Laurien Gardner

This is first book in a trilogy about the first three wives of Henry VIII. This book is about a fictional maid of honour to Catherine of Aragon called Estrella. The story weaves from past to present and begins with Cathetine coming to England to marry Prince Arthur. The reader also gets Estrella's story and her observations around Catherine.

Unlike some historical fiction this version was very light and didn't bog me down. As much as I like Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir their books can be show more a bit heavy and can become a little too much at times. This book was very different, nice and light and a quick read.

What I didn't enjoy so much was Estrella's story. For me I wanted to read more about Catherine as sometimes I can overlook her as I like to read about Anne Boleyn more. A lot of Catherines life was missed out and could have been added if not for Estrella's story which didn't interest me at all. Infact I skipped some pages to read just about Catherine.

I do have the next two books in the series and find I'm not looking forward to reading them if they are the same format as this one. I would recommend this book to any historical fiction fan if they want something a bit light. show less

A Lady Raised High is the story of Frances Pierce, Anne Boleyn’s first maid-of-honour; loyal and faithful to her until the queen’s tragic end.

Frances‘father was a baronet in Hertfordshire and her mother, a French baron’s daughter. The family pretty much ran their own estate and took care of their lands and tenants. Against the proper order of things, such as finding a husband and living off the land-Frances, a seventeen year-old girl who cared more about writing poetry than learning show more how to fold linen, aspired to a life filled with poetry, romance and adventure.

The story begins with an adventure in itself when King Henry VIII, his hunting party, and the Lady Anne, his future bride, pass through Frances’ village. Contrary to Frances’s excitement of witnessing the event, some of the milling villagers had another kind of welcome in plan for England’s future queen…

Rather than the usual cheering and festive turnout for such an occasion, some of the local women had gathered mud to slay the hated woman who they thought bewitched the King into throwing their good Queen Catherine aside. Aware of their dangerous and humiliating plan, Frances immediately rides her horse to the receiving side to serve as shield and protector. Frances takes the blows of mud and stones for the beautiful Lady Anne.

Anne is grateful to Frances for her display of courage and protection. In turn, she summons the brave girl to her court where she appoints her as lady-in-waiting. Needless to say, this is a great disappointment to Frances’ family. Despite her beliefs, Frances’ mother understands that being at court could increase her daughter’s chances of marrying well. Hence, she concedes and gives Frances permission to go.

From then on, Frances is always by Anne’s side. Frances’ innocence, kindness and attempts to cheer through verses and rhymes endear her to her Queen. She becomes Anne’s most trusted confidante. A rarity in itself since life at court was a place where no one could be trusted. Deception and treachery abounded in every corner and Frances’ innocence led her to almost lose her ways. ..Enter Jack Carlisle…her savior in more ways than one- but also King Henry’s faithful servant and right-hand man…

The story, seen through Frances’ eyes is told with such clarity and flow that it was an absolute pleasure for me to read this. Throughout the book we encounter historical figures that play both key and minor roles in Anne’s life. I really enjoyed reading some of the dialog that Frances shared with Mary Howard, her then good friend. Tid-bits of other characters’ lives are also enmeshed into the plot-making it such an interesting and credible read. For instance, George Boleyn is an integral part of this book seen through the eyes of an infatuated young Frances, bringing about a completely different perspective that resulted in a course of events that I wasn’t expecting at all.

Another thing that was especially captivating was the way the author, Laurien Gardner, adds creative dimension without necessarily depriving her work of historical accuracy. Dialogs contain depth as well as spontaneity and the language is prim and typical of the times.
A Lady Raised High brought Anne closer and more real seen through such a devoted perspective. That said, there was neither embellishment of character nor misleading interpretations. The storyline flows, reads well and is completely absorbing. It is an excellent read for Anne Boleyn lovers and for those who care to learn more about this misunderstood queen and the lady who served her as friend, confidante and devoted subject.

Splendid! show less

I thought it was a novelty to read a book about Jane Seymour -- of all of Henry's wives, perhaps excepting Anne of Cleves, Jane is the least written about. This novel was reasonably well done and historically accurate. I think it could have been better, however. It was extremely repetitious. Several times in every chapter it was noted that Jane was plain, Jane lacked beauty, Jane had buggy eyes, no man could ever be attracted to Jane. It got old. And Jane herself was a little too clueless to show more be credible. She practically Forrest Gumped her way onto the throne. I highly doubt it worked out that way in real life. show less

It's not secret that I love Tudor historical fiction, and I am so glad that Sarah gave me these books because they are so unique. One of the problems that I've run into reading a lot of hf from specific periods is that there's only so much you can write about and stay true to history; things can become stagnate and it's hard to find a fresh perspective. That is not the case with A Lady Raised High.

It's told from the perspective of Frances Pierce and while takes place at the court of Henry show more VIII and Frances eventually becomes one of Anne's ladies in waiting, Anne is not really a major character. It's kind of odd to think of a Tudor novel on such terms, but the court and the monarchs are really just a backdrop for this story.

I loved the character of Frances. She's kind of an outcast in her family and society in general because she's very strong-willed, has no real desire to marry and admires Anne Boleyn in a time while most of the country still supports Queen Catherine. I love strong female characters and having one in a Tudor novel is fantastic. I just loved that you got to see her go from a rather naïve country girl of okay status to a woman of great influence and high rank.

What I loved the most about the novel is how Frances' love life turns out. It definitely makes up for the family that she left behind when she joins Anne's household. I wish I could go into detail and gush as much as I want to, but I would hate to spoil it. It's that great.

Sarah also sent me another novel by Laurien Gardner called Plain Jane about Jane Seymour, aka Wife #3. I'm very excited to read that one as well. show less