The Boleyn Wife

One day Jane get lost in court and gallant young man comes to rescue and escorts her to her rooms. She finds out his name is George Boleyn and she just can’t get him out of her mind. Jane convinces her father to start marriage negotiations but her father has doubts about the whole thing. But Jane is sure after she and George are married he will fall in love with her and be attentive and caring husband. After the marriage Jane realizes George wants absolutely nothing to do with her. But Jane refuses to accept the situation and soon finds the reason why her husband doesn’t love her, George’s sister Anne.

Wow, that was an interesting book. And not in a good way. When Jane meets George for the first time she instantly falls in love.

"My eyes were so dazzled by the sight of him I almost raised my hand to shield them, but to be deprived of the radiant sight of him would have been unbearable. A god in yellow satin, he was indeed the sun that lit up my life." pg.16

That pretty much sums up the whole book. I just wanted to strangle the woman! Of course it’s because of his fiends, sister or whatever that he can’t love her, because there can’t possible be anything wrong with her can there? She seemed always to be there when something happened and those keyholes must have been huge and walls paper thin.

The sex scenes wasn’t as graphic as I feared but not good either. The whole masque thing with Anne as Salome and Henry Norris in a loin cloth was one thing but I really didn’t need that Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard scene with pot of honey, even if it was behind curtains. And Derham’s and Kat’s first meeting after Derham came to court with Derham licking juices of his fingers was just bad... And then this:

"To watch you, my darling wife, and to know that you want me, deny it though you will, as much as I want you; and that between your thighs your Little Kitten is hot and dripping wet with lust for me." pg. 386

Aww how romantic. NOT. Just eeww!

The only characters I liked were George and Francis Weston. Have I mentioned I have soft spot for George? Well I do.

I was curious about Purdy’s book on Piers Gaveston but after this I’m so not going there! ( )

The copy I have is by Emily Purdy but it is the same author. Ok so when you have read a lot of tudor tales like me you know what is going to happen. This book is however just like the authors other book Vengence is Mine. If you have read thoe one don't bother with the other as they are the same. Also this book is just like the tv series The Tudors. Saying that facts are facts in history and when they are put into novels they are all going to be the same as facts can't be changed. However all this aside this book is agood tudor romp but is heavily about our favourite queen Anne Boleyn told from voice of Jane Rochford and is a good little read if you like the tudors. ( )

Lady Jane Parker isn’t pretty or talented; amongst the bright and beautiful women of Henry VIII’s court she’s a flower that few want to pluck. Luckily, she’s got a rich father to arrange Jane’s marriage to the man she loves, George Boleyn. But it soon becomes clear to Jane that there’s only room for one woman in George’s heart, and that is his sister, Anne. Even after their marriage, George barely notices the wife who adores him but shares none of his interests. Jane seethes with fury and jealousy, and the higher Anne rises in the Tudor court the greater Jane’s animosity grows. As the rift between her husband and Jane grows, she becomes determined to bring down Anne Boleyn, now the Queen of England, no matter what it takes.

A lady-in-waiting to four queens, Jane Boleyn witnessed the rise and fall of many from the favor of the King. But when her own life is in peril, will she be able to save herself from the wrath of Henry VIII?

First, I have a really minor nitpick about the cover. (I know the author doesn’t have a lot of influence over the cover, so I’m not faulting Brandy Purdy on this one.) Why is our cover model dressed in a medieval gown? No one at court would be dressed like that during Henry VIII’s reign. It seems like such a small thing, but I’m a bit of a fashion nerd so the cover really annoyed me.

Problem the second is a much bigger issue, and it is that Jane was easily one of the most annoying narrators I’ve encountered. Most of the book is told in the first person, from her perspective, and in order to witness major events she is constantly sneaking around and peering through keyholes, hiding behind tapestries, and the like. It’s a device that gets old, really fast. Furthermore, Jane comes across as a bitter, angry harpy constantly bagging on other women and fighting with her husband. It’s pathetic how she drives him away by nagging and shrewish behavior, and then doesn’t understand why he doesn’t love her back. Her venomous tongue makes for a painful narration, and ultimately makes her a very unsympathetic character.


Purdy’s overall approach was very different than most Tudor writers. She’s less sympathetic to the wives of Henry VIII; Jane speaks scornfully of them all. I wasn’t sure if the different characterizations were a result of Jane’s mental instability or Purdy’s attempts to be innovative with a story told many times before. It’s a real pity there were no author’s notes at the end. One scene she wrote had Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard as lovers playing with a pot of honey; I would love to know what inspired that lurid little assignation.

I really didn’t enjoy this book, mainly because I hated the narrator, and I really wouldn’t recommend it. ( )

Told from the view point of Lady Jane Parker, this book tells of the jealous wife that gave evidence against two Queens, sending both and her husband to death. Spanning the course of five of Henry VIII's wives, The Tudor Wife is an engrossing tale full of drama.

I've read the story of Henry VIII's court many times but I've never heard it told from the view point of the plain wife of George Boleyn.

Emily Purdy doesn't linger on the politics of the time but serves up a simple idea of what became of each of Henry VIII's Queens. This would serve as a good book for anybody starting out with an interest in The Tudors.

Rich in historical detail and brimming with scandal, The Tudor Wife draws the reader in. ( )

http://shelfandstuff.blogspot.com/2010/01/boleyn-wife-by-brandy-purdy.html ( )