The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn

As someone who's likely read too much fiction and nonfiction about the Tudors, I have my quibbles about this book: characterizations I disagree with, insignificant historical inaccuracies that annoy me, and so on. All that said, this book works well as a novel, the premise of which is that Anne Boleyn kept a secret diary which later finds its way into the hands of her daughter, Queen Elizabeth I of England. It makes for a fun, quick read and a must-read for Tudor fiction fans.

WOW. I enjoyed this book even more than I did "The Other Boleyn Girl". I don't know if I've ever enjoyed a historical fiction novel more than I did this one. Everything was perfect: the language, just the right amount of sexiness, strong female characters... Anne Boleyn and her daughter Elizabeth I are just the way I imagined them to be. No, they're more than that. Robin Maxwell took these larger-than-life historical figures and made them real people. Real women. This book was so strong, and had such a strong ending, I think I'm going to read it again before I turn it ack into the library.
Seriously, read this book. Put down your Phillipa Gregory and pick it up. You won't be sorry!

I well remember when this book came out in May 1998. I was 35 and my husband and I had just moved from New York to Los Angeles to transform our lives. I had given up my partnership at a law firm and planned to stay home with our then-two children, aged four and three, until they were in school full time. I intended to use that time to finish the book I had been working on for ten years, the story of Anne Boleyn.

I had structured it as a diary that Anne, just before her execution, gives to Lady Bryan to hold for Elizabeth until she becomes queen. Anne’s story becomes a counterpoint to what goes on in Elizabeth’s life as she slowly reads the diary. It was brilliant, if I do say so myself. I even had a title I loved – or rather two show more that I was trying to choose to between: The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn and Anna Regina Anglia. I had finished the first draft and was deep into the editing process, when one day I found myself with a factual question I needed to check out. I switched over to the internet, searched for whatever it was…and found a reference to a book that had just been published.

Can you guess?

The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn, by Robin Maxwell. A secret diary kept by Anne Boleyn up until the date of her execution and given to Lady Sommerville to hold for Elizabeth until she becomes queen. The cover even featured the portrait of Anne framed by the words Anna Bolina Anglia Regina. To make things worse, Robin Maxwell was a first-time author who had moved from New Jersey to California to transform her life. The book I had planned, the life I had planned… someone else’s now. The experience sent me into a tailspin from which I didn’t recover for weeks. Until I resolved to continue with my book but change its focus: I would use Jane Seymour, not Elizabeth, to punctuate Anne’s story.

Once that decision was made, I ordered Maxwell’s book and devoured it within hours of its arrival. She did a very different job than I would have. Her prose was more purple, and she played too loose with facts, both small (she had Anne’s dog Purquoy die in 1536 not 1534) and large (she had Elizabeth sleep with Dudley). But she included the kinds of details (a carved jewelry box in which Elizabeth kept small treasures) that transported me, and made for a fine read. show less

Great premise, lousy execution (sorry, bad pun). The author writes dialogue that attempts to move forward the plot while explaining British history. It reads as forced and unnatural. The infrequent interspersing of dated words such as"methinks," and "in deed" (not indeed) into contemporary language is jarring. In deed, methinks thou shouldst take a pass.

Absolutely loved this book! Imagine if Anne Boleyn kept a diary that was secretly handed down to her daughter, Elizabeth Tudor, who was raised beleiving her mother to be an adulteress and a traitor. I thought the book really made these historical figures come alive, and it was so fascinating I hesitated to put it down at all! Of course, we all know what happened to Anne, but reading her "diary," gaining insight into how she might have felt and what she thought, I still hoped for a happy ending for her. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I had my doubts about this book because Anne Boleyn (based on the impression I've got from history and fiction) doesn't strike me as diarist, therefore falling into the category of fictional characters (or characters based on historical people) that I just can't see as first-person narrators. But I was curious enough to suspend my disbelief and read the book, and once I'd started I just ploughed through. The depiction of Elizabeth didn't particularly appeal to me either.

I liked the idea of this book - learning Anne Boleyn's story direct from her. Elizabeth I is given her mother's diary to learn more about her. Though it is probably realistic, diaries are not that interesting to read. People write about mundane matters, as does Anne. I would recommend this to younger readers, but an older audience may want to look elsewhere.