Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    The Lady In The Tower
    Unavailable
    The Lady In The Tower
    Unavailable
    The Lady In The Tower
    Ebook563 pages9 hours

    The Lady In The Tower

    By Jean Plaidy

    4/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this ebook

    Anne Boleyn was not beautiful, but she was irresistible, capturing the hearts of kings and commoners alike. The daughter of an ambitious country lord, Anne was sent to the dazzling court of Henry VIII to marry well and raise the family’s fortunes. She soon surpassed even their greatest expectations: the king swore he would put his queen aside and make Anne his wife. But Anne was soon caught in the trap of her own ambition, surrounded by political rivals at court and at the mercy of Henry’s fatal insecurity and volatile temper.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMay 1, 2012
    ISBN9781443412599
    Unavailable
    The Lady In The Tower
    Author

    Jean Plaidy

    Jean Plaidy, the pen name of the prolific English author Eleanor Hibbert, was one of the preeminent authors of historical fiction for most of the twentieth century. Her novels have been translated into more than twenty languages and have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide. She died in 1993.

    Read more from Jean Plaidy

    Related to The Lady In The Tower

    Related ebooks

    Historical Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Boleyns

      Jul 18, 2019

      The Boleyns
      11 min read

    • Article

      Everything You Wanted To Know About Henry Viii And His Wives

      Oct 29, 2020

      Q: How happy were the early years of Henry’s first marriage, to Catherine of Aragon? A: I would say was his happiest marriage, ironically, given what happened. But Catherine and Henry had many happy years together and appeared to be very much in lo

      8 min read

    • Article

      TIMELINE Mary’s Turbulent Life

      Mar 19, 2020

      TIMELINE Mary’s Turbulent Life
      1 min read

    • Article

      Jenkins

      Feb 4, 2021

      Jenkins
      6 min read

    • Article

      Richard III Struggled Against His Two Brothers For The Crown

      Dec 1, 2020

      English history recounts many tales of bloody battles, but the infighting among “The Brothers York” was legendary for its ferocity.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Grief-stricken

      Oct 29, 2020

      Grief-stricken
      1 min read

    • Article

      LUCY LETHBRIDGE on Sylvia Townsend Warner's 1920s novel Lolly Willowes

      Nov 16, 2022

      Sylvia Townsend Warner's Lolly Willowes is a tale of witchery, devilment and transformation. What starts as a beady, satirical comedy of manners about a poor and eccentric middle-aged spinster dependent on her relations takes a sudden turn into chaos

      3 min read

    • Article

      Happy Endings

      Sep 1, 2023

      Happy Endings
      5 min read

    • Article

      Farida Ado

      May 28, 2018

      AS IN THE REGENCY-ERA ENGLAND OF JANE AUSTEN’S novels, women in the city of Kano in northern Nigeria are on the cusp of radical social changes, as globalized development pulls against conservative Islamic traditions. To help make sense of changing ti

      1 min read

    • Article

      The Bridle

      Oct 10, 2021

      Saliva pooled on her tongue beneath the rusty depressor. She endured a constant urge to swallow, afraid of choking on her own fluids. The taste of metal and blood are so akin, it is easy to mistake one for the other. This early in the day, blood was

      11 min read

    • Article

      Lady VENGEANCE

      Mar 6, 2020

      Lady VENGEANCE
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Myths Of Henry’s Wives

      Oct 29, 2020

      The Myths Of Henry’s Wives
      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Lady In The Tower

