found Chapter 11 and the epilogue were my favourite parts of this book. In these two sections, Hui highlighted a few aspects of Anne's story that are not always well-detailed. Particularly who was present at her wedding ceremony, how Elizabeth honoured her memory during her reign, and how Anne was honoured in Elizabeth's funeral procession.

As I was reading this book I will admit that there were times when I was not entirely sure that Hui was a fan of Anne's. Obviously, this was based on the biases I brought to the book and I make no excuse for Anne's behaviour towards Katherine and Mary. However, during the Great Matter sections of Anne's story, it felt that she blended into the background while Katherine and Mary took precedence. There is a balancing act when doing a biography on Anne as she had many virtues and many faults, particularly related to her predecessor and step-daughter, but there were quite a few chapters where I finished reading and felt as if Anne had not made an appearance at all.

This is a great book for any Tudor history lover and I highly recommend it to those looking for another interesting read of Anne's story.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roland Hui’s Art history was from Concordia University and he has worked in Intereritive Media for Caiifornia State Parks, The U.S Forest Service,and The National Park, which is pretty cool.
The novel was well researched and a nice introduction to the Tudor’s and Anne Boyleyn. I enjoyed the content and my only negative, I would have enjoyed more images. Mainly, I liked how the autho created a timeline and Anne’s growth starting with her stay in France at the tender age of 7, next we follow her return to England in 1522.
The book was an Advanced Reader Copy which caused the images to be chopped into pieces, which made it difficult to enjoy the illustrations.I ended up Googling the images and I was able to connect the picture with the text. This would not be an issue with the finished copy, and I did not have this glitch negatively impact my review.
Mainly, I liked how the author timeline and how Anne evolved starting with Anne’s stay in France at the tender age of 7 following her return to England in 1522.
I was surprised that her facial features were described as unattractive. I always believed that Anne was pretty and pleasant to look at. I also admired Anne’s desire for knowledge and she enjoyed reading the banned manuscript ‘The Obedience of a Christian Man.
I’ve read many books both fiction and nonfiction featuring the Tudor’s and Anne Boylen. The difference between these books and Roland’s book, was the emotional connection, and saddness for Anne. She would have been a successful Queen and the history book would have had a different conclusion if Anne would have given birth to a boy.
Thank you Roland Hui, Pen and Sword History, and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this interesting book and I’ve written an honest review.

[Chelsea Littleton-Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roland Hui's "Anne Boleyn: An Illustrated Life of Henry VIII's Queen" offers readers a captivating and visually stunning exploration of one of history's most intriguing figures. Through a combination of meticulously researched text and striking illustrations, Hui brings to life the story of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife, from her rise to power to her tragic end.

One of the book's standout features is its attention to detail. Hui delves into Anne Boleyn's early life, her education, her time at the courts of Europe, and her eventual ascent to the throne as queen consort. Drawing on primary sources and historical records, he paints a vivid portrait of Anne as a complex and multifaceted figure, challenging many of the myths and misconceptions that have surrounded her for centuries.

The illustrations in the book are equally impressive, ranging from portraits and sketches of Anne and her contemporaries to depictions of the palaces, costumes, and events of Tudor England. Each image is carefully selected to complement the text and enhance the reader's understanding of the period, making for an immersive and visually stunning reading experience.

Hui's writing is clear, engaging, and accessible, making the book suitable for both casual readers and history enthusiasts alike. He deftly navigates the intricacies of Tudor politics, religion, and society, providing readers with valuable context while never losing sight of the human drama at the heart of Anne Boleyn's story.

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great literary stroll through the life of Anne Boleyn, supplemented with the odd gorgeous illustration. I’ve always been interested in this headstrong character in history so this book was perfect for me to indulge in my interest.

My only caveat though is with this being an ‘illustrated life’ I though there would be more illustrations. There would be several pages without a single illustration and instead reams of writing in its place, which I honestly don’t mind because the information was fascinating, but I expected more pictures to be within the book. And all were black and white which added to the historical feel of it but a few colour ones may have enhanced also. But not to detract away from the illustrations that were concluded as they were great. Of notable castles, people, coins etc.. and some of the greatly famous portraits by Holbein.

It was a greatly interesting read that took us from the early days of Anne Boleyn, to her pursuit of power and then to her subsequent fall. There was so much information within the book conveyed in such a succinct way, it was well done and much enjoyed.

Thank you to the author and publisher for this book on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review.

