Anne Boleyn

April 1, 2010
Anne Boleyn's sex life forms the basis of a new biographical snapshot by scholar Bernard (early modern history, Univ. of Southampton; "The King's Reformation"). In this brief, gossipy tome, Bernard digs into the historical record to present an alternative view of the short but tumultuous life of Henry VIII's second and most famous wife. He gives Boleyn less credit for having major influence on the religious and political upheaval of Tudor England and more for being a sexually confident and provocative woman entangled in a soap opera life that found her winning a hard-fought battle to become queen of England, only to find herself sentenced to death on charges of adultery a few years later. While definitive source material is thin, Bernard has mined it for every clue to produce this unusual melding of scholarship and what is essentially 500-year-old celebrity gossip. VERDICT The exploits of British royals remain popular, and Anne Boleyn's story is among the juiciest. This book will intrigue an avid crowd.Elizabeth Goldman, Kingston Frontenac P.L., Ont.

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