    4/5

    9 ratings9 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      With the Queens of England series, which features novels that aren’t in any type of sequence, Jean Plaidy was essentially rewriting various histories from her Royal sagas, such as the Plantagenet period and, like in this case, the Tudor period. The difference being that this series is written in first person, not third.“The Lady in the Tower”, like others in the series, could’ve been much better if the author stuck to the heroine’s viewpoint, rather than digress into other events that the narrator has heard second-hand from other characters.This is supposed to be from Anne Boleyn's perspective, yet often – especially during her childhood years in France – we’re faced with lots of incidents that Anne wasn’t part of. The following three sentences are quotes that lead into second-hand reports:“I wish I had seen that meeting of the Kings.”“Their words were, of course, recorded by observers and repeated.”“Now I can imagine his feelings on that celebrated occasion.”If Ms Plaidy wanted to cover more ground, third person would’ve been a wiser option, though of course it would then be something like self-plagiarism. A focus on what the narrating character did, saw, and felt would’ve made this *decent* novel a *good* one.The book is patchy, partly because of the point-of-view as mentioned above, partly owing to repetition of information (a Plaidy trait), and because the author was never one for spending much time revising her works, which is evident by the unimaginative language and weak elements of English style. Some sentences, for example, feature “I” several times, while paragraphs feature "I" countless times, something a conscientious author would seek to reword for a more stylistic effect.Sometime this author does annoy me, but despite her faults, something about her stories make me want to read more of her works. Perhaps it’s her passion for the English and French past, interests that I share, which keeps me coming back for more. Sometimes I’m disappointed, other times enthralled, though usually my opinion falls somewhere in between, like with “The Lady in the Tower”. At times I was engaged, at other times far from it.
    • 4/5
      History has been very unkind to Anne Bolyen. Most of the time, she is painted as the witch for enticing Henry VIII away from his loyal Queen of twenty years, causing the break with Rome and the closing of monasteries.

      But we never really got to know the real her, the woman behind that ugly reputation. Jean Plaidy has wonderfully woven a story about Anne and what shaped her character and lead to her rise and ultimate downfall. We start off with Anne, locked up in the tower, awaiting for her soon to come demise. And then, Anne starts telling her story from the very beginning, from when she was a child, right up until the day of her execution.

      Anne, naturally was an innocent, precocious and intelligent child. Who is quick to pick up on things and is able to be part of history. While in France, she learns of courtly love but is spurned but the tragic downfall of her sister Mary, who may have been far too giving of her attentions. The stain on Mary's reputation in France, forced Anne to become extremely guarded of her honour and reputation.

      As the years go by and Anne catches the attention of Henry VIII, you can feel and hear her struggling to push away Henry. Knowing that it could never be. She never aimed to be ambitious or seek to be Queen of England. But certainly the excitement and emotions of Henry soon overwhelmed her, and slowly she becomes ambitious and seeks the best for herself and her family. After all, since Henry Percy was taken from her, why not aim for the best, especially when Henry VIII was willing to move heaven and earth for her love.

      It's always been known that Anne was extremely loving and tender towards Elizabeth. Despite her struggles with carrying a male child to full term, you know she is extremely happy to have Elizabeth. The apple of her eye. It is moments with Elizabeth that you can still catch a glimpse of the happy and innocent woman she use to be, before becoming a bitter and spurned Queen.

      Overall, I love how Anne is represented. She is not a witch, nor an innocent victim. She took too many risks (some paid off, others not so much), and in the end faced the axe. But for all that she did.... she did manage to give the world Queen Elizabeth I.
    • 5/5
      I first read The Lady in the Tower quite a few years ago and it has always been my favorite of all the books I've read so far about Anne Boleyn.
    • 5/5
      I first read The Lady in the Tower quite a few years ago and it has always been my favorite of all the books I've read so far about Anne Boleyn.
    • 3/5
      An excellent companion to the Showtime series "The Tudors." The two follow one another closely. Plaidy's writing blends history and fiction in a way that makes the story easily accesible. If you've watched the series and want to know what happens next (we all know what happens to Anne Boleyn, but what of everyone else) then this is an excellent source.
    • 3/5
      A different take on Anne Boleyn; written in first person.
    • 3/5
      Anne Boleyn's side of the story. It was a good read.
    • 3/5
      This book tells the history of England during the Tudors through the voice of Anne Boleyn. As a review of history, I found the book good but as a novel it was lacking. First person narrator has its limitations. Anne was a young girl mostly growing up in the French court so was aware of the games played in the aristocracy. She describes herself as having little interest in sex but she had a whole lot of interest in gaining power and prestige. She was wise and kept her mouth closed as a young girl but as a woman she had a quick temper and tongue that did not keep its peace. How could there be such a change in personality. With youth there should be more irrational behavior and with maturity this should improve. Not in the case of Anne. I am not interested enough to read anymore in this series. At least at this time. Rating 2.4
    • 5/5
      I first read The Lady in the Tower quite a few years ago and it has always been my favorite of all the books I've read so far about Anne Boleyn.