MADEMOISELLE BOLEYN

Author: Robin Maxwell ISBN: 0451222091 11/2007 HISTORICAL FICTION Publisher: NAL TRADE
Time Period:

With her father ordered to spy on the French Court, the charming and sweetly innocent Anne Boleyn is delighted by the thought of a new adventure in a strange land. And she is not to be disappointed. For under her watchful, inquisitive gaze, her beautiful sister, Mary, fulfills her own mission: to uncover the secrets of the King of France by seducing him. As Mary turns the seduction into a challenge, collecting as many gorgeous jewels and private favors as the king will lavish upon her, Anne undergoes her own sexual awakening, each daring exploit taking her one step closer to the life that is her destiny...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

One of the best things about MADEMOISELLE BOLEYN is that the author manages to humanize and create a more sympathetic figure of Anne Boleyn by telling her story through the eyes of a young child—Anne's, herself. Fascinating to read and rich in historical detail, this depiction of Anne's young life growing up in the French courts somehow softens our notions about her, presenting her as an innocent and fiery spirit whose inquisitiveness and intelligence is shaped by those closest to her as well as the adult influences and intrigues of the court.

Most people view Anne Boleyn much the same as Richard III—badly. Both were much maligned by the "bad medieval tabloid press" of their day through accounts written mostly by their foes and that weren't necessarily unbiased. In other words, both have gotten really bad raps throughout the centuries, and perhaps been blamed for much they really didn't do. In Anne's case, the fact that she was a woman and her husband King of England, well, she didn't stand much of a chance. If you say the name Anne Boleyn today, for example, all many people know is it was "Off with her head!" and that she was the "other woman" who broke up the marriage of a king and helped bring a country and its religion to it knees. Yet MADEMOISELLE BOLEYN shows an innocent Anne before all that happened, a young girl filled with girlish innocence and wonder in her surroundings, with a pleasant disposition and a driving hunger for affection, love and knowledge.

Robin Maxwell has really outdone herself here. Finally, Anne is portrayed as the young girl she might have been, a girl with dreams, a thirst for affection and her own romantic notions what her future will hold. Ignored by her father and sent into a world of adults at a tender, young age, the child Anne becomes a much more sympathetic figure of history.

To anyone who's interested in the Tudor dynasty and Henry VIII's wives, and if you want to get a more rounded view of this tragic, much maligned and often despised woman, MADEMOISELLE BOLEYN should be a must read on your list. With its excellent portrayal of time, place, people and events, as well as depicting Anne's persona during a time most authors don't cover, MADEMOISELLE BOLEYN is one book that I highly recommend. It's a keeper.

Nancy Davis