Customer Reviews

A Lady Raised High: A Novel of Anne Boleyn (Tudor Women Series)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm one of those stubborn folk who when they start a series of books, unless it is perfectly dreadful, will grit their teeth and stay with it until it ends. Sometimes the effort is worth it, and I'll be rewarded with a book that is enjoyable and I get to escape for a few hours and learn something new. Other times, far too many times, I get disappointed and wished that I could get those wasted hours back.

A recent historical series of novels, based around the six wives of King Henry VIII of England has been released. Each novel, written by a different author under the common psuedynom of "Laurien Gardner," takes on one of the unfortunate queens of this monarch. The first one was about Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, and the second takes on her rival, Anne Boleyn. This time the actual author of the novel is Jennifer Ashely.

Young Frances Pierce is a girl of seventeen when the King and his lady, Anne Boleyn, come riding through their village on royal progress. The year is 1532, and while Queen Catherine is still mighty Henry's legal wife, Anne Boleyn is able to enjoy all of the perogatives of being a 'queen,' including a magnificent household and fine trappings. Frances, knowing herself to be plain with mousy hair and no great dowry or beauty, is bedazzled by Anne's charm and dark eyes, enough that when Anne is taunted and jeered by the peasant women, Frances rushes to Anne's defense and finds herself smeared with muck.

Soon, Frances is accepted into Anne Boleyn's household as a reward, fitted out with fine clothing and flirting with the gentlemen of the court. She writes her poetry, and views life as a grand and glorious game. But one courtier -- John Carlisle -- doesn't seem to take much delight in Frances being at court. He's grim and dour and seems to be underfoot when she's trying desparately to get Anne's brother, George Boleyn, to notice her.

It's through Frances' eyes that we see Anne's rise to power, as she first plays the game of 'will I, won't I?' with Henry VIII, striving to hold out for a marriage proposal, and the crown. There's a secret wedding or two, a coronation, Anne's first pregnancy that resulted in a princess -- the future Elizabeth I -- and the swift downturn as Anne fails to supply that vital prince, and her eventual trial for adultery and execution. Frances, faithful and loyal, manages to find a love of her own, a stable relationship, but even that might not be enough to save her when her mistress faces the swordsman and enters into legend.

Frankly, I was surprised by this novel. I was terribly disappointed by the first book of the series, finding it overwrought and badly plotted, but this one, despite the rather lifeless heroine, was better than I thought it would turn out. Gardner -- or rather Ashley -- does her research, and peoples the story with those who were actually there throughout Anne Boleyn's hectic time as queen. The only exceptions are Frances and John, along with various servants, but the four courtiers and the musician that would be executed with Anne all lived, along with other ladies who were in Anne's household. Gardner does well with staying within the known facts, except for a few glitches here and there.

The only one that really made me cringe was some of the detailing on clothing, such as 'wimple' and 'veil' which would have been found in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, not the sixteenth. Anne too, gets a bit of an overhaul in this, actually being a bit kindly in her behavior towards Frances, and not the shrewish b!tch that history usually treats her as.

Part of the problem with this novel is that the main character, Frances, is so passive. She's literally plucked out of obscurity to become one of Anne's attendants, flirts and plays at love, marries, and finally gets to observe Anne Boleyn's downfall at a very close range. While I do like the fact that the author did do her research and manages to weave in what did actually happen, the main character is such a milksop and not that entertaining, even when she is arguing with her one true love. Only towards the final chapter or two does Frances start showing a backbone, and while it is welcome, it's not quite enough to save this one either.

Fans of the Tudor period, or historical fiction will find this one interesting. In my opinion, it's infinitely better than the bestselling The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. Say nearly four stars for this one, as the author does try hard to get it right, and very nearly succeeds at it.

Recommended.

Having read and enjoyed The Spanish Bride, I had looked forward to reading the second installment of Laurien Gardner's Tudor wives series. A Lady Raised High, Anne Boleyn's story, however, pales in comparison to Catherine of Aragon's compelling fictional account. Here we get Frances Pierce, a young, naive woman who becomes Henry VIII's notorious mistress's trustworthy confidante after she protects her from having mud flung at her. When Henry gets rid of Catherine of Aragon as his wife and takes Anne Boleyn from being his paramour into being his next queen, Frances is given quite an important position of being Anne's handmaiden, a position that made her more valuable to the queen than the ladies-in-waiting in return for her devoted services and loyalty. But Frances soon finds herself in the middle of all sorts of intrigue and problems centered on King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, one of which is the problem of producing heirs and of Anne's persuading her husband to change from the Roman religion to the Lutheran faith. Yes, Anne values Frances's loyalty and in turn Frances is in awe of the queen, but will Frances wake up to reality and see all of the problems surrounding her? There are various twists throughout the novel.

