I quite liked this novel about Anne Boleyn and the royal Tudor Court, once I was able to get past the American English script written in an Old English tone.

In this novel the story of Anne Boleyn is told from the point of view of one of her Ladies in Waiting, Frances Pierce. Frances is plucked from a rural English village to wait on Anne, who at the time is betrothed to King Henry VIII (but not yet married). It then follows Frances' journey as Anne becomes Queen of England and later branded a traitor.

Laurien Gardner has chosen to make her Anne Boleyn a pious yet determined woman who is ultimately betrayed by her family and her King. Anne is but a pitiful victim of the Tudor Court, and Henry is the evil womanising villain who will do whatever it takes to get what he wants.

A short and sweet novel that is a nice contrast to THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL by Philippa Gregory.

Recommended!

The movie got so much hype, and I've liked McEwan's other books, so I decided to read this one. As expected, it was lovely and disturbing. The misunderstanding of the little girl was so painful to watch unfold that I could barely read on. McEwan has a talent for displaying the discomfort of life to such a degree that it almost exceeds the real world.
The end was wonderful, and sad, and shocking to me, perhaps the best part of the novel. Overall, a stunning book.

Feb 8, 2008 audiobook

Story of Lord Gray right after he returns from Ardsmuir

A priceless account of Holocaust victims that underwent the horror of Nazi death camps.

An amazing read!

A beautiful and shyly sensual tale of a maids secret love for her master told using Jan Vermeer and his painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring" as it's centerpiece.

Secret longings, forbidden desires, harsh realities and historical references.

Excellent Read in my humble opinion!

This was my first Tracy Chevalier book and I loved it! The writing and story were just beautiful. I also thought the movie did a pretty good job with the book.

This was the Costa Book of the Year (the former Whitbread Book Award), and it should win even more awards than that. Daringly, the author sets her work in Canada's frigid northern territory in the 19th century. As winter closes in on tiny Dove River, Mrs. Ross stumbles into the cabin of mysterious neighbor Laurent Jammet and finds him murdered. Distressingly, her adopted son Francis, something of an outsider himself, disappears at the same time. Francis is conveniently suspected of the deed, and the Company (which runs just about everything in this neck of the woods) sends Donald Moody to investigate. New to Canada, Donald struggles to find his way among the hardened settlers. Then another man, clearly native, is spotted in Jammet's cabin, arrested and beaten, and mysteriously released. In the ensuing mayhem, no one seems to have considered Mrs. Ross's devotion and resilience—she's gone to find her son. Plot summary cannot do justice to this complex and engrossing tale of human passion and folly, highlighted by the rigors of a wilderness being systematically despoiled. The characters are distinctive, their portraits startling and incisive, and the writing is fluid and beautifully detailed.

This was a novel that I could not put down and the characters were so beautifully depicted that I know each of them personally! A wonderful book and this is only this author's first novel. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. A must read to any reader.

January 2008