Book One: The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel

I read most of this book last year, but just finished it this morning. I had mixed feelings about the other two books in this trilogy but enjoyed this book more. 

The Mirror & the Light begins literally seconds after the execution of Anne Boleyn and ends as Thomas Cromwell is executed. 

Despite her death at the opening, Anne's presence is felt throughout this novel. At one point, while reading verses about the men convicted of adultery with Anne, Cromwell's nephew remarks, "You see there is no mention of the lady." Cromwell thinks that none is needed: "Anne is always in the room." I felt the same way.  

I was intrigued by a description of Edward IV, Henry VIII's grandfather. 

"...King Edward grew soft in middle age, his eye always rolling in the direction of any woman at             court, wife or maid under the age of thirty. He lolled on a daybed with supple flesh, while his own         brothers plotted against him..." 

While many assume Henry was a lusty playboy, he was more like a choir boy compared to some of the other royals. His appetites for good food and drink didn't decrease--think of Henry's popular image of a fat man lustily eating a large turkey leg.

I think about Edward's decision to marry Elizabeth Woodville and how that threatened his reign, and compare that to Henry's obsession with Anne Boleyn and all that he was willing to risk to marry her. Of course, I knew Edward was Henry's grandfather but I never really thought of their similarities.

Another Reread: The Concubine by Norah Lofts

One night recently I wanted to read a book, but nothing from my dwindling TBR pile appealed to me. I picked up The Concubine by Norah Lofts. I  have fond memories of this book. I think I first read it when I was 17, and stole its format for my term paper on Anne Boleyn. 

I don't know if I would still rank it as one of my favorite books, but it's still a good book. 

Book 25: Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

This is the second book in Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy focusing on the fall of Anne Boleyn through Thomas Cromwell's point of view. 

Ten years ago, I read Wolf Hall. My reaction to Bring Up the Bodies is similar. The choice of Cromwell as a narrator is brilliant. Even though Mantel is a prizewinning, acclaimed author, I just don't like her style. I find it stilted and awkward. To each his or her own. 

Another Library Book Sale

Cynthia and I went to the Mark Twain Library book sale in Redding today. It was a beautiful day for a drive. The sale started Friday, and already we could see blank spaces where books had been. I bought eight books.

1. Anne Boleyn by Eric Ives. I've been looking for this book at book sales for  years. I borrowed it from the library and read it in 2021. I was psyched to find it today. This alone would have make the trip worthwhile. 

2. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. Why not get another copy? I have four now, plus the one I'm cutting up for my art journal.

3. One for the Money by Janet Evanovich. I've heard good things about the Stephanie Plum novels. I like to start series with the first book and finally saw the first today.

4. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel. I read the previous book, Wolf Hall. I wasn't crazy about it, but wanted to finish Anne Boleyn's story.

5. The Sisters The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lovell I vaguely remember reading something--maybe a book review--about the sisters. Decided to find out more. 

6. The Woman Who Ran for President The Many Lives of Victoria Woodhull by Lois Beachy Underhill Woodhull is a fascinating woman from the first wave of feminism. I'm intrigued to learn more about her. 

7. Railroads Across America A Celebration of 150 Years of Railroading by Michael J. DelVecchio There were several books on railroads. I selected this one for industry background.

8. Reel Art Great Posters from The Golden Age of the Silver Screen by Stephen Rebello and Richard Allen This is a gorgeous book of movie posters. I looked up Bette Davis in the index and saw three of her movie posters. That was enough for me. 

I'm really pleased with my selections today, especially Eric Ives' book. 

Return to the Met

Saturday, I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with my brother, his girlfriend, and her son like my last visit.

I hadn't researched exhibits ahead of time and was psyched to see a Tudor exhibition.

We walked in and I immediately recognized a portrait of Henry VII. It was fascinating to see originals of portraits that I had seen in books. I especially loved the miniatures and quickly recognized Henry Fitzroy, Henry VIII's illegitimate son. 

In addition to portraits, the exhibit includes tapestries, suits of armor, furniture, cups and bowls, and beautiful Bibles and prayer books. 

My only disappointment was the lack of Anne Boleyn--there was only one drawing of her by Hans Holbein the Younger. But Henry VIII had her images destroyed, so that explains it.

More on Books Read in 2021

I was pleased with the variety of books I read this year: history, mystery/suspense, science fiction, fantasy, and memoir.

My favorites were: Hour of the Witch, Anne Boleyn, Paradise Alley, and Bloodless. The toughest read was One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

I had wanted to read more black women authors and read There is Confusion by Jesse Redmon Fauset and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. I also have Jubilee by Margaret Walker in my TBR (to be read) pile.