[Kelly]

Read an ARC via Netgalley.

This one may work better as a physical book. In ebook format the images were too small to see in any great detail so I was just glancing and moving on which made me question why it was called an illustrated guide.

I struggled because there were alot of 'may have', 'probably did' statements. I've read a lot of historical biographies where sources are unreliable or conflicting and yet I've never felt like they've been guessing. But I did with this book. It needed more confidence. Instead of saying, 'it probably would have impressed Anne'. Just say, it would have been impressive to Anne.
I understand that it is hard to know everything as fact from so long ago and with sources either unreliable or lost. But just pick your narrative and give to me with some confidence so it builds more of a picture, and has more of an impact.
Instead all the hedging made me think it was just under researched and I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped.

I didn't make it the whole way through, just to confirm. I just kept losing interest, it wasn't as dynamic as the story of Anne Boleyn should have been for me. Sorry!

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't say I was particularly impressed. For one, the illustrations aren't particularly pertinent to Anne Boleyn, and second, I didn't feel as if i'd learned much more from this book than from others by more experienced historians. Don't get me wrong, it was ok, it relayed the facts well enough and it's always pleasant to see a writer not take the easy route of believing the worst of Anne Boleyn, but other than that, knowing the history myself, I didn't feel as if I'd learned much from it. I actually think a lot of parts would be confusing to someone not knowing much of the history of Henry's second queen, as the structure was a bit messy.
Overall it's a decent read but I'm not sure it deserves to be considered an illustrated life of Anne Boleyn. The black and white illustrations are indeed there, but a little all over the place and rarely bring anything to the narrative of the book. I don't think the author really bases some of his assumptions on much and I agree with other reviewers that his interpretation of meek Jane as actively acting like Anne to take over her place as queen is a bit of a stretch considering what we know of Jane Seymour.

[Stephanie P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Pen & Sword, and Roland Hui for the approval to read an advanced copy of this book.

It is well-written and well-researched. I admired Hui's thoughtfulness to include little debates over what is usually presented as blatant facts in other historical works about Anne Boleyn. Was she born in 1501 or was it actually 1507? Did she have an elusive extra digit on her hand? Hui gave reasonings as to why historians give their answers to these questions.

The use of images throughout the pages of the book versus clumping them all together in the middle, as other historical books tend to do, gave this version of Anne Boleyn's life a fresher perspective. We get to see places she visited and people she enteracted with as those moments happen.

This is a book to be read and reread. I am looking forward to its release so I can add it to my collection of books on Tudor history.

[loopyloulaura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have said many times that the Tudor era is my favourite so I was looking forward to this non fiction book about Henry VIII's second queen. I found this book very easy to read whilst also giving careful consideration of the evidence, for example for her date of birth.
Unlike many of the similar books I have read about women in history, most of the content was directly relevant rather than too much guesswork. There is little information about her relationship with parents/siblings, perhaps due to a lack of direct evidence. However, I was surprised that there was not more information about her life as queen or her trial which were much more documented events.
I liked the interweaved pictures of the main figures as they are discussed as well as places relevant to the content.
Anne Boleyn: An Illustrated Life of Henry VIII's Queen is a well researched and very readable history of a notable queen.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read on history of Anne Boleyn. Highly recommend this book.
This biography is well written and well researched. Has many illustrations of many of the structures and people of that period. The author has done a good job of giving the reader a look at Anne Boleyn's personality and the marriage to Henry VIII. Anne was indeed ambitious and could be cruel at times especially to Katherine of Aragon and her daughter Princess Mary. She was also generous to those she cared about.
Anne was not guilty of what she was accused of but Henry VIII wanted a male heir and since she did not give him one he wanted her gone.
I found myself feeling sorry for Anne for I think she actually fell in love with the king. The reader will have to decide for themselves whether she should be vilified or sympathized.

[julianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly I'll say I think this book will be better in either hardback or paperback, the images didn't translate well to an electronic version, they were too small and in places were cut into several parts.

If you want to see pictures of items, places and people relevant to Anne Boleyn this is the book for you, if you want an in depth written history look elsewhere.

Hui's reliance on the Calendar of State Papers/Spanish diminished his telling of Anne's story, they're biased and whilst he tried to be fair he failed in places. Especially when he's discussing The Great Matter and Mary and Katherine.

Some of the information presented as new facts is actually quite dated and there are better books on Anne Boleyn out there, that being said the illustrations were quite charming.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[Katrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed. I thought 'An Illustrated Life...' would mean just that, an illustrated life story.

