Anne Boleyn, a King's Obsession

"Persuasive . . . Weir's fictional Anne is ferociously smart and guilty of nothing but craving the power that's rightfully hers to claim."--NPR (Best Books of the Year)

"Superb . . . page-turning biographical fiction, hauntingly and beautifully told and] psychologically penetrating."--Historical Novels Review

Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived

Born into a noble English family, Anne is barely a teenager when she is sent by her opportunistic father to serve at the royal court of the Netherlands. There, and later in France, Anne thrives, preferring to absorb the works of progressive writers rather than participate in courtly flirtations.

Anne isn't completely inured to the longings of the heart, but her powerful family has ambitious plans for her future that override any wishes of her own. When the King of England himself, Henry VIII, asks Anne to be his mistress, she spurns his advances--reminding him that he is a married man who has already conducted an affair with her sister, Mary. Anne's rejection only intensifies Henry's pursuit. But given that Queen Katherine is aging and has failed to provide the King with a male heir, the opportunity to elevate and protect the Boleyn family, and to exact vengeance on her envious detractors, is too tempting for Anne to resist--even as it proves to be her undoing.