Anne Boleyn

Norah Lofts is a historical novelist of the first water- she did her best work in the forties and fifties and has a small but devoted following ( see Goodreads, or Flork or Allreaders) Most of her ouevre is fiction, featuring ordinary people as well as royalty, but always meticulously researched and devoid of the purple prose and fervid imagined sexual detail of later writers. However she also had a respectable output of non fiction. 'Anne Boleyn', like 'Women in the New Testament' or any of her other non-fiction is completely readable , but intelligently researched and structured. Always a pleasure Norah Lofts, always. One aspect of note in Norah Lofts -fiction or non fiction- is that once you have read her version of some historical figure, it is hard to accept anyone else's as being quite as real . A bit like Mary Renault's version of Alexander Great.

I loved this book. Lofts, generally credited as a romance writer, is an intelligent, insightful biographer who isn't afraid to let her passion for the subject show. It would have benefited by being longer, but stands as a wonderful introduction to Anne. Some of the information is superseded by more recent researchers, but Loft's novelist's skill at pinpointing what motivates people really brings Anne & her contemporaries to life. Genuine psychological insight isn't lacking, & the book is lavishly illustrated. Buy it today.

I just got this book again because this is the book I checked out from the library when I was 12 which started my lifelong enchantment, fascination and passion for Anne....and for english history. It's an easy, but very informative read. And there are many gorgeous illustrations, and some unusual ones as well. Lofts always has a wonderful sense of history and her writing is intuitive and deeper than most.

This biography of Anne Boleyn is short and quite accurate. There are a ton of illustrations in the book that really contribute to the overall effect. I life the fact that the author didn't overly sypathize with Mistress Anne but didn't try to persecute her either. A great book for someone who wants to learn more about history but doesn't have time to delve into a 500 page book that is full of dry, useless information.