While I quite enjoyed this book and the detail and attention that Norah Lofts payed to Anne Boleyn’s life, there seemed to be an underlying current running through the book which really made me scratch my head at times. While reading it appeared to me that Lofts actually believed that Anne Boleyn was a witch – or at least had some knowledge of and involvement with witchcraft. This idea really shocked me as I thought that we as learners and researchers of Anne Boleyn’s life had moved past this ridiculous idea. I will explain Lofts thoughts on this idea a little more in the next paragraph. Initially Lofts presented the reader with the idea that Anne Boleyn had a sixth finger or at least an extra nail on the side of her finger. She also stated that Anne had a large mole on the side of her neck. While not openly stating the fact, Lofts seems to suggest that Anne had some knowledge of witchcraft and magic and this may have been the reason why she managed to hold Henry’s attention for so long without physically giving into his desire to sleep with her. Lofts also goes on to state that the marks on Anne’s body, the mole on her neck and extra finger, were associated with witchcraft during the Tudor period. During the Tudor times women were often associated with witchcraft as they were believed to be the weaker of the sexes. Any unusual markings or disfigurements were thought to be related to witchcraft, either by the person being born of a witch or being a witch themselves. There is no evidence at all to suggest that Anne Boleyn had an extra finger, or finger nail or a large mole on her neck. I believe these suggestions are nothing more than ridiculous lies given by those who wished to see her downfall. If she did have an extra finger or a large mole on her neck Henry VIII would have certainly noticed. Henry was a very intelligent, well read man who knew a lot about religion and other matters. Since witchcraft was a strong belief in the Tudor times I would be seriously surprised if Henry would want to marry a woman who would appear ‘deformed’ or at least physically carrying the signs of a witch. And there would have been no way Anne could have hid an extra finger or an ugly mole from a man whom she spent so much time with and desired her so completely and wholly. I think the whole witch thing is a complete farce, lies spread to make Anne Boleyn’s image look terrible and to give a reason why Henry VIII was seduced by her. (Because let us not forget that Henry was not accountable for anything!) I was really disappointed that Lofts carried on with this idea right throughout her book and even at the end she suggested that Anne Boleyn did come back after her death. Instead of appearing as a ghost she appeared as a large hare, an animal in which witches were reportedly able to change into. This whole concept of witchcraft really frustrated me as personally I do not believe there is any evidence to suggest Anne was a witch. I also think this idea takes away from the talent, wit and natural charm that Anne did have and used to her advantage. Anne had natural flair, allure and abilities and it saddens me that Loft did not give Anne the true credit she was due, instead she tried to label her as a witch.There were several other mistakes which stood out that I feel should be noted. The first is that Lofts claims that Anne Boleyn went across the ocean for the first time as a lady in waiting or a maid to Mary Tudor. Of course history tells us that this is not true. Anne Boleyn first went to be educated under the Archduchess Margaret of Austria. After some time when Mary Tudor did go to France to Marry King Lois, Anne was transferred into Mary Tudor’s services. After the French King’s death Anne Boleyn stayed at the French court and was educated by the new King’s wife, Queen Claude. Although it is not a huge issue mixing up the details of Anne Boleyn’s early life (as there is not a great deal of information on these years) it does frustrate me that such a mistake could be made. While the evidence is thin there is still enough research out there to tell us at least the places and the order of places that Anne Boleyn travelled in her younger years. Lofts also suggests that Henry VIII and Anne’s relationship started sometime in 1523 and that it was Henry, not Wolsey behind the order to break up Henry Percy and Anne Boleyn. Other historians (for example Alison Weir and Eric Ives) would suggest that Henry did not meet and start showing interest in Anne until around 1526/1527. Lastly Lofts claims that Anne miscarried twice in 1534, in January and June yet there is no evidence to suggest that this is the case, nor does Loft provide any research to back up her statement. While the evidence we do have is a little sketchy it would still seem to suggest that yes Anne did indeed miscarry sometime in 1534 and again in January 1636. Besides Elizabeth I’s birth it would appear that Anne was only pregnant three times. While there were several inaccuracies (I believe) I will give Norah Lofts credit as her book was beautiful written. It was very easy to read and her writing style is fluid and approachable. I also greatly enjoyed the inclusion of many beautiful images related to Anne Boleyn and other people, places and objects of the Tudor age. This for me was the real highlight of the book as at least every second page had a wonderful portrait or picture which captured my attention. While many of the images are in black and white they are still extremely detailed and quite beautiful to look at. The portraits included helped the reader to visualise all the people in and around Anne Boleyn’s life, including Anne, Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, King Francis, Cranmer, Cromwell and other important people. There were also some beautiful sketches and drawings of what life would have been like during Anne’s time. The images included, I believe, were the real stand out. Lofts also makes a very good statement of Henry VIII that really stuck out to me. She says that, “he could be brutal, give brutal orders, but he could not bear to face his victims, or to watch the orders being carried out” (p. 81). I think this is a perfect summary of what Henry VIII was like with his victims (many of which did not deserve the cruel fate they received). Henry VIII could be a very cruel, spiteful man; he could quite easily hand out punishments but he was unable, or unwilling to see them carried out. This in itself gives us some insight into the type of man Henry VIII really was.While I strongly disagree with the idea that Lofts presents that Anne Boleyn could have been a witch, or at least have some knowledge of witchcraft – I still did enjoy this book. As I mentioned Lofts has a beautiful and simple writing style which appealed to me. She did give a lot of detailed information on Anne’s life and the inclusion of such stunning portraits and pictures was a wonderful addition to this book.
