Anne of Hollywood (edition 2012)

I still have yet to finish The Tudors with the ever-lusty Jonathan Rhys Meyer because my DVD player broke down, but with 2 seasons under my belt, I feel confident that I knew all there was to know about Anne Boleyn to dive into anne of hollywood. Unfortunately, the scandalous lives of the 16th century nobility do not mirror the scandalous lives of the Hollywood elite as well as I had expected. The characters and their motives, while present, fell a little flat, and not enough time was spent to develop these modern personalities to match their infamous historical counterparts. It is one thing to know whom Henry Tudor represented, but it is another to see that charisma ooze out of the pages. I wanted to see steam rise up from the pages of anne of hollywood with all the lust and love and betrayal and dramatic tension, but what I got was a bunch of characters who did not ace their history test. anne of hollywood reminded me of Gigi Levange Grazer books, so fans of The Starter Wife or maneater may appreciate another literary spin on the Hollywood scene. As for me, I will stick with Hollywood on silver screen. ( )

MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

I mean really LOVE LOVE LOVED this one! This is brilliant!

So, you probably already know the story of Anne Boleyn and the Tudors, but you have never read anything as interesting and fun as this new interpretation. Henry is re imagined as a billionaire power broker that rules Hollywood as his kingdom. Anne is the daughter of a social climbing entertainment lawyer with two siblings that are great successes. Mary had a fling with Henry years ago while she was a young model while her brother George may or may not be a bisexual amd struggling actor. The whole story fits in nicely with the backstabbing and social climbing that occurs daily in Hollywood with the details much like a Shakespearean play. Anne is witty, fun and a bit scheming although not really overt about it. She is also a bit naive about money and the power plays that go on behind the scenes or at least that is the way she is portrayed in the book and history.

All I can say is this book is FUN and I really didn't want it to end. I can now imagine more retelling of famous historical figures and their lives much like the Austen fiction that has become so popular these days. There is all of the soap opera goings on in this retelling but what I really enjoyed was Wolper's attention to detail and how she redid some of the characters. Cardinal Wolsey is an investment manager in a Madoff kind of way with the name play of Carl Wolsey -- which sounds very similar. Theresa Cromwell, plays the trusted advisor to Henry who schemes to get Anne out of the picture while his ex wife, Catherine is portrayed as a basket case with insomnia and a new found religious bent. So at least, in this story, Anne is just banished, not beheaded and in true chick lit fashion, she ends up back on her feet! I guess women have come a long way since the days of the real Tudor court. ( )

I enjoyed reading this book it was a guilty pleasure.This book I would call an adult R rated version of Gossip girl set in Hollywood recast with the Tudors.I love Tudor history,and Gossip girl so this book was a great book for me.The author I think wrote a story that was interesting using public figures from the past but setting them in world of today's Hollywood where people are famous for being seen with the right people or for just being rich.In a lot of ways I don't think times have changed all that much.People who have power and money are surrounded by friends that all want something from them. Henry and Anne were no different in that fact be it the England of the past or the Hollywood from today. ( )

This book is a modern retelling of Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl which definitely had me interested in the book. However as I began to read the book I realized that it wasn't as fresh and modern as the description toted. The ways in which Wolper tries to make this story modernized fell flat to me. Having Henry Tudor be a Hollywood elite could have been a great idea if wasn't constantly being called a King in the book. I hated the Anne gave him that little pet title. I wanted Wolper to kind of veer-off the whole King idea and make this Henry what he was, an executive. You wouldn't lose the whole basis of the story if you dropped the whole King thing (even though it was just a pet name kind of thing).

Not many people in this book are likeable at all, but the story doesn't call for them to be likeable. I found myself rooting for Anne, even though I already knew what her fate was going to be. One of the things I did enjoy about this book was how Wolper portrayed Anne. Overall I thought the book was only ok and not really attention-grabbing.

*I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway which in no way affects the content of my review.* ( )

Everyone knows the tragic, soap opera-like (though, true) story of Anne Boleyn, who seduced Henry VIII away from his wife Catherine of Aragon and convinced the monarch to break with the Catholic church -all with the promise of providing him with a son, which she never had.

Author Carol Wolper puts a twist on Anne's often-explored story by placing it in modern-day holiday, where powerful connections, seduction and Hollywood near-royalty are just are important as they once were in Tudor-era England. Wolper casts Anne as a rising young socialite, who uses her intelligence, charm and sex appeal to ensnare the powerful Henry Tudor, even after he's used Anne's sister and discarded her. Anne must deal with harsh Hollywood politics, backstabbing friends, a jealous ex-wife and others who would dare take Anne's place.

Anne of Hollywood is basically like a semi-Gossip Girl-like modern retelling of the Anne Boleyn story, complete with backstabbing and all kinds of juicy social politics. Wolper's version of the tale is an interesting balance of the modern and the classic, where she attempts to keep the integrity of the tale while bringing it into the 21st century. Some of the differences may bother history junkies like myself -such as Thomas Cromwell becoming Theresa Cromwell -but once I got deeper into the story, I found the changes a welcome twist that breather new life into a story I've read far too many times. Though this time, there's much more overt sex, and not as much at stake -and heads don't role. I especially enjoyed Henry's run for political office, it just fit.

There are a few things that bothered me here though, where the translation of the story just didn't work as well in modern times. First, Henry and Catherine are already divorced at the start of the novel, as divorces are much easier to attain now. This, of course, got rid of all the drama of Henry's divorce from Catherine that created much of the conflict in the original story. Anne of Hollywood is also completely devoid of religious issue which, again, makes sense in the modern context, but the religious issues that Henry and Anne dealt with changed the course of history. There's also the whole having a son thing, which was the thing that finally pushed Henry into divorcing Catherine and marrying Anne -and that ultimately led to Anne's death. Though this isn't a centerpiece in Anne of Hollywood, the book's approach to this seems a little flimsy. Instead, the book leans more on Henry's tendencies to change his mind than on his desperate need to have a son and heir.

To really enjoy Anne of Hollywood, I just had to let these items go. Once I did, the book became much easier to read and took on a life of its own. I wouldn't say that this is a book for history lovers (like me), it's more for fans of contemporary chick lit novels who could use some good political backstabbing. But still, a unique read. ( )