There are images relevant to the times and events of Anne's life but not illustrations/pictures in the sense that I inferred from the title. I thought this would have drawings/pictures to bring to life the details of Anne Boleyn's story.

Aside from my misconception regarding the imagery that would be inside the book, I found the writing to be simplistic, a little disjointed, and full of question.

I feel that if you are new to Anne Boleyn and have picked up a physical copy of this book, that you have flicked through and are aware of the 'illustrations' used, then this book would be an ok read.

The publisher really missed a trick here, a true illustrated life of any figure from the Tudor period would be fantastic, even with below par writing!!

[DrewB161 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne Boleyn, An Illustrated Life of Henry VIII's Queen provides a concise but interesting overview of the life of this controversial but ever-fascinating figure.

Throughout the text, there are beautiful illustrations, some of which I had never seen. Others will be familiar.

Roland Hui's text is conversational but full of fascinating anecdotes about the culture and influences that shaped Anne. There is an intimacy in this study, perhaps lacking in longer treatments (Eric Ives et cetera).

You won’t find huge new theories to why Anne fell, or revisionism, et cetera. It’s a short but balanced account. Being short, this would be a perfect introduction to Anne Boleyn; however, anyone with interest in Anne Boleyn would enjoy Hui's text, and I do recommend it.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

e-ARC curtesy of Netgalley

I've read a lot about Anne Boleyn over the years. Some books, nonfiction and fiction, are well-written and many are not (think of those which make Anne seem utterly one-dimensional/leave out details of her religion and patronage).

While this is a short book, Roland Hui captures the reader's attention through interesting facts(even questioning the details around certain sources) written in an easy to understand style that is neither dull or boring. Hui doesn't try to paint Anne in a biased way (neither a misunderstood saint or witchy, mystical sinner like some do).

[Flora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this account of Anne Boleyn’s rise and fall. The illustrations really helped with picturing how the characters, artefacts and buildings looked like. Nice touch. I liked that.

My main complaint is that I felt that the writing was occasionally a bit disjointed, causing me to go back the last few pages to see what I had missed for the story to progress like that.

Anne Boleyn seems to be portrayed a bit more negatively here, perhaps due to the use of writings of people who did not favour her.

Overall, an enjoyable read. Obviously very well researched with lots of resources listed at the end. There are also notes aplenty for the really interested.

4 stars.

[bookwormnici · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, thank you NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this book!!
I love historical fiction based on reality. When I discovered this book on netgalley I was very thrilled and soon enough got approved!! This book provided all the information we needed about Anne Boleyn and how she met her tragic death. Sometimes I struggled, because english is not my first language. Her life was not described in depth, but this is a short book with the most important information about her.

But I can say that I was not disappointed by this book and enjoyed it very much. The writing style was enjoyable and overall a book I'd recommend everyone to read.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can never resist reading books about this fascinating, much-beloved Queen! Roland Hui provides an excellent introduction to her life, filled with illustrations. It is thoroughly researched, and sympathetic to Anne. I especially liked the emphasis on how religious Anne was, and the behaviour that she expected from her ladies-in-waiting. Hui describes her clever, creative and temperamental character, and her relationship with the King beautifully. The book also contains interesting details about her relationship with her daughter, the future Gloriana.

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

[Georgi_Lvs_Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘When Anne arrived at the English court, it was said that she immediately turned heads.’

Anne Boleyn has always held a higher interest for me, I was very excited to read this book.

The illustrations are divine!

I must say, by the end of this book I actually really started to dislike Anne!

‘We moved by pity do not wish the same Anne to be committed to be burned by fire. We, however, command … upon the green within our Tower of London aforesaid, the head of the same Anne shall be caused to be cut off.’

For Tudor lovers!

[Eloise Falcone · Rating 5 out of 5]

- Special thanks to Netgalley and Roland Hui for letting me read this book early -

This has to be the best book to initiate yourself on the life of the late english Queen Anne Boleyn, who will always be remembered as the first English Queen to be beheaded.

This is well documented and has lots of pictures to clarify the text, making it easier for everyone to follow the story and all its participants.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. Loved this book and highly recommend for all Tudor fans out there. This book was insightful. I read a lot of books about Anne Boleyn and sometimes most of the books have the same information on her, so after a while it gets repetitive and boring hearing the historical information. This author surprised me with some different points of view and I really enjoyed it.