In addition to Jubilee, I have these books from library sales this year: Katherine of Aragon The True Queen by Alison Weir, War and Peace by Leon Tolstoy, and Sense and Sensibility and Emma by Jane Austen. First, I need finish The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir. 

Those books should keep me busy for a few months. I've been keeping a list of books to read and will keep my eyes open for more. 

More on Anne Boleyn

I am on the email list of The Anne Boleyn Files and learned about three days of talks: what did Anne look like; was Anne a pawn or predator; and Anne Boleyn myths. I ended up reading the transcripts instead of watching the videos (the first was an hour-and-a-half.) I found there's actually an Anne Boleyn Youtube channel. I guess I'll be spending some time there. 

Anne Boleyn in Pop Culture

I was surprised to see an article about Anne Boleyn on Jezebel.com today. I had heard before about the AMC + series starring Jodie Turner-Smith and saw her on The Daily Show. I hope I'll get to see the program.

I had no interest in the film Spencer about Princess Diana, but now I'm intrigued that Anne Boleyn appears to Diana as another victim of the crown. Anne was played by Amy Manson who I saw in The White Princess. 

This shows how Anne continues to intrigue and enchant people. 

Book 19: Anne Boleyn by Eric W. Ives

I've read several books about Anne Boleyn, both fiction and non-fiction--I currently have 22 books on Anne and the Tudors on my bookshelf. Somehow, I have only now read this book which is probably the definitive biography of Anne as "one of the makers of history." Ives goes into great detail, researching correspondence, bills, and other records. So much detail that at times, I skimmed though a paragraph or two. 

I was especially impressed with Ives' analysis of the coup against Anne and her faction led by Thomas Cromwell. So many people think Anne's downfall was simply a case of Henry's eye wandering elsewhere. Ives skillfully explains how it was a coup engineered by Thomas Cromwell. Four years after Anne's death, Cromwell would also face Henry VIII's "justice."

The Spanish Princess

The series conclusion of The Spanish Princess aired last night. Actually I had a bit of a Tudor weekend, watching parts of The White Princess on Friday, season one of The Spanish Princess on Saturday and the second season on Sunday.

Overall, I've enjoyed The Spanish Princess, but the finale annoyed me. Anne and Mary Boleyn make their appearances, and Mary had dark hair. I don't think Mary had a line, so I'm being petty. But Mary Boleyn was a traditional blonde beauty of that time: Anne was not. Many thought Anne was unattractive, except for her dark eyes, her style, and her engaging personality. It should have been easy to cast a blonde actress as Mary.

I hated the scene where Anne meets Henry and bears her breasts, but this show is based on Philippa Gregory's books. We're back to Anne Boleyn the brazen slut. 

More importantly, I didn't like the end of Catherine's story--it was inaccurate--she did not leave the court on her own terms. The writers said that Catherine had been maligned by history--I don't believe this is true. Catherine is admired for fighting for her rights and most importantly for the rights of her daughter. Catherine's mother Isabel of Castile and daughter Bloody Mary were maligned, not Catherine. Apparently it would be boring and lazy to tell the truth; a 21st century female audience wouldn't want to see it. 

We're not so fragile. 

A historically accurate description of Catherine leaving the ecclesiastical court convened by Wolsey would have a better way to show her strength. 

For Anne

It was 484 years ago today that Anne Boleyn was executed by her husband. No one is sure when she was born, but we know when she died.

Today I participated in a Zoom call on Anne Boleyn with Tudor expert and historian Carol Ann Lloyd . As she said, how many people would have others talking about them 484 years after their death?

Lloyd first became fascinated with Anne by watching The Six Wives of Henry VIII on BBC. For me, it was Anne of the Thousand Days. 

I'm not alone in my fascination of Anne. There were 31 of us on the call today; I had only a day's notice. There have been several books and movies about Anne Boleyn.

Is it because she went to her death with such courage and dignity?  Well damn, isn't that enough?

How about the way she kept the king in love with her for years before her marriage? It wasn't easy to say no to a king.

What about her religious work disseminating the English translation of the Bible?

Anne was never the vixen that many described her as. Nor was she the feminist Protestant reformer that some of us wished.

She was a complex women who fell outside others' boxes.

Today we remember Anne.

Book Seven: The Wives of Henry the Eighth and the Parts They Played in History by Martin Andrew Sharp Hume

I had started this book back in July 2018 when I was waiting longer for Jeff at the dentist than I expected. I finally went back to it last week. The book was originally published in 1905 and was in the public domain. That's why it was on Jeff's Kindle.