This is supposedly a factual history book that actually cites, and repeatedly does so to the point of tedium, that witchcraft and influence of Satan were possibly if not probably the reasons Anne Boleyn became Queen of England.Witchcraft.Several times I checked the publication date of the book to see if it'd been written when such a thing was a probable charge or if this was some kind of parody that I'd accidentally picked up in the history section of the book store. It wasn't. Norah Lofts is so anti-Anne Boleyn it's almost funny. I expect some aspect of bias in a history book. It's inevitable that opinions will creep in when describing events, but when they colour things to the extent that Lofts is assigning every negative attribute to Anne that she can, it becomes ridiculous. According to this Anne Boleyn was probably a Satan-worshipping witch who never cared for Henry but coveted his crown, was probably sleeping with Mark Smeaton and quite probably visits a church every year on the date of her execution in the form of a hare. Because that's what witches do, apparently.Avoid this book like the plague. If you want to read about Anne Boleyn and actually get some decent history out of it, read David Loades, read Alison Weir, read Robert Hutchinson. Don't read this. It's not a history book, it's a fantasy novel.
Do You like book Anne Boleyn (1986)?
I found this book very frustrating. Ms. Lofts seems to believe that it is a foregone conclusion that Anne "tricked" Henry with her charms and never loved him... the whole "evil woman" thing. I can't say that that is not indeed the case, but I don't believe that it has been proven one way or the other. Is there evidence that her father was complicit in setting her up? If so, where is it? Lofts actually spends quite a bit of space giving credence to the theory that Anne was a witch who used her powers to lure in the king (and mentions several times that witchcraft is handed down through maternal lines, making Elisabeth a witch as well). It's understandable that this issue should be addressed, as it was a popular theory at the time; however, discussing it as a real explanation of the very complex situation between Anne and Henry is a bit weak. Additionally, the book was poorly referenced and contained a lot of, what seem to be, Ms. Lofts' personal opinions on Anne. The saving grace for this book is the wonderful group of images collected here... many Holbein sketches and paintings. The End.
—Karen Renee Collins
This is an excellent biography and is well-written but I'm going to give it 4 stars instead of 5 because it didn't exactly grab me and I had to really force myself to keep reading in some parts.First off, I want to address the problem that it seems most of the low reviews mentioned, which is that Lofts discusses the rumors of Anne Boleyn being a witch as if they were true. After reading this common complaint, I was honestly expecting most of the book to be focused on these rumors and instead it was only mentioned and briefly discussed about 3 times in the entire book. And I'm not sure that I agree that Lofts sounds like she believes that Anne was a witch because it didn't really sound like that to me. It sounded like an excellent biographer addressing all aspects of a person's life, which would include all prevalent rumors about them.All in all, I found the book to be fairly informative. I say fairly because I was already aware of about 90% of the information but I have already done extensive research on Anne Boleyn and the Tudor Dynasty whereas others have probably not. If you don't know much about Henry VIII or Anne Boleyn, you should definitely check out this book.
—Megan
Norah Lofts gives us a concise and tightly written biography, focusing mostly on the complicated relationship between Henry and Anne and the series of events that set in motion the break with the Catholic Church. The writing flows smoothly and the illustrations are beautiful. I love how Lofts ended this biography with a humorous anecdote. She reminded us that Anne was a woman who loved to laugh and loved a good joke, two details that are usually overlooked when we think of the tragedy in her life.
—Peggy
