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The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn |  | Author: Alison Weir
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Category: Book
List Price: $28.00
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Rating:  72 reviews
Sales Rank: 9808
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 464
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.5
ISBN: 0345453212
Dewey Decimal Number: 942.052092
EAN: 9780345453211
ASIN: 0345453212
Publication Date: January 5, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Nearly five hundred years after her violent death, Anne Boleyn, second wife to Henry VIII, remains one of the world's most fascinating, controversial, and tragic heroines. Now acclaimed historian and bestselling author Alison Weir has drawn on myriad sources from the Tudor era to give us the first book that examines, in unprecedented depth, the gripping, dark, and chilling story of Anne Boleyn's final days.
The tempestuous love affair between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn scandalized Christendom and altered forever the religious landscape of England. Anne's ascent from private gentlewoman to queen was astonishing, but equally compelling was her shockingly swift downfall. Charged with high treason and imprisoned in the Tower of London in May 1536, Anne met her terrible end all the while protesting her innocence. There remains, however, much mystery surrounding the queen's arrest and the events leading up to it: Were charges against her fabricated because she stood in the way of Henry VIII making a third marriage and siring an heir, or was she the victim of a more complex plot fueled by court politics and deadly rivalry?
The Lady in the Tower examines in engrossing detail the motives and intrigues of those who helped to seal the queen's fate. Weir unravels the tragic tale of Anne's fall, from her miscarriage of the son who would have saved her to the horrors of her incarceration and that final, dramatic scene on the scaffold. What emerges is an extraordinary portrayal of a woman of great courage whose enemies were bent on utterly destroying her, and who was tested to the extreme by the terrible plight in which she found herself.
Richly researched and utterly captivating, The Lady in the Tower presents the full array of evidence of Anne Boleyn's guilt—or innocence. Only in Alison Weir's capable hands can readers learn the truth about the fate of one of the most influential and important women in English history.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 72
 The ultimate Anne Boleyn fanatic book July 24, 2010
K. Hooper
I am the ultimate Tudor researcher, and there is no one like Anne Boleyn. I loved this book and it was both immensely researched and easy to read. The author brought in numerous sources from other writers and scholars, witnesses and theorists. Having opinions on both sides of the border, the reader can develop their own opinion of the notorious queen. How could you not find her innocent and feel sympathetic to her? Also, I must say this, that there is no other book that has disturbed me more, when Miss Weir got to the beheading of the queen. She brought up the theory, based on witness testimony, that the queen survived for a brief moment after her head left her body, for people said that they saw the movement of her eyes and lips. To back this up, Miss Weir cited experiments and other incidents from the past, in which decapitated heads were able to blink, respond to their name being called, move their lips, and form facial expressions. Enthralled, I looked up these experiments on the internet and read about them. I couldn't help but be disturbed, and felt even more sympathetic to Queen Anne, whom may have felt pain in her last moments, when her death by the sword was supposed to be quick and painless. That sucks big time, and totally changes my original opinion of beheading. My husband told me that people could briefly live through a beheading; I didn't believe him, but now I do. Tudor lovers must read this book, particularly if you love Anne Boleyn. This book is informative times a million when it comes to the Queens demise, death and aftermath.
 . July 17, 2010
Christy Leigh Stewart (California)
A great approach to history and an interesting subject. Weir did a great job on this and as long as you care about Anne Boelyn you should enjoy this; even if you hate history or nonfiction topics.
Cannot wait for Weir's next great book June 12, 2010
Damion J. Dickerson (New York, NY United States)
I am not a scholar or historian and renaissance history is new hobby of mine for only the past few years. In those years Allison Weir has become one of my favorite authors to read. "The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn" like Weir's other books has an ease and flow to it making it a pleasure to read without dumbing it down. I never feel like the authors opinion is imposed on the reader, the information is given and you take what you will from it. The story itself is interesting on its own but when written so well it is simply hard to put down.
A Must for Tudor Readers May 30, 2010
Loves the View (Hawaii)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Just when you thought all the ins and outs of the fall of Anne Boleyn have been explored, something new appears.
