My Lady of Cleves

This novel is an example of how history should be presented to everyone - not as a bunch of dry dates, but as reminding students that the significant events of our past involved real, flawed individuals. The book reads as though the reader is a "fly on the wall" watching the events unfold, privy to everything Anne knows and experiences but unable to read the minds of others she interacts with. We understand quite quickly that this intelligent, gentle woman is much more than the "Flanders mare" Henry VIII thought he had married.

Lately, there has been a feeding frenzy in the publishing and video world on that most infamous of kings, Henry VIII of England. There are miniseries and movies, and publishing houses are eagerly digging into their backlists and resurrecting novels that have anything to do with the Tudors and bringing them back into the hands of eager readers. One of the better forays has been the novels of the late Margaret Campbell Barnes, who wrote quite a few historical novels based on English monarchy. Quite possibly her best one was this, My Lady of Cleves, centered around the life of the woman who was probably the luckiest of Henry's wives, and who managed to escape him reasonably unscathed. The novel opens after the death of Queen Jane Seymour, who has died giving birth to the son that Henry VIII so desperately craves. Now his councilors are suggesting that he marry, this time to a foreign princess who will bring a powerful alliance with a continental power. But the king isn't so certain, he wants a biddable, buxom Englishwoman for a wife, and bluntly says so. But his chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, is pushing for one of the princesses of a little duchy in the Netherlands, called Cleves. There are two sisters, but no one can really remember if they are attractive enough or not. To solve this problem, the court painter, Hans Holbein is sent on a tour of Europe, as it were, to paint the likenesses of several candidates for Henry's next wife. When Holbein arrives in Cleves, he discovers an affinity with the elder of the two girls, Anne. Compared to her vivacious sister, Amelia, Anne is nearly unnoticeable. She is more interested in making sure that the ducal household is running smoothly, than in having any sort of the courtly arts that Henry VIII enjoys so much. She finds in the artist someone that she can talk to frankly and honestly. After Holbein sends the completed portraits to England, it is Anne who is chosen to be Henry's bride. For Anne, she is continually worried about thoughts that she is not nearly good enough to be Henry's queen. Her clothing is dowdy and too German, she doesn't have any musical skills, nor can she dance and flirt. Her English ladies in waiting seem to be quietly laughing at her, and then there's the fact that her skill at speaking English is still very weak. To top it all off, the king seems to be very unhappy with her, but no one will tell her why. Still, she manages to behave with plenty of regal style, bearing her suffering with stoicism and dignity. And she does make friends. One of them is a young lady-in-waiting, Catherine Howard, a pert, lively girl that Anne likes. And a young man named Thomas Culpepper, who is attracted to Catherine, but never seems to make a move to make her his own. As to Anne's marriage, it only lasts six months, and Anne is terrified that she'll either end up on the executioner's scaffold, or sent back to Cleves in disgrace... History shows that Anne made the best of a bad situation by

I didn't know much about Anne of Cleves going into My Lady of Cleves. I know the "gossip" - that she was ugly, fat, and that she smelled. And I have read Philippa Gregory's The Boleyn Inheritance, which included a section on Anne of Cleves. When Danielle at Sourcebooks, Inc. asked if I would be interested in reviewing this novel, I jumped at the chance. I was really interested in learning more about Anne of Cleves. One thing I didn't realize is that the book is a republished novel - it was originally published in 1946. On one hand, this didn't surprise me, knowing that Sourcebooks, Inc. is responsible for republishing Georgette Heyer's novels. But on the other hand, there was nothing in the book to indicate that it was written over 60 years ago. I believe that this is a testament to the quality of the writing and the immersive nature of the story. I found the novel ultimately captivating. I appreciated the portrayal of Anne of Cleves as an intelligent and resourceful woman who picks her battles very carefully. She was very honest with herself and recognized her strengths and failures clearly. I enjoyed reading about how she used her major talent to her own advantage: the ability to run a home. I also liked the way that Henry was portrayed. At the beginning, he is indeed the boorish monster that Anne sees, but slowly, the reader begins to see another side of him; while he cannot truly redeem himself, it is a softer portrait of his later years than readers usually receive. In terms of historical accuracy, I am aware that the basic events of Anne's life are portrayed as accurate. But towards the end of the book, certain events take place that Anne plays a part in. I wonder if her presence is fact, or if it is creatively interpreted by the author. (My inclination is towards the latter). Barnes took great pain to ensure that her physical descriptions of Anne were correct: she based it on actual comments made about Anne by historical figures. She was not fat, or necessarily ugly; in fact, according to Barnes, her portrait is the most attractive of any of Henry's wives (by modern standards, of course). It definitely leads the reader to wonder what Anne was really like. I really liked My Lady of Cleves; it was well-written, fast-paced and very enjoyable. I would recommend it to any fans of historical fiction; it is well worth reading this novel on an underappreciated queen. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5

