Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory
First line: In the hammered silver of the mirror, we look like two headless ghosts – our black hoods hiding our faces.
Summary: Jane Boleyn has spent her life at the Tudor court. She has learned through her years serving first Queen Katherine of Aragon and then her sister-in-law, Anne Boleyn that she must play her part to perfection in order to survive. This becomes even more apparent after the downfall of the Boleyn’s when she is left alone at a court that is being ruled by a tyrant. With the help of her spymaster and friend, Thomas Cromwell she navigates the coming years in the new queen’s household but she has learned that one whispered secret can lead to the executioner’s scaffold.
My Thoughts: I was very excited to see that Philippa Gregory was returning to the Tudor court in her newest book. I have been a big fan of her work since first reading The Other Boleyn Girl many years ago. I could not wait to see what she did with this woman who has been shunned to the shadows of the Boleyn story.
So, to start off with, The Other Boleyn Girl is probably my favorite book. I have a signed copy of it and it has been read numerous times. I love the story and it sparked my interest in the period. I hated the movie and really wish that someone would do it justice, maybe in a miniseries like some of Gregory’s other works. And now coming from this point, I was really excited to see what Gregory did with this woman who was not portrayed in the best light before.
When I first started this I was very confused by the choices that were made concerning the relationships between Jane, Anne and George. This made them seem more like a cohesive team than adversaries. As the story moved on this would bother me less as I got used to the Jane that was being portrayed. She is shown to be highly intelligent woman who has learned how to navigate the world of the Tudor court.
I found it interesting to see her as part of the entourage around Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves. Everyone who knows Jane’s story is aware of her involvements with Katherine Howard but I forget that she most likely worked for the queens between Anne and Katherine. She was at the forefront of major changes and events of the time but much of her story is centered on Henry’s executed queens.
While this was not my favorite of Gregory’s work, I did find it really enjoyable. I got a new perspective on this woman who has been misaligned in the past. In recent scholarship she has been shown to be much more than a vindictive wife and hopefully this fiction will give her the attention she may actually deserve.
If you love historical fiction of the Tudor era then this is a must read! And now that I have finished this, I am going to go back and re-read The Other Boleyn Girl for the millionth time.