Alison Weir shows she is the master of this era. She integrates her own scholarship and thoughts with those she has sifted through in the work of other Tudor historians. Weir must have read every Tudor related scrap of writing housed in the British Museum and every other collection. Her wide and deep knowledge of this period gives her the background to interpret all of it for the reader.
Writers like Weir take on a difficult task. They document their research for the historical record and make that record appealing to the general reader. Not all writers can succeed in both, but Weir excels. Her writing is a seamless blend of documenting and telling the story.
Weir poses that Henry VIII did not need to eliminate Anne Boleyn, but Thomas Cromwell had many reasons for doing so and pretty much said it out loud. She writes of the many others who stood to benefit from the demise of Anne and the faction of court politics she represented. Weir revisits the trumped up changes against Anne and her 5 supposed lovers.
Weir reminds the reader of the speed of events. Anne was Queen for less than 3 years. The time from her last miscarriage, of what would have been a son/heir (on the day Katherine of Aragon passed away), to her beheading (and Henry's marriage to Jane Seymour) was just about a month. That the trial would result in a conviction was not in doubt; an executioner was summoned from France before the trial's start. Had the miscarried child lived, history would have been much different.
Weir also does an excellent job in her discussion of the aftermath. Not all is rosy for the prosecution, karma catches up with Cromwell and others. Weir covers the reaction of the populace and leaders abroad, the distribution of Anne's assets, the known and potential effects on Elizabeth and how some of her actions, such as the reluctance to convict Mary Queen of Scots might have resulted from this. There is a good analyis of the changing interpretations of this piece of history.
This is an excellent readable work of scholarship and a must read for anyone interested in the Tudors.
Not Ms. Weir's favorite wife! May 27, 2010
J. Dominy (USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Let me begin by saying that if you are interested in the Tudor period, you really must read this book. It appears to be well-researched and Ms. Weir gives a very detailed day-by-day account of the last month of the life of Anne Boleyn. However, in reading, it would probably be best to take some of the conclusions with a grain of salt. Any fan of the period knows that the Anne Boleyn/Catherine of Aragon/Henry VIII relationship tangle is the Brad/Angelina/Jennifer debate of Tudor historians. And judging from this book and her treatment of "the Lady" in her other books on the subject, I do not believe Ms. Weir is sporting a "Team Anne" t-shirt. She does seem to struggle mightily to appear unbiased, but does not always succeed. Anne Boleyn cannot win for losing with Ms. Weir - several times she comments on how haughty and proud Queen Anne became after attaining the crown, then later states categorically that Anne was "obviously" far too familiar with some courtiers. She fails to observe that Anne was raised as a courtier, these were courtiers with whom she was long acquainted and always friendly - and if she had been "haughty" with these courtiers after her coronation, I am sure Ms. Weir would have faulted her for that as well. ( I am aware that Queen Anne did drop several old "friends" after becoming queen, but for the most part, these seem to have been those courtiers and relatives who were happy to have her in Henry's bed, but only as long as she was carrying out their agenda.) And while historians seem almost universally sure that the adultery and treason charges brought against Queen Anne were false and manufactured for the purpose of disposing of her, on the same evidence Ms. Weir's verdict seems to be "she probably was not guilty, but hey, she could have done it! Maybe she did!" Which is true, but Ms Weir seems almost too insistant on reinforcing the possibility throughout the book. Yes, Queen Anne could have been guilty, but considering the very guilty Catherine Howard's adultery was discovered in a very short time, it seems ridiculous to suppose that the enemy-rich Queen Anne could have managed even one encounter without the Pope hearing about it before the sheets had cooled.
Do read this book, as it contains unquestionably valuable and interesting research. But try to avoid following Ms. Weir over the parapet during some of her headlong leaps of conclusion. I suppose that her guess is as good as any other historian's, considering the odds against finding a truly nonbiased author on this long-debated topic. Still, 500 years after the fact, it is impossible to know the true story. However much we believe we know about the times, the people, the customs and the use of language - it is impossible to be sure of the conclusions we draw. We should remember that use of language and etiquette are very much transient and "of the period." Attempting to firmly attach meaning and intent on a passing conversation between Queen Anne and (co-defendant) Henry Norris is as futile as trying to explain the mullet hair style or the celebrity of Paris Hilton.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 72
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