An Anne Boleyn I Actually Liked

The Secret Diary Of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell

Summary: When the young Queen Elizabeth I is given her mother's diary, she discovers the truth about her lascivious and despotic father, Henry VIII -- and vows never to relinquish control to any man.

Review: An enjoyable story about an Anne Boleyn that I actually enjoyed.

Portraying Anne Boleyn can be done in a number of ways and it is so easy to portray her as a stereotype. Some books I have read about Anne Boleyn recently have fallen into that trap. I have not read much about Elizabeth, either fiction or non fiction, so I do not have much of an opinion of her character. I personally found that Elizabeth was a bit too impulsive for a queen at times although she did show that she could be a strong person. Elizabeth's story didn't add much to the book and I think it would have been fine if it just had Anne Boleyn's diary. 

I think my favorite part of Anne's story is how she tried to develop love for Henry, but that her love was fragile and easily broken. Henry was portrayed as a man who became obsessed with a girl who had no choice but to marry him. How easily and how quickly Henry turned on Anne showed that he was obsessed with the ideal Anne, not the actual person. This Anne Boleyn was strong, intelligent, and ambitious, but she was also trapped by her gender and the ambition of her family. 

Rating:

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to those who are fans of the Tudors, Anne Boleyn, or historical fiction set in 16th century England.