After I read this author's terrific book on Anne Boleyn, "Brief Gaudy Hour", I knew that I would read more by this excellent author. I was delighted to discover that she had also written a book about another woman who had married King Henry VIII, Anne of Cleves, wife number four. I was fortunate enough to have been able to find a copy of this long out of print book, and I was not disappointed. This is a wonderful work of historical fiction of one of the lesser known wives of King Henry VIII, Anne of Cleves, who was a young Flemish princess of the Duchy of Cleves. When Jane Seymour, wife number three, died shortly after giving birth to the future King Edward VI of England, counselors to King Henry VIII urged him to marry again for reasons of state. As this vain monarch was by this time a bit of a hard sell, given the fact that his first three wives had died unhappy deaths and he was no longer young, fit and handsome, pickings were slim. His Lord Chancellor, Thomas Cromwell, urged upon him an alliance of political expediency between Cleves and England, in hopes of buttressing England's new found Protestantism, as Cleves was a Lutheran stronghold. King Henry VIII provisionally agreed, provided that one of the two princesses of Cleves, Anne or Amelia, was to his liking. So, he commissioned renowned court painter, Hans Holbein, to go to Cleves and paint miniatures of these two princesses of Cleves. When Han Holbein arrived in Cleves, he painted miniature portraits of both Anne and Amelia. While Amelia was the more superficially attractive one, Hans Holbein saw something in Anne that transcended physical beauty, and, being the artist that he was, his vision transposed itself onto the miniature portrait that he painted of Anne, creating a portrait of exquisite sweetness. When King Henry VIII saw it, there was no question but that Anne of Cleves would be his fourth wife. Unfortunately, when they met, Anne did not live up to his expectations, referring to her in pejorative terms as a great "Flanders mare". Anne was on the tall side, a large-boned and buxom woman, while King Henry VIII had a penchant for petite, slender women. Moreover, coming from a strict Lutheran duchy, Anne had none of the expected accomplishments that were de rigueur for the Tudor Court. Anne could not sing, dance, or play a musical instrument, nor was she particularly well educated in scholarly pursuits. Her education had been of a more pedestrian nature and geared to more housewifely pursuits such as the running of a household. Consequently, Henry and Anne were like oil and vinegar, never really able to come together as one. From then on, Anne's life as Queen of England was to be one of humiliation. Henry made no secret of his dissatisfaction and worked to disengage himself from this marriage, as he liked her not. Although Henry looked to cast Anne aside and had already set his sights on wife number five, the beautiful teenager, Catherine Howard, who was one of Anne's own la

After I read this author's terrific book on Anne Boleyn, "Brief Gaudy Hour", I knew that I would read more by this excellent author. I was delighted to discover that she had also written a book about another woman who had married King Henry VIII, Anne of Cleves, wife number four. I was fortunate enough to have been able to find a copy of this long out of print book, and I was not disappointed. This is a wonderful work of historical fiction of one of the lesser known wives of King Henry VIII, Anne of Cleves, who was a young Flemish princess of the Duchy of Cleves. When Jane Seymour, wife number three, died shortly after giving birth to the future King Edward VI of England, counselors to King Henry VIII urged him to marry again for reasons of state. As this vain monarch was by this time a bit of a hard sell, given the fact that his first three wives had died unhappy deaths and he was no longer young, fit and handsome, pickings were slim. His Lord Chancellor, Thomas Cromwell, urged upon him an alliance of political expediency between Cleves and England, in hopes of buttressing England's new found Protestantism, as Cleves was a Lutheran stronghold. King Henry VIII provisionally agreed, provided that one of the two princesses of Cleves, Anne or Amelia, was to his liking. So, he commissioned renowned court painter, Hans Holbein, to go to Cleves and paint miniatures of these two princesses of Cleves. When Han Holbein arrived in Cleves, he painted miniature portraits of both Anne and Amelia. While Amelia was the more superficially attractive one, Hans Holbein saw something in Anne that transcended physical beauty, and, being the artist that he was, his vision transposed itself onto the miniature portrait that he painted of Anne, creating a portrait of exquisite sweetness. When King Henry VIII saw it, there was no question but that Anne of Cleves would be his fourth wife. Unfortunately, when they met, Anne did not live up to his expectations, referring to her in pejorative terms as a great "Flanders mare". Anne was on the tall side, a large-boned and buxom woman, while King Henry VIII had a penchant for petite, slender women. Moreover, coming from a strict Lutheran duchy, Anne had none of the expected accomplishments that were de rigueur for the Tudor Court. Anne could not sing, dance, or play a musical instrument, nor was she particularly well educated in scholarly pursuits. Her education had been of a more pedestrian nature and geared to more housewifely pursuits such as the running of a household. Consequently, Henry and Anne were like oil and vinegar, never really able to come together as one. From then on, Anne's life as Queen of England was to be one of humiliation. Henry made no secret of his dissatisfaction and worked to disengage himself from this marriage, as he liked her not. Although Henry looked to cast Anne aside and had already set his sights on wife number five, the beautiful teenager, Catherine Howard, who was one of Anne's o