I didn’t really know what to expect when I started reading this because most of Anne’s story is told after she ensnared the infamous King and not before. But it was a welcome change to the tragic story that lay ahead for Anne Boleyn. Retracing the second queen’s footsteps in anticipation of interacting and essentially falling in love with King Henry VIII set apart this novel from the rest.
Longshore’s writing was beautifully crafted and added a layer to her story building. The writing kept me reading and the characters were so real and full of substance and drama making it easy to picture the fights and conversations as they unfolded. I even wanted to scream at some and cry at others! It was as if I was there, seeing and feeling everything her characters went through.
“I want him so badly I feel like glass on the verge of shattering.”
I honestly don’t think she could have worded it any differently. The impact just leapt off the page!
The sibling rivalry between Anne, Mary and George was executed brilliantly! It was authentic and the fighting made sense. The strain between her and her sister, Mary was pivotal to the overall plot because we know that Anne ends up with the King and with Mary being one of his many mistresses, their jealousy is important! You could tell the strain between Mary and Anne because of Mary’s reputation in France and then again with the King himself. Understandable too given the fact that there was an underlying desire for the King in Anne that was hidden and suppressed the longer she knew Wyatt. And George had a lot to hate about Anne, her poaching a title from him, their father’s attention etc. now that I think about it that’s probably the reason for his excessive drinking. But despite all of this Anne never wavered, she still believed in the Boleyns’ sticking together. She didn’t want to give up on them because she knew that they were stronger and ultimately happier (even if they didn’t see it at the time!) if they stuck together. They were a constant and I think that’s exactly what Anne needed while dealing with court life.
Despite his treatment of her it made sense! He was jealous of their father’s love for Anne! “He said I wish she was my boy. I wish Anne was my son. I would give her everything. You don’t deserve it!” Although this realization came near the end of the book, I like how they made up. They were finally united and I like how that was how the novel ended, sticking together like Anne always knew Boleyns’ should.
It’s natural for siblings to fight but because of the fate bestowed on Anne, I thought her relationship with George would have been on good terms. Most of what I knew about these two from history was their undoing, the accusation of adultery and incest. This made me think that they were thick as thieves and that’s how it was easy to twist their relationship to that of incest but that’s not how it went in this book. There were rumors about the two throughout bit because it was written in Anne’s focus, you as a reader could tell how she felt about him. It wasn’t until George’s new wife and Anne’s friend, Jane Parker mentions the possibility of such actions as possible, 358 pages in.
“I’m always being criticized, Thomas. By you and everyone else. Told who I can and can’t speak to. Be with. What I should look like. I need to be more like everyone else. I need to be seen but not heard. I need to marry a man of my father’s choosing and disappear into oblivion."
"No, Anne. You are better than that. You are not meant to be shackled to a man who binds you into his own perfect image. You don’t want to be known throughout your days as Anne Percy, or Anne Butler. Or Anne the King’s concubine. You are Anne! Anne Boleyn.”
The supporting characters boasted Anne’s. However, the character that made the most impact in my mind was the Kent, Thomas Wyatt. Notorious for being the talk of the court, Wyatt seemed to go out of his way to talk to and conspire with Anne. The introduction to his character was brilliant! You could feel the sparks as the two spoke, “Nor would he ever call his lady so,” he says. “For earls are gentlemen and accord their ladies naught but the tenderest of words and devotion of heart, body and soul.” He’s insufferable and arrogant but he spoke out about women’s rights, something that
Anne herself was passionate about, so how could there not be sparks?
“No, it was his words that drew me to him. And the fact that he listens to mine.”
He was the thing that she couldn’t get out of her head. He was her constant. They played off one another so smoothly. I think it was their witty banter that kept me coming back for more. You could easily tell who they were as an individual as well as see the undeniable passion between them. Longshore made me fall for him just like Anne was.
“I listen to every word you say, Anne. You may think no one hears you. You may think that no one listens. That you can toss off into the wind and will never be remembered. But I remember, Anne.”
I think this sealed the deal for me. He wasn’t who everyone thought he was. He actually cared for Anne past their stupid bet.
Throughout the whole novel Anne never wanted to be seen as a mistress or anything lower than a man’s equal. It was her fear of herself and what her words would convey but she took that risk and everyone who knew her did too. This made her strong!
“I want to see it all. But my life is limited by more than rivers and walks and monasteries. These men have no idea what being trapped really feels like. Only my words can set me free and only when the right person hears them.”
Every time Anne would pine for Wyatt and say that he’s the one for her, it hurt me! Because I knew that they couldn’t end up together. He never wanted to compromise her integrity, he would challenge her without pushing too hard. He listened to her and valued her as his equal. He was the right person for Anne and she knew it, sadly she also knew she couldn’t have it. It was essentially their love story, the boy before the king.
We saw Anne vulnerable and unsure, young and naïve. She was voicing an opinion that is still debated today. She wouldn’t jeopardize her own morals or integrity to get what she wanted and wouldn’t rest until she got it. She was not going to be someone’s mistress, the easy route out of her tedious situation and I admire her for it. She knew what she wanted and she wouldn’t settle for less.
“All my life I have been shipped and trundled and bought and sold by my father. I want to be mine. I don’t want to be a mistress, Your Majesty. Worse than that. Nothing. I don’t want to be nothing.”
She was aware of her flaws but used them to her gain because it was her words that got her to the King. He admired her for it and this in my mind made them a solid match.
“You are not a possession, Anna. Not a thing. And you could never be nothing.”
“And Anne? Most people know what happens to her. I prefer not to include it here, because in this book, at least, she is alive and optimistic, on the verge of love. About to face the biggest adventure of her life.”
Not only was this honourable for Longshore to admit but it also struck a chord with me. People spend so much time worrying and thinking the worse, so seeing Anne how she was before her tragic end felt like hope. I learned from Anne that anything worth fighting for won’t be easy and giving up is not a choice. And this is why the book was as great as it was.