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Mary Boleyn
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Review
`Alison Weir's book valiantly attempts to separate speculation from historical truth' --Sunday Times
Review
Praise for Alison Weir's "The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn"
" "
"[Weir] is well equipped to parse the evidence, ferret out the misconceptions and arrive at sturdy hypotheses about what actually befell Anne."--"The New York Times"
" "
"Well-researched and compulsively readable . . . Acclaimed novelist and historian Weir continues to successfully mine the Tudor era, once again excavating literary gold."--"Booklist"
" "
"It is a testament to Weir's artfulness and elegance as a writer that "The Lady in the Tower" remains fresh and suspenseful, even though the reader knows what's coming."--"The Independent "(U.K.)
" "
"Compelling stuff, full of political intrigue and packing an emotional wallop."--"The Oregonian"
" "
"[Weir] is well equipped to parse the evidence, ferret out the misconceptions and arrive at sturdy hypotheses about what actually befell Anne."--"The New York Times"
" "
"Well-researched and compulsively readable . . . Acclaimed novelist and historian Weir continues to successfully mine the Tudor era, once again excavating literary gold."--"Booklist"
" "
"It is a testament to Weir's artfulness and elegance as a writer that "The Lady in the Tower" remains fresh and suspenseful, even though the reader knows what's coming."--"The Independent "(U.K.)
" "
"Compelling stuff, full of political intrigue and packing an emotional wallop."--"The Oregonian"
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
There are many myths about Mary Boleyn, often from sources such as popular novels or films. In this excellent book, Alison Weir attempts to put the record straight about Mary's life. As other reviewers have already noted, there are parts of Mary's history where little is known, but the author has completed the task with admirable thoroughness and this is a very readable and enjoyable account.
The problems with recounting Mary's life begin early on - records do not show whether Mary was the eldest sibling or not. However, Alison Weir gives us all the evidence and suggests that probably Mary was older than Anne and George. Sent to France, Mary Boleyn succumbed to the temptations of the Court, led by the notorious Dauphin - later Francois I. "Rarely did any maid or wife leave that court chaste," wrote a contemporary. So, did Mary really have such a bad reputation, or did she actually spurn advances? Again, we are taken through all the possible scenarios. However, Anne was always seen as more intelligent and charming than Mary. While Anne remained at the French court, Mary seemed to drop from sight, out of favour.
The book continues with Mary's marriage to Willian Carey and the possibility of Mary's becoming Henry VIII's mistress. Mary had two children during her marriage to Carey - Katherine and Henry. Were either, or both, Henry's children? Again, Alison Weir looks at all the evidence with great thoroughness. A lot of what was said about Mary could have been malicious gossip about Anne Boleyn's family and there is no way of really knowing how long the affair between Mary and Henry lasted. One thing was sure, though, and that was that Anne did not intend to risk becoming just another discarded royal mistress. However, this book is not about Anne Boleyn. Despite her obvious importance, the author is careful to keep the attention on Mary. When William Carey died in 1528 of the 'sweating sickness', Mary was left poor and in debt, with two young children to support.
She did not feel appreciated, or cared for, by her family, writing sadly that, "I saw that all the world did set so little by me."
When Mary married William Stafford, she married for love. Disgraced, she was banished from court, and it is likely that she never met Anne again. The Boleyns suffered their cataclysmic fall in 1536, by which time Mary was poor but, hopefully, happy. Of the Boleyn siblings, she was the one who found love - "there was not in her the stuff of tragedy." There are, frankly, worse fates. Although there are obvious gaps in writing about someone in history, even someone so closely linked to the seat of power and intrigue of the Tudor court, Alison Weir provides a very readable and interesting account of Mary Boleyn's life. I have enjoyed all this authors books and this, in my opinion, is one of her best.
The problems with recounting Mary's life begin early on - records do not show whether Mary was the eldest sibling or not. However, Alison Weir gives us all the evidence and suggests that probably Mary was older than Anne and George. Sent to France, Mary Boleyn succumbed to the temptations of the Court, led by the notorious Dauphin - later Francois I. "Rarely did any maid or wife leave that court chaste," wrote a contemporary. So, did Mary really have such a bad reputation, or did she actually spurn advances? Again, we are taken through all the possible scenarios. However, Anne was always seen as more intelligent and charming than Mary. While Anne remained at the French court, Mary seemed to drop from sight, out of favour.
