- Paperback: 358 pages
- Publisher: The History Press LTD; paperback / softback edition (4 April 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 075243943X
- ISBN-13: 978-0752439433
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.4 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 171,543 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
'All eyes and hair' a courtier had said disparagingly of her - and certainly the younger daughter of Tom Boleyn lacked the bounteous charms of most ladies of Court. Black-haired, black-eyed, she had a wild-sprite quality that was to prove more effective, more dangerous than conventional feminine appeal. The King first noticed her when she was sixteen - and with imperial greed he smashed her youthful love-affair with Harry Percy and began the process of royal seduction...But this was no ordinary woman, no maid-in-waiting to be possessed and discarded by a king. Against his will, his own common sense, Henry found himself bewitched - enthralled by the young girl who was to be known as - the Concubine...
About the Author
Norah Lofts was one of the best-known and best-loved of all historical novelists, known for her authentic application of period detail to all her books. She was a bestselling author on both sides of the Atlantic, was born in Norfolk. She taught English and History at a girls' school before turning to writing full time in 1936. Her passion for old houses and their continuing history sparked off her much praised Suffolk trilogy, The Town House, The House at Old Vine and The House at Sunset. These were followed by the bestselling The Concubine, The King's Pleasure, a novel about the life of Katharine of Aragon and Eleanor the Queen a novel about the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Lofts wrote more than 50 books, including historical non-fiction and short stories.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a well-written work of historical fiction that focuses on Anne Boleyn. It is her story, told against the backdrop of the turbulent Tudor court. The author paints a portrait of Anne Boleyn with small brush strokes, creating a picture of a fully fleshed, complex woman.
The author first shows Anne as a vulnerable, though elegant young woman, fresh from the French court and now a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine. She is in the throes of first love with Henry Percy, the son and heir of the Earl of Northumberland. He, too, is smitten, and they plan to marry. Yet, just as she is about to realize her dream, Cardinal Wolsey intervenes, and she and Percy are no longer free to marry. A bitter Anne, misinterpreting why Wolsey acted as he did, vows to make Wolsey pay for her unhappy plight.
It soon becomes clear, however, as to why Wolsey interfered in her personal affairs. It appears that Anne has caught the eye of King Henry VIII, and nothing in England will ever again be the same. With her ambitious family in the wings, Anne leads the King on a merry chase, holding onto her chastity until the very last, while holding out for the Queen's crown.
Anne would wait in the wings all but Queen except in name, as King spent years trying to shed himself of Queen Catherine, his long suffering wife, under the theory that they had never really been married in the eyes of God, as Catherine had first been his brother Arthur's wife. This was euphemistically known as the King's private matter, though it seemed all of England knew of it and frowned upon it, due to Queen Catherine's popularity.
Still, the King was determined upon setting his first marriage aside in order to marry Anne. This matter would set the backdrop for the coming Reformation. The rise of Protestantism is evoked through the person of Emma Arnett, Anne's personal maid, making Anne's story more three dimensional, as this sub-plot grounds Anne's story in the historical context of the time.
The reader sees Anne's transition from that of a disillusioned girl into a woman with a great deal of power, who sees her power wane once the King has consummated his love and quenched his desire for her. The reader also sees Henry VIII make a gradual transition from being a king with an occasional roving eye, to besotted suitor, to a tyrannical despot, seeking to beget a legitimate son by whatever means necessary. It also explains why the King at varying times viewed Anne as his beloved, then as his Queen and potential mother of his male heir, and finally as a treasonous harlot.
Anne's story is intelligently told by an master storyteller, well-crafted and compelling. It is a wonderful work of historical fiction that is replete with period detail, political intrigues, and a shimmering panoply of historical events. This is a novel that those who enjoy well-written historical fiction or those who enjoy novels about Anne Boleyn or the Tudor court will love.
The author first shows Anne as a vulnerable, though elegant young woman, fresh from the French court and now a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine. She is in the throes of first love with Henry Percy, the son and heir of the Earl of Northumberland. He, too, is smitten, and they plan to marry. Yet, just as she is about to realize her dream, Cardinal Wolsey intervenes, and she and Percy are no longer free to marry. A bitter Anne, misinterpreting why Wolsey acted as he did, vows to make Wolsey pay for her unhappy plight.
It soon becomes clear, however, as to why Wolsey interfered in her personal affairs. It appears that Anne has caught the eye of King Henry VIII, and nothing in England will ever again be the same. With her ambitious family in the wings, Anne leads the King on a merry chase, holding onto her chastity until the very last, while holding out for the Queen's crown.
Anne would wait in the wings all but Queen except in name, as King spent years trying to shed himself of Queen Catherine, his long suffering wife, under the theory that they had never really been married in the eyes of God, as Catherine had first been his brother Arthur's wife. This was euphemistically known as the King's private matter, though it seemed all of England knew of it and frowned upon it, due to Queen Catherine's popularity.
