The Boleyn Wife

Purdy gives Jane Boleyn her long lost voice in Tne Boleyn Wife. To see Jane's life through her eyes, one must think as Jane perhaps did and that's just what you'll get in The Boleyn Wife. This is just what every author hopes to do; to be able to write so that the reader forgets they're reading a book. It's a saucy little historical novel about a most interesting woman, like her or not. Either way, you'll definitely have an opinion of Jane after reading this. What is it that drives Jane, that motivates her to do the things she does? For Jane, all her problems would be solved if only her husband George would love her, would look at her the way he looks at his sister, Anne Boleyn. With Jane's birds eye view, Purdy leaves it to you to decide; is Jane pathetic or is Jane evil, evil, evil? It's the first I've read by Brandy Purdy and I'm impressed. Let's hope there's another novel coming soon, I'd love it to be about Catherine. Purdy is just the writer to do it!

In the Court of King Henry VIII, plain Jane Parker may be shy but she is not stupid as she knows she cannot compete with the beauty and glamour of the women who toss themselves at the monarch; yet for some unknown reason men seemed to desire her. She was uninterested in any of them beyond furthering her position at court until she meets charming George Boleyn. When Jane and George are directed to wed, he obeys without much passion while she is ecstatic. However, she quickly realizes that his devotion is entirely to his sister emotive Anne. Not one to cry over what could have been, Jane waits for Anne who has become queen to self destruct. When the moment arrives, she betrays her cold husband and her sister-in-law accusing them of incestuous adultery, which both denied even as they were executed. She outlasts the next wife Anna of Cleves and gives her support to Anne's cousin Katherine Howard as Henry's next wife. Jane arranges the trysts between Katherine and her lover Thomas Culpepper. However, when Henry learns he is cuckolded, he has his wife, her lover, and their go between executed. The Boleyn Wife is an interesting work of historical fiction that provides a fresh look at the novelization of the court of King Henry VIII. Loathed by most historians as a false accuser and betrayer, Brandy Purdy brings a wider perspective of a jealous young wife who wanted the love of an uncaring husband, but learned she could not compete with her sister-in-law so she chose vengeance instead. Readers will relish this fine portrait of a "scorned" spouse whose reprisal against the Boleyn brood proved pivotal in the reign of Henry VIII. Harriet Klausner

I showed this book to my girlfriend, who is a huge fan of the Tudor Dynasty. She immediately bought it and read through it in just a couple days, not wanting to put it down. The topic of the Wives of Henry VIII has been pretty much played out; yet Brandy Purdy chooses to take this topic and look at it from a never before seen point of view. The very idea of writing a novel from the perspective of Lady Jane Rochford is quite unique to say the least. When judging a historical novel for authenticity, one cannot fault the author for making their own assumptions when there are gaps in historical records. From what I can see, Brandy Purdy does a respectable job with keeping the known facts about the Tudors intact (unlike abominations such as Showtime's "The Tudors"). Where there is a serious lack of records, particularly surrounding Katherine Howard, Ms Purdy does what any one of us would do; she guesses and writes her own interpretation. As an author of historical novels myself I can understand completely, as I have had to make my own guesses and interpretations when writing stories about time periods that are not as well covered in the history books. As for the "pornography" (the one constant complaint I've seen on here) I say people need to lighten up a bit. Of course my own books are exceedingly graphic as well, so perhaps I am a bit more understanding in this regard. Be that as it may, at no time did I feel that the graphic nature of this book was at all gratuitous; rather I feel that Ms Purdy was striving for a sense of authenticity. When writing about events that are not very nice, I prefer it if the author pulls no punches rather than glossing over events so as not to offend those with weak stomachs. Heck, if you have a weak stomach or are easily offended, then you probably should not be reading about the Tudors in the first place! In the end, I found this book to be entertaining, a real "page turner" (if you get into this, you will not want to stop reading), with believable characters and a fascinating storyline. It may not be 100% historically acurate, but again this is due to the lack of sources to work with, rather than an attempt to rewrite history. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in the Tudors, provided they are not easily offended.

"Vengence Is Mine" was truly an page turner. I had read some books on King Henry VIII, but most all were in relation to his 2nd wife, Lady Anne Boleyn. This story about Lady Jane Rochford showed life around the royals in a whole different light. It told the story of just how close George Boleyn was to his sister, Anne, the reasons behind Lady Jane's jealousy and why she did, in fact, finally destroy them. The novel gave insight on the backstabbing lifestyle of those who were part of Court. Having been to The Tower of London, Brandy's descriptions brought the vivid pictures back to life for me. Seeing where George and Anne were seperately kept, while waiting for the end to come.. wandering through the area where it is believed that King Henry's two young uncles were kept under lock and key until they disappeared. Seeing the area where the chopping block set - the same block where George, Anne and finally Jane all ended their lives. I find Brandy a terrific author who can bring words into focus. I have read two of her novels now - and hope to read more in the near future! Thanks to her, I have begun to read other books (fiction and non-ficton) about more of the people who were connected to the Tudor period.