4 out of 5 stars
On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads
How I discovered this book: A favourite author; I read most of her books as they come out
In a Nutshell: Book 1 of The Surface and the Deep series, about Anne of Cleves
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!
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