I have read a few fictional accounts of the Tudor dynasty and this one, though interesting in some parts, is the less substantial one I've read. Frances is far too naive for me. She overlooks Anne's flaws and continues to idolize her throughout the novel. That is the major problem for me. There is no character growth, no realization or waking up to the realities around her. I know these things aren't always the objective in literature, but I nevertheless felt that this was vital in this sort of story. Anne is seen in a much lighter way through the eyes of Frances and I wasn't able to identify with this character. Estrella Montoya, the main character in The Spanish Bride, is much more fleshed out and complex than Frances Pierce. The rest of the novel, namely the biographical aspects, is familiar to me, and, aside from Frances's perspective and her naivete regarding Henry VIII's second wife, the author added nothing new to make things a little more interesting. In short, A Lady Raised High underwhelmed me in more ways than one. This is surprising to me, given what an interesting and arresting figure Anne Boleyn had been. I figured that the fictional possibilities centered on her would be endless. Ah, well, I hope that Plain Jane (Jane Seymour's story) will be better than this.

In A LADY RAISED HIGH, the author gives us a remarkable story rich in historical background of the rise and fall of the most infamous Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, mother of Queen Elizabeth, and the very first English queen to be publicly executed. It is told through the eyes of Frances Pierce, a simple, plain young woman who enters Lady Anne's circle after shielding her from an assault by an angry mob. While most considered Anne as a whore to the king, Frances saw only a beautiful lady and wished only to serve and love her with undying loyalty.

Frances was spellbound by Lady Anne. In the ways of the court Frances was extremely naïve and not of noble birth, yet Lady Anne needed loyal friends and sensing Frances' devotion kept her close. During those tumultuous times Anne found Frances' idolatry a balm for she was no fool and knew that while Henry loved her at the moment, he was capricious and she could only retain her place of power only by bearing him a son. When she failed at that, the vultures would move in and Henry's wandering eye and mood could be swayed by a new beauty and politics.

In the meantime, Frances' loyalty was rewarded as Anne arranged for a marriage between Frances and one of Henry's loyal Knight's, Sir John Carlisle. It was a surprise marriage for Frances who had secretly had a crush on Anne's brother George, but after the wedding night Frances found herself totally besotted with her new husband bearing him a healthy son. As Anne's inability to provide the king an heir and political maneuverings played out, Frances would remain steadfast in her loyalty to her queen, though Anne's loyalty towards Frances wavered. When loyalties became a dangerous pastime, Frances would have to make a choice between the queen she loved, or her family.

*** While this story seemed focused more on Anne Boleyn, the secondary love story between Frances and Jack was quite lovely. Frances' protagonistic attitude towards her future husband was entertaining, and their romance quite enjoyable, but both were employed as vehicles to give background to the rise and fall of one of the most fascinating woman in English history. In any event the tragic life of Anne Boleyn is surely an enthralling tale. I give this high marks for historical background and recommend it to all lovers of Tudor history.

The story is told from a young maid who serves in Anne Boleyn's court before and during Anne's marriage to King Henry XIV and ends at Anne's beheading. The story is very interesting and moves along at a good pace. I like historical fiction, in fact it is probably my favorite genre, and this also has a bit or romance in it as well. I saw the "hook up" coming a mile away (I'm skilled at noticing these things by now I guess), but it was engaging and a good read. It seems like the author has two more books in a similar vain, and I'll probably end up checking those out as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and the love story found within it. "A Lady Raised High" utilizes the character of Frances, a lesser nobleman's daughter who was taken in and brought to court by Anne Boleyn after she showed Anne a fierce loyalty during a time when no one else would. The novel tells the events of the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn as they were experienced by Frances, who herself had a love story of her own with her husband Sir John Carlisle, a gentlemen of the King's privy chamber whom she met when she was brought to court as a Queen's attendant by Anne.

One of the main reasons I liked this book was that I myself am a hopeless romantic, and I was fascinated by the relationship between Frances and John (who throughout most of the book is known by his nickname, Jack). The give and take between them is exciting, and scenes the two of them share fills any romantic's heart with longing.

As a historical fiction novel, this book inludes all the court intrigue and tragic historical figures you could want. While there are other books that focus more closely on the characters of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII than this one does, I feel that this novel still did a great job of conveying their story along with that of the main heroine's.

All in all, I could barely put this book down, and I recommend it!

A novel of Anne Boleyn, told from a lady-in-waiting's viewpoint? When I received this book as a gift, I wondered how well I'd like that storytelling technique applied to a period of history - and an historical figure, Anne Boleyn - of long-standing interest to me. My "after-the-read" opinion is that having the fictional character Frances Pierce tell Anne's tale worked very well indeed.