The book continues with Mary's marriage to Willian Carey and the possibility of Mary's becoming Henry VIII's mistress. Mary had two children during her marriage to Carey - Katherine and Henry. Were either, or both, Henry's children? Again, Alison Weir looks at all the evidence with great thoroughness. A lot of what was said about Mary could have been malicious gossip about Anne Boleyn's family and there is no way of really knowing how long the affair between Mary and Henry lasted. One thing was sure, though, and that was that Anne did not intend to risk becoming just another discarded royal mistress. However, this book is not about Anne Boleyn. Despite her obvious importance, the author is careful to keep the attention on Mary. When William Carey died in 1528 of the 'sweating sickness', Mary was left poor and in debt, with two young children to support.
She did not feel appreciated, or cared for, by her family, writing sadly that, "I saw that all the world did set so little by me."
When Mary married William Stafford, she married for love. Disgraced, she was banished from court, and it is likely that she never met Anne again. The Boleyns suffered their cataclysmic fall in 1536, by which time Mary was poor but, hopefully, happy. Of the Boleyn siblings, she was the one who found love - "there was not in her the stuff of tragedy." There are, frankly, worse fates. Although there are obvious gaps in writing about someone in history, even someone so closely linked to the seat of power and intrigue of the Tudor court, Alison Weir provides a very readable and interesting account of Mary Boleyn's life. I have enjoyed all this authors books and this, in my opinion, is one of her best.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Having read 'The Other Boleyn Girl' by Philippa Gregory many years ago I was very eager to read the real life account by this eminent writer. I've read all of Alison Weir's books and I am a huge fan of hers, as well as having endlessly read books on Tudor history. I found this book to be a thoroughly enjoyable and well researched biographical account of the real Mary Boleyn. The book is well balanced both in terms of scholarly research and background detail about Tudor social and sexual politics, and there was a lot more information given about the habits of the French court where both Boleyn sisters had their formative education. The backdrop of Ann Boleyn and her downfall has already been well documented by many including this author, so not a lot is divulged but gives just enough information to fill in those who are not knowledgeable about it, and adds a certain tension to the fate of Mary. I found this book very enjoyable and engrossing and made me realise how much more there is to know about life and death in Tudor times, and in doing so Alison Weir has reclaimed Mary Boleyn and her role within English history as more than just 'The Other Boleyn Girl'.
20 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I had been looking forward to reading this book as I have enjoyed Alison Weir's books over the years. However ultimately I found it disappointing. There is no doubting the scholarship and work which has gone into the book. The reason I did not enjoy it as much as I expected is that much of the book is taken up with comment as to where and how previous writers have either erred or frankly invented aspects of Mary's life. Even though this is no doubt true it becomes repetitive and slows down the narrative. The conclusion of the book is really that we know little about Mary as a person and little more about the events of her life.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Alison Weir
aN EXCELLENT BOOK, BUT FOR MY TASTE A LITTLE TOO MUCH DETAIL AND NOT ENOUGH "STORY" i WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT MARY BOLEYN BUT ENDED UP KNOWING A LOT MORE ABOUT THE COURT AND ITS... Read more
Published 1 month ago by HISTORY BUFF
excellent.
Poor Mary Boleyn, or should we say supremely lucky Mary Boleyn, she at least of the Boleyn family died a natural death in her bed, not like her very unlucky family. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mw R. Moore
A really good read...
This is a fascinating and colourful look at the life of Mary Boleyn, who after her brief moment of glory as mistress to Henry VIII, always seems to play second fiddle to her more... Read more
Published 2 months ago by jaffareadstoo
A questionable portrayal
As a history student looking to study History at university and thus interested primarily in academic history, I was realistic about approaching this popular take on Mary Boleyn,... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Conor Byrne
Enjoyable and entertaining
I really enjoyed reading this book and found it to be a hugely informative and entertaining. I enjoy reading historical books but can sometimes find them to be a little dry but... Read more
Published 3 months ago by aeh
far too speculative
Alison Weir is a fantastic historian, and this book is worth a read if you are interested in finding out more about Mary Boleyn. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Liz
Well researched but hard to read
I was looking forward to reading this book but when I finally got it, every twenty to thirty pages left me feeling very, very sleepy. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Austen Wannabe
A woeful tale
I couldn't wait for this to arrive - but my Oh my what a disappointment. I wasn't looking for an airy fairy tale, but I was not prepared for being bogged down by pages and pages of... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Maggie May
lovely read, well researched!
easy to read, well researched, leading a comprehensive discussion on the myths surrounding Mary and her life, questioning them, analisying and attempting to proove either right or... Read more
Published 4 months ago by I. M. Pitcher
Readable, informative if rather pedantic (and rushed?).
Alison Weir was the person responsible for getting me hooked on the Tudors, and since then their pre-history, after reading her "Six Wives" many years ago. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Graham James
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