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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting look at a woman that survived marriage to King Henry VIII, September 10, 2008
This review is from: My Lady of Cleves: A Novel of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves (Paperback)
My Lady of Cleves covers the life of Anne of Cleves from right before her marriage to Henry VIII until his death in 1547. The story opens with an agitated King Henry VIII, talking with his ministers about his need for a new wife after the death of his third wife, Jane Seymour in childbed. Among the candidates are the Duchess of Milan and the Cleves Princesses. The Duchess of Milan has already replied with "Only if I had two heads"! Smart girl!
Hans Holbein is sent to Cleves to paint both Anne and her sister, Amelia. Once there he becomes quite smitten with Anne and they begin a friendship. He paints a flattering picture of her because that is the way he sees her. Unfortunately, Henry does not see the same way and is almost instantly put off by Anne's looks and hard mannerisms. Henry likes the petite type (go figure!).
We follow Anne through her short marriage to Henry, her annulment, "retirement" to Richmond Palace, Henry's next marriage to Katherine Howard and her eventual downfall. Anne even plays a part in the infamous scene where Katherine is desperate to talk to Henry and goes screaming for him through the halls of the Palace.
Anne seems to resign herself to her fate; after all she still has her head! She genuinely enjoys the life of a Princess of England; she can come and go as she pleases and has no husband or man to answer to. In seeing the freedom that Anne as a "woman" had, that had to have been a big impact on Elizabeth I, who always said she would never have a master.
My Lady of Cleves was an interesting look into a woman that survived marriage to Henry VIII. Anne is very likeable and I think she would have made a wonderful Queen, had she been given the chance. I wish the story was longer and covered the time during Mary's rule as Queen - I would have liked to have heard Anne's thoughts on "Bloody Mary".
Margaret Campbell Barnes is also the author of Brief, Gaudy Hour, a novel on Anne Boleyn.
Note: Anne of Cleves died at Hever Castle on July 16, 1557. She lived 10 years past Henry. Her tomb is in a "hard to find place" in Westminster Abbey.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Ugly One? I think not..., May 14, 2002
Anne of Cleves is often remembered as the least interesting of Henry VIII's six wives, repudiated for her lack of beauty, passively accepting a spinster's life. Personally, I've always liked her, ever since reading Anne Merton Abbey's _Kathryn_ in my teen years (if you can find it, buy it!). In that book, Anne was cleverer than she seemed, playing along with Henry's wishes in order to gain her freedom and a life on her own terms. And in this novel, I have found another such reading of her. Anne, in this book, is a shy German lady, brought up in austerity, unused to dancing and flashy dresses. It is her lack of what Henry thinks of as "culture", not her actual looks, that turn him off. He sees her as awkward and prim, and besides, he has already fallen in heat with Anne's cute teenage lady-in-waiting, Catherine Howard. The author's treatment of Catherine is another delight. ... Catherine is a naive adolescent, maneuvered into the King's path by her scheming relatives, then abandoned by those relatives when she was no longer in favor. Her affair with Culpepper is touching, and the unlikely friendship that grows between her and Anne is even more so. We may never know exactly what sort of women Anne and Catherine really were, but one can dream that Barnes's wonderful characters were close to the truth. Anne outlives Catherine, Henry, and the painter Holbein, with whom she has a fascinating platonic romance, and in the end finds herself more loved than she had ever imagined. Barnes has done a great job of fleshing out this obscure lady and bringing her to life.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Anne of Cleves was a very adaptable woman, October 20, 2008
This review is from: My Lady of Cleves: A Novel of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves (Paperback)
After the death of Jane Seymour, Henry VIII was convinced by his advisors to seek another wife. Edward's health was precarious and a second son would be of great benefit to stability within England. Hoping to secure the Protestant faith's footing in England, Lord Chancellor Thomas Cromwell suggested an alliance with the Duchy of Cleves, a Lutheran stronghold. Henry provisionally agreed and commissioned court painter Hans Holbein to paint miniatures of both Anne and Amelia, the princesses of Cleves. Amelia was on the surface the more attractive sister, but Holbien saw Anne's inner beauty and captured this in her portrait, in turn capturing the King's eye.
Unfortunately for Anne's happiness, she was not the King's preferred version of beauty, being neither petite nor slender. Her height, large-boned frame and buxomness prompted the King to refer to her as a "Flanders mare." She possessed few of the accomplishments common for women of the Tudor court, being more adept at managing a royal household. While they were duly married and Anne quickly won the heart of the people, the King's eye had already strayed to young Katherine Howard.
Anne of Cleves is rare not only for surviving her marriage to King Henry VIII, being one of only two of his wives to outlive him-but for speaking her mind to him. Heeding the counsel of her advisors, she agreed to an annulment on the grounds of non-consummation and in return gained her own household and continued access to Princesses Mary and Elizabeth and Prince Edward, his children by his previous three wives. In My Lady of Cleves, Barnes tells the story of an unusual woman who discovers herself and finds true freedom only by giving up everything and holding herself apart from the politics consuming his court.
What is intriguing about this novel is the fascinating portrait of Princess Mary. Unlike many novels of the Tudor court which show her as a bitter and unhappy woman, Mary is here portrayed with a nurturing and mothering nature toward Edward and warm emotions toward Anne.
Armchair Interviews says: Originally published in 1946, My Lady of Cleves stands the test of time, introducing Henry VIII's enigmatic fourth wife to a new generation of readers.
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