It was an interesting book to me because I am interested in most things Tudor, but I did skim through some of the parts about all the political machinations. I read a few things I hadn't before: criticism about Katherine of Aragon's political instincts and her involvement with a questionable priest.

I was surprised that the author discounted the political impact of Katherine Parr. He was also a little harsh on Anne Boleyn, but I think that was expected at the time.

First Third of Summer: Teaching, Tudors, and Rabbits

My last post was about the beginning of summer, now it's a third through. No legit reason not to post; I can't explain it.

I started teaching an ACT course the Monday after my last post. It had been a year since my last class, and the class hours dropped from 25 to 18. It was a challenge. Part of it was me being old-school--having individual meetings with students and checking their homework in person. It's mainly  a challenge because there's so much material to cover. Immediately after the ACT class ended, I started a SAT class. I have two more classes starting in a week--a busy teaching time for me.

I've attended three of four lectures at the Norwalk Library on the wives of Henry VIII: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, and Catherine Parr. I  didn't learn much about Anne, but I did learn about Catherine and Jane. I also learned that if I want to get the light lunch at the library, I have to arrive around 1145-11:50 for a 12 PM program.

I was afraid I'd miss the Anne Boleyn lecture, because I was teaching the ACT class. Luckily, the day of the Anne lecture was a test day, so I could get a proctor to sub for me. Unfortunately, the proctor didn't show; one student's parents were so mad, he dropped the class; others got another proctored test; all students got an extra class. At least I still got to the Anne lecture.

I've read four books since my last post: The Helen Trilogy by Preston and Child and Children of Henry VIII by Alison Weir--more on these later.

With morning classes and hot weather, I've been taking Lola for morning walks from Mathews Park to Oyster Shell Park on the Norwalk River Valley Trail (NRVT.) It's a two to five minute drive to Mathews--depending on traffic lights--and Oyster Shell Park usually offer many rabbits and ground hogs. I think we should start a tradition of a ground hog named Norwalk Norm--why should Punxsutawney Phil get all the credit?

Since we started walking around the neighborhood last year, Lola has enjoyed checking out the rabbits in the area. Many congregate in the fenced off area of part of the city's water supply. We once saw two bunnies running around playing. Others seem to hang out in the area; Lola loves to stalk them even though she's always on the leash and can't get close to them. Jeff and I also enjoy greeting Dylan--a dog who lives on Highwood Avenue. If he's outside, he always runs to greet us. His barks first sounded hostile, but he now loves when we pass by to pet him. Today his mom alerted him that we were passing by: dogs are awesome.

I'm not sure I can promise, but I hope this is the start of regular posting.

Royal Anniversary

484 years ago today Anne Boleyn was crowned Queen of England. I noticed that there was no mention of Anne's unpopularity in the first linked article.

There are other discrepancies between the two articles: how pregnant was Anne--two months or heavily?  What was the actual coronation date?

I don't have the time nor inclination to do research now, but the second article has an incorrect execution date, so I'm not comfortable with its coronation date. On the other hand, I have read about the public unhappiness at the coronation before.

Anne remains polarizing. As a member of the cult, however, I love her.

PS Six years ago today Johan Santana pitched the first no-hitter for the New York Mets.

Second Book

Last week I finished At Home with Henry VIII His life, his wives, his palaces by Rose Shepherd. This was a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law last year. It's a beautiful book with lots of photographs and reproductions of paintings.

At Home has less than 200 pages; I didn't expect to learn anything from it. I've already read so many books about Tudor England, especially about Anne Boleyn. But I did learn that, according to Shepherd, Anne preferred a pendant with an "A." I've never heard that, and have only seen the "B" pendant.

One of the author's comments got me thinking. Shepherd wonders if Anne Boleyn would have the cult following she has today if she had not gone to her death with such courage and dignity.

I never thought of myself as being in a cult, but I guess being among a cult following is accurate. I've been fascinated by Anne for years. She was a tragic heroine; I had romanticized her relationship with Harry Percy. I never bought into the great love between Henry and Anne. Henry was obsessed with Anne because she wouldn't fall into his arms like a ripe peach.

Did Anne love Henry? She certainly loved the power and grandeur of being a queen. I hate to believe she loved him and suffered a betrayal of that love as well as everything else.

An Anniversary

459 years ago, Queen Mary I of England died, at the age of 42.

Mary was somewhat rehabilitated for me by The Myth of Bloody Mary. It's hard to understand how the Catholic/Protestant differences got so violent. It's even harder to ignore the burning of heretics.

Mary had a rough life--for a royal .I have sympathy for her, and I understand how she would hate Anne Boleyn. Her world upended because of her father's lust. (I don't buy that Henry was all that concerned that his marriage was invalid--he had a papal dispensation.) Her father was a cruel tyrant.