Still, the King was determined upon setting his first marriage aside in order to marry Anne. This matter would set the backdrop for the coming Reformation. The rise of Protestantism is evoked through the person of Emma Arnett, Anne's personal maid, making Anne's story more three dimensional, as this sub-plot grounds Anne's story in the historical context of the time.
The reader sees Anne's transition from that of a disillusioned girl into a woman with a great deal of power, who sees her power wane once the King has consummated his love and quenched his desire for her. The reader also sees Henry VIII make a gradual transition from being a king with an occasional roving eye, to besotted suitor, to a tyrannical despot, seeking to beget a legitimate son by whatever means necessary. It also explains why the King at varying times viewed Anne as his beloved, then as his Queen and potential mother of his male heir, and finally as a treasonous harlot.
Anne's story is intelligently told by an master storyteller, well-crafted and compelling. It is a wonderful work of historical fiction that is replete with period detail, political intrigues, and a shimmering panoply of historical events. This is a novel that those who enjoy well-written historical fiction or those who enjoy novels about Anne Boleyn or the Tudor court will love.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a very well-written work of historical fiction that focuses on Anne Boleyn. It is her story, told against the backdrop of the turbulent Tudor court. The author paints a portrait of Anne Boleyn with small brush strokes, creating a picture of a fully fleshed, complex woman.
The author first shows Anne as a vulnerable, though elegant young woman, fresh from the French court and now a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine. She is in the throes of first love with Henry Percy, the son and heir of the Earl of Northumberland. He, too, is smitten, and they plan to marry. Yet, just as she is about to realize her dream, Cardinal Wolsey intervenes, and she and Percy are no longer free to marry. A bitter Anne, misinterpreting why Wolsey acted as he did, vows to make Wolsey pay for her unhappy plight.
It soon becomes clear, however, as to why Wolsey interfered in her personal affairs. It appears that Anne has caught the eye of King Henry VIII, and nothing in England will ever again be the same. With her ambitious family in the wings, Anne leads the King on a merry chase, holding onto her chastity until the very last, while holding out for the Queen's crown.
Anne would wait in the wings all but Queen except in name, as King Henry VIII spent years trying to shed himself of Queen Catherine, his long suffering wife, under the theory that they had never really been married in the eyes of God. After all, Catherine had first been his brother Arthur's wife. This was euphemistically known as the King's private matter, though it seemed all of England knew of it and frowned upon it, due to Queen Catherine's popularity.
Still, the King was determined upon setting his first marriage aside in order to marry Anne. This matter would set the backdrop for the coming Reformation. The rise of Protestantism is evoked through the person of Emma Arnett, Anne's personal maid, making Anne's story more three dimensional, as this sub-plot grounds Anne's story in the historical context of the time.
The reader sees Anne's transition from that of a disillusioned girl into a woman with a great deal of power, who sees her power wane once the King has consummated his love and quenched his desire for her. The reader also sees Henry VIII make a gradual transition from being a king with an occasional roving eye, to besotted suitor, to a tyrannical despot, seeking to beget a legitimate son by whatever means necessary. It also explains why the King at varying times viewed Anne as his beloved, then as his Queen and potential mother of his male heir, and finally as a treasonous harlot.
Anne's story is intelligently told by an master storyteller, well-crafted and compelling. It is a wonderful work of historical fiction that is replete with period detail, political intrigues, and a shimmering panoply of historical events. This is a novel that those who enjoy well-written historical fiction or those who enjoy novels about Anne Boleyn or the Tudor court will love.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've devoured the majority of books on the ever popular story of Anne Boleyn and had this one sitting around for quite a while. When I finally got around to opening it I was swept away within the first few pages - I don't think I put it down again until I had finished! Richly crafted with interesting anecdotes and quotes at the head of each chapter it was a wonderful read and relatively historically correct. Norah Lofts has placed every other Anne Boleyn story and tudor novel in the shade. I cannot recommend this enough!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Anne Boleyn Ur Text
Decided to revisit a teenage favourite many years later. It is wonderful. I've read many historical novels, many about this period, and this remains the best about Anne Boleyn ever... Read more
Published 5 days ago by white rose
Historical fiction at its best - a real page-turner
This is the first novel I have read by Norah Lofts, and it will not be the last. Yes, we all know the story of Nan Bullen - though we might not know her by that name - but this... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Glilla Bear
Interesting
I am half-way through this book, and enjoying it moderately.
PLOT: Henry VIII is married to Katherine of Aragon. Read more
PLOT: Henry VIII is married to Katherine of Aragon. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Illyria
ANNE OF THE THOUSAND DAYS...
This is a well-written work of historical fiction that focuses on Anne Boleyn. It is her story, told against the backdrop of the turbulent Tudor court. Read more
Published on 20 Jan 2005 by Lawyeraau
A MUST for Anne Boleyn Fans
A wonderfully written book that gives a marvellous account of the life of Henry the Eighth's most witty and controversial queen... Anne Boleyn. Read more
Published on 16 April 2003 by H2Obaby87
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