The Boleyn Reckoning by Laura Andersen

[gilda_elise]

Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir! After presenting readers with an irresistible premise in The Boleyn King (what if Anne gave birth to a healthy royal boy who would grow up to rule England?) and returning to the dangerous world of the Tudor court in The Boleyn Deceit, Laura Andersen brings to a triumphant conclusion the enthralling tale of the Tudor king who never was.

Paperback, 416 pages
Published July 15th 2014 by Ballantine Books

Okay, here we are, the third and final book. I suppose because I'm not a fan of Philippa Gregory or (even less so,) Alison Weir, I wasn't as taken by this book as some. As much as I enjoyed the first two books, I was somewhat disappointed by the third. It wasn't the writing; it kept my interest to the end. But after awhile it got tiring, Minuette not saying things that would have prevented catastrophe, and then saying things that caused it. And I really would have preferred that the book had been more about William—other than his fixation on Minuette. I suppose that plays into his father's fixation on Anne Boleyn, but it didn't necessarily follow that his son would have been the same way.

So, while I was pleased, mostly, with the ending, I would have preferred less romantic angst and more a look at what England might have been if Anne Boleyn had produced a male child. It's touched on, but only lightly. There was so much more to plumb. What decisions would William have faced? How differently would event have played out if Elizabeth never ruled? Would William's children have managed to hold onto the throne? So much was lost, I think, by making the series, and especially the last book, little more than a romance novel.

Comments

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I've not heard of these, and I was rather fascinated when you said if Anne gave birth to a healthy boy child, but what a shame if it doesn't follow through the focus on that... I quite like Philippa Gregory, though I don't know if I've tried any Alison Weir, so I might take a look at least - they sound fairly easy reading?

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

The three books? I'd say fairly easy, though, I think, I step up from Gregory and Weir. But with those two, it's not so much the writing as how much they get wrong, historically. Especially Weir, who tries to pass herself off as a historian. At least Gregory makes no claims to that. I know it's fiction, but a lot of people read them and then automatically think that that's what actually happened. I can see taking a certain amount of poetic license, but let's not get crazy. *g*