THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII by Alison Weir

4 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: Twitter/X

In a Nutshell: Non-fiction account of the lives of the six queens

There is no doubt that this book is an exceptionally well-researched tome, with many quotes from those who were there at the time; this gives invaluable weight to those of us fascinated by these six women.

I did detect a certain bias; Weir has little good to say about Anne Boleyn, portraying her as a woman ruled by her ambition before anything else, though she mentioned the good works which Anne undertook without fanfare.  This, to me, made some of the other assumptions about her character seem less likely.  There is, of course, no doubt that Henry VIII was an overgrown child-monster who treated every one of them appallingly at some point during their time with him, but I've always believed (perhaps naïvely, I don't know) that Anne was as in love with Henry as he was with her.

I liked Weir's thoughts about Jane Seymour, that she was not just pushed forward by her family, but had calculated ambitions of her own.  I have long thought this, that she was not the retiring innocent flower of legend.  Catherine Howard I felt got a raw deal from this book, as it concentrated on her wanton ways rather than the fact that, as a child brought up without parents and siblings, she was preyed on by older men.  However, so much that we think or think we know about these famous ladies cannot be proven, so perhaps I read it with as much bias as that with which I considered it to be written - it's hard to assess!

I enjoyed reading this book, though I admit to skip reading some of what I considered to be rather laboured detail about the various political situations, though I can understand why it was included.

It's good, but I was a little disappointed in parts.

PHOENIX by Gemma Lawrence @TudorTweep

5 GOLD stars

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How I discovered this book: Have been waiting for it to come out since I read its prequel.

In a Nutshell:  Book #3 in the Phoenix Trilogy, about the life of Jane Seymour

LOVED this book so much I read it over a period of 28 hours - and it's not a short book!  One of those I wish I hadn't started so I would still have it to read. My favourite of the trilogy, it picks up Jane's story on May 19th, 1936, the day of Anne Boleyn's death.

Gemma Lawrence has dispelled many of the traditional ideas about Jane Seymour, to present her, through detailed research and a clever understanding of her subject, as a woman who was not naturally meek and submissive, but afflicted by that frustrating paradox: of strong opinions but lacking the confidence to express them.  She is painted as having a certain fierce determination that she used with skill when she wanted to wrest Henry from Anne, but otherwise kept quiet - most of the time.  As Ms Lawrence says in the notes afterwards, Jane chose to speak up for those who suffered under the brutal dissolution of the monasteries, knowing this could put her at risk.  

Lawrence's Jane is realistic; she sees that she was married 'on a whim', having been pushed at Henry as the antidote to the vivacious, outspoken, far too intelligent Anne Boleyn, and once the wooing was over Henry lost interest in her, which would not be regained until she became pregnant with Edward; this was her only safety blanket.  I saw much possible truth in her view that Anne's death and all those that preceded it (Thomas More, the men accused of sleeping with her, etc) completely changed Henry from spoiled yet charismatic, magnanimous prince into to a greedy, delusional tyrant, and also that Anne was the great love of his life ... and he would never recover from having murdered her on charges that he knew, deep down, were false.  Jane's fear of him leapt off the pages; no longer was he the man with whom she had fallen in love.  She thought she saw an evil in him that was inhuman, and began to think of him, as did the rebels of the Pilgrimage of Grace, as the Mouldwarp of Merlin's prophecies - proud, malign and dangerous, yet cowardly.

'Thousands of monks and nuns...beggars were upon the roads of England in huge numbers. The King was displeased about this, and could not seem to see that he had created these people, thrown them into a life of desperation.'

'The King did not like the icons, but just wanted the money within them ... I had come to think that the King was lost to all reason, greed becoming his only master.'

Throughout, Jane talks to her dead predecessors, Anne and Katherine ... this is most effective, especially as she begins to see even Anne as a sister in arms.  That their enemy is the man they fought over, not each other.

'Anne had gone to her death for standing in the way of what men wanted, for not bearing a son, not for a crime, not for betraying the King's life or his bed ... I was married to a murderer.'

I liked the evidence of the superstitions of the time, about conception, determining the sex of the baby, good and bad omens.  They're fascinating to read.  I loved the poetic descriptions of the landscape and the activities of the people, according to the seasons.  The England of the 16th century, unsullied by industry, a time when the climate was quite different; good fiction of this time shows that climate change is certainly nothing new.  The seasons did not mingle together with no clear definition as they do now; summers were hot, the autumn chilly, the winters ferociously cold, with rivers freezing solid enough to hold markets on them quite safely.  

Frost Fair on the Thames.  1685, artist unknown

Jane's tragic death features throughout the book, short chapters interspersed within the main story, and this works so well, as does the epilogue from the POV of Mary, the King's daughter by Katherine.

Definitely up there with my favourite of this author's books, and also my favourite book of 2021 so far.

Wulfhall

THE WORM AND THE FLEDGLING by Gemma Lawrence

4 out of 5 stars

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How I discovered this book: a favourite author, I buy all her books.

In A Nutshell: Book #2 of a 3 book series about the life of Jane Seymour.

This second book in Gemma Lawrence's Phoenix trilogy, the story of Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII, covers the period from the early days of the King's affair with Anne Boleyn, and ends the day after Anne's execution.

Most of the first two thirds of the book is about the King's Great Matter, with developments being told by Jane through information given to her by others, mostly brother Edward, or through conversations that take place in her hearing.  This must have been the number one topic for discussion, argument and gossip both at court and throughout the country, and constants throughout the account are Jane's love for and loyalty towards Queen Katherine, and her deep resentment of Anne Boleyn.  Having read and loved Ms Lawrence's series about Anne Boleyn, it was interesting to read the view from the other side.  More than any other book I've read about the period, this one made me fully realise what Anne was up against.

Later on, as Henry and Anne's marriage crumbles, the King notices Jane, and their relationship begins.  This is talked about only briefly at first; I would have liked to have seen more emphasis on and actual scenes showing how their relationship began and developed, and Jane's life, generally, rather than so much about what was going on elsewhere, politically, although of course this was the backdrop for Jane's story.  However, this could just be because I've read so much about the Great Matter in books over the years!

I have always been of the belief that Jane Seymour was every bit as ambitious and calculating as Anne is thought to have been, and indeed she appears so in this book—and the Seymour family were no different from the Boleyns in the way that they pushed Jane forward. I was so glad Ms Lawrence didn't paint Jane as saintly and of great virtue.  Never having had any attention from men, the love Henry professed to feel for her became as a drug, and she had no qualms about doing to Anne Boleyn the very same thing that she'd hated her for doing to Katherine.  Worse, really; at least Anne was passionately in love with the King, though Jane seems to be motivated more by loneliness, the desire to improve her own self-image, and to triumph over a woman she hated.

The last third of the book is by far the most compelling, and I was glued to my Kindle.  Jane only once or twice considers that Anne might not be as black as she is painted, but by being an 'unreliable narrator', she gives the reader sufficient information to see her rival as would her admirers and supporters.  I was most impressed by the clever way in which this was written.

Once the trials and executions begin, the truth begins to dawn on her.  Be careful what you wish for....

As is the norm in Ms Lawrence's Tudor books, both prologue and epilogue are set as the main character faces death, which always works so well.  I thought the epilogue in this book was particularly good, a fine ending.  I am so, so looking forward to Book 3, and indeed to more of Ms Lawrence's books about Henry's wives.