Henry VIII, King of England, wants one thing above all others: an heir for his throne. A male heir, of course, since any woman must be ruled by her husband; and how can Henry leave his kingdom to a son-in-law's control? His queen, Catherine of Aragon, has in the course of eight pregnancies managed to rear only one child: Princess Mary. So when Henry's roving eye (not considered a fault, or even a cause for comment, among royals in this era) falls on a beautiful and strong-willed young noblewoman, he's able to justify making a second marriage with her in dynastic terms. What makes it different from other occasions when kings have put away one wife to marry another, though, is that the pope refuses Henry's petition for annulment of his marriage to Catherine. Anne won't bed with him unwed, and he does need a male heir. So Henry uses the era's rising movement toward religious reform for his own purposes, and divorces the English church from that of Rome before he - now considered that church's head - divorces himself from Catherine.

That's the familiar background. Placed on its canvas to tell this story is Frances Pierce, an impoverished baronet's only child who gains a place at court just as Henry begins establishing Lady Anne as his future wife. Impulsive, fully as strong-willed as her patroness, the naive young girl is lucky enough to attract the immediate attention of King Henry's courtier John Carlisle - an earl's son, who understands the dangers of court intrigue. During the next few years, Jack Carlisle watches over Frances despite that young woman's resentment of his efforts. Eventually he negotiates to win her as his wife, a process that has nothing to do with gaining her consent to the marriage - indeed, Frances knows nothing about it until the deal has been concluded.

Can Jack carry out his stated intention in marrying Frances, and protect her during the turmoil that results from Anne's following in Queen Catherine's footsteps by producing only a princess? Or will Frances, whose devotion to Anne blossoms over the years from girlish admiration into a friend's steadfast love, bring herself to grief at last despite his attempts to keep her safe? Author Gardner succeeded in making me care as much about Frances and her Jack as I ever have about Catherine, Anne, and Henry VIII's other unfortunate wives, through all the many books I've read about them. While this isn't deep historical reading, neither is it the kind of "historical romance" that plays fast and loose with the facts. It was worth both my time, and the gift giver's money.

The second in the series of novels about the wives of Henry the Eighth of England, A Lady Raised High, gives us the story of Anne Boleyn at the time of her marriage to Henry. The main character, Frances Pierce, "saves" Anne from mud being flung at her during an excursion and thus becomes part of Anne's household, an unbelievable turn of events. Still, Frances is very loyal to her mistress and tells the story as she sees it, giving Anne the benefit of the doubt for her actions. Frances may be naive, but she is fierce, and has her own love story as she meets and marries Jack, the future Earl of Pennington. We follow Frances as she observes Anne's glorious rise and tragic fall, helping us to possibly see Anne in a more human manner.

Gardner (which is a pseudonym for several authors working on these books) uses an accessible, engaging style to keep the story flowing. Her use of dialogue helps to keep the characters real, and her descriptions of the clothing help to give a feel for the period. My biggest gripe with this novel is its historical inaccuracies. While not many, they are glaring to anyone familiar with Tudor/British history: Edward III, not Edward II, established the Order of the Garter; George Boleyn was beheaded, not hanged, and not on Tower Green; at one time both Anne and Henry refer to Catherine of Aragon as the queen just before their wedding, something they took great care not to do; the cardinals' court took place well before Henry and Anne's marriage took place, not after as told here. If you are going to write a book such as this one, which admittedly has an audience in historical fiction lovers and British history enthusiasts in particular, it is very important to check those facts because the inaccuracies pull the reader out time and again. Overall it's a good book but reader beware of the historical facts!

I gave this book only 3 stars because I found it one of the dullest tales of the most fascinating events in history, the marriage of King Henry to Anne Boleyn. Though that its more about one of Anne's ladies than of herself, there is so much more detail the author could have gone into but didn't. There is so much more to the story than was put in, and I was hoping that the tale would have started during the early years of their courtship. Oh well. The story was good, though lacking in some aspects, and I would recommend it for a quick read that doesn't require much thinking.

I enjoyed this book a lot, managed to come across it in the Bargain Area at Barnes and Noble. Now that I've read it, I have decided that I am NOT going to read Phillipa Gregory's [now made into a film] book. I have no desire to. This book pleased me, and I don't want to go off and read something else and be disappointed. I am happy with this :)

Frances Pierce, the seventeen-year-old daughter of a baronet and farmer, places herself between mud-slinging detractors of Anne Boleyn and the future Queen herself. Impressed by the young girl's courage the bride-to-be of King Henry the VIII asks for Frances to be brought to Windsor Castle and is given a position among Anne's company of ladies.
The young and devoted Frances soon earns a place of trust and becomes a confidant to Boleyn, who not only admires Frances for her loyalty and honesty, but her talent as a poetess. Devotion, disappointment, love, betrayal and court intrigue are quickly and deftly combined in this fast-reading novel. Simply and cleanly written, the story line and characters are defined and focused.
I was brought to tears by the end of the novel because I felt so deeply for the characters. Enough time is spent creating each character so that the reader becomes involved with them and sincerely cares about what happens to them.
Laurien Gardner is the collective pseudonym for authors writing a series of novels of Henry VIII's six wives. If all the books, which include fictional characters such as Frances Pierce, are as well written as A Lady Raised High, it should be a series worthy of reading.