Mary's death lead to one of the best reigns in English history-that of her half sister Elizabeth. How she would have hated it, if she had known.

TCM VCR Catch Up: Anne of the Thousand Days

Anne of the Thousand Days, starring Richard Burton and Genevieve Bujold, may have started my fascination with Anne Boleyn.The timing of the release date is right.

I thought the performances were good--I was surprised to read that Burton hated his performance.

I had more issues with the screenplay. Henry VIII gets a sympathetic portrayal: a man haunted by his failure to produce a male heir, tormented by fear that his marriage was invalid in the eyes of God (as revealed in a prayer scene.) Anne's father and uncle are also given more sympathetic portrayals than history may warrant--they are passive rather than ambitious.

In an early scene, Anne tells Harry Percy that she is not a virgin. There's no point to this scene. It would make sense if this information was later discussed in the investigation or trial. Instead: there's no further mention of it. Is this some kind of slut-shaming?

Henry was all over the place in the last third of the film. He says he wants to get rid of Anne, but makes an appearance at her trial and discredits the testimony of Mark Smeaton. Then he says the adultery charge could be true after all. It makes no sense. Other scenes show his confusion about the charges as if he was some innocent victim of Cromwell's machinations.

The men found guilty of adultery with Anne besides Smeaton and George Boleyn (Norris, Brereton and Weston) are listed in the credits but barely have a presence in the film. George is also vague. The screenwriters miss a great dramatic moment when Percy has to declare Anne guilty. Too bad.

Final quibbles: Henry VIII should be a redhead. Bujold is too beautiful to be Anne Boleyn. But maybe she has to be beautiful to convince the audience of her appeal.

Still a good movie.

Hampton Court Memories

I wasn't feeling well earlier this week, so it was a good time to catch up on some DVR recordings. I wrote about a few Bette Davis films I saw. I also watched a show about the secrets of Hampton Court.

In 1982, I went to London with my father, sister and a few of my sister's friends. My sister Joanna was good at finding tours and bargains. We got a good fare but didn't spend much time with the tour group. Joanna had lived in London for a year and was able to show us around.

Anne Boleyn's home, Hever Castle, was closed when we visited London in November. Of course, we went to the Tower of London, but we also visited Hampton Court Palace. We took the train from London one morning. I must have heard about the influence of Charles II, William and Mary, and Queen Anne during the tour, but I only remember the Tudors. I loved seeing the intertwined H and A that remain in the gateway despite the workers' best efforts to remove all traces of Anne. I also imagined Catherine Howard running down the Haunted Gallery in her attempt to reach Henry. I remember our gift shop purchases: I got an Anne Boleyn paperweight and a Six Wives of Henry VII tea cup. I think Joanna got a Six Wives dish towel.

We stopped for lunch at a local pub around the corner before heading back to London. It was one of the best meals we had that trip.

What I'm Reading

The story of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII continues to fascinate--as demonstrated by the number of books about her. Natalie at On the Tudor Trail has a list of Anne Boleyn fiction books here. I have 15 Anne Boleyn books of my own (plus a few other Tudor-focused books.)

I finished Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel Saturday night. I didn't get the title. Wolf Hall is the home of the Seymour family, but is barely mentioned in the book. Thanks to wikipedia, I learned the title is an allusion to the saying, Man is wolf to man.

First, the good: it's brilliant to have Thomas Cromwell as the protagonist. I think my first memory of Cromwell was from the movie Anne of the Thousand Days. He was played by John Colicos and was torturing poor Mark Smeaton. Cromwell is usually portrayed as ruthless, if not outright evil. In Wolf Hall, Cromwell is sympathetic. He's hard-working, intelligent and loving. It's a fascinating variation.

But I had problems with Wolf Hall. It was often difficult to figure out who was speaking in conversations. Mantel also had an annoying habit of writing things like: he, Cromwell... Why not just say Cromwell?

It took me a long time to finish the book. I'm not sure if I have the patience to read the sequel.

What I've Been Reading

The Lady in the Tower The Fall of Anne Boleyn by Alison Weir http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345453212/aliwei-20

It took me a long time to finish this book. That's not criticism of the content or the style. Despite the book's narrow focus--Anne's last days--it goes into great detail with much of her work based on original sources. It also serves as a kind of review of literature and research about Anne. Alison credits some theories and disagrees with others. I found myself often flipping to the notes section which I rarely do.

Alison has written several historical biographies including Henry VIII: The King and His Court. I enjoyed her historical novel, Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey.

I'm sure I'll read her new novel about Mary Boleyn.