misty autumn

So I have been way behind on posts, along with a few other things as well. Things are almost to busy right now, but maybe some better time management skills are in need.

I did manage to finish reading Mademoiselle Boleyn this last week, great book. Like I have mentioned before, I am a huge Anne Boleyn fan, so naturally I was more then excited to read this novel. Mademoiselle is a historical fiction of Anne’s life while living at the French court from eight to about fifteen or sixteen.

A little background on how Anne came to grow up in France. She originally arrived to France with Princess Mary Tutor, the aging King Louis XII new young bride in hopes to produce a male heir. Louis dies before he can impregnate the English Princess and she is sent back home while Louis’s son-in-law, the gallant Francois I becomes the new King of France. Anne and her sister Mary are allowed to stay in France under Queen Claude’s household… with Mary eventually becoming Francois Mistress.

Now, without giving to much of the story away, there are parts I totally did not agree with in this story. First was that Mary was forced to become the “English Mare”, I don’t buy this. First of all not only was she Mistress to Francois, but also many other men at his court. After leaving France, she then became the Mistress to King Henry VIII of England while married to her first husband. This leads me to believe Mary is anything but innocent.

After reading this book I also had a few questions in my mind. Could have Anne really been friends with Leonardo da Vinci? Also I know Diane de Poitier was in and out the court around this time in Claude’s household, was it possible that Anne also knew her fairly well?

So, over all, read this book! Its a delightful read and will give new insight into what Anne’s life might have been at living in France. How she became so headstrong and fashionable before gracing the Court of England.

Filed under: books, daily on January 30th, 2008