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The Concubine Norah Lofts 9780752439433 Books

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The Concubine Norah Lofts 9780752439433 Books

If you love things Anne Boleyn and perhaps missed this splendid novel written 50 years ago, grab it and savor its riches!

Norah Lofts has enriched her novel with wonderful personalities, such as Emma Arnett the maid who accompanies Anne after Anne is more or less wrenched from the arms of Harry Percy. Emma, aging at 40 years old, taciturn, seething with resentments sizes Anne up and it is through her eyes that we first see Anne. Emma will be at Anne's side to the very last and it is she who ties the blindfold over Anne's eyes before the swordsman strikes. Under cover of darkness, she and her companions will take Anne's body back to her home and Anne's- to Norfolk- and lay her to rest among their ancestors.

Lofts brings the personalities surrounding Anne to vibrant life. Anne's step-mother, Lady Boleyn, comically called Lady Bo (because Anne's brother, George called her that, not being able to bring himself to call her mother) is a major character and she is absolutely delightful. Wolsey is as you'd expect, plumped up with pride, pulling the strings, rather like a satisfied but vulnerable spider. Henry is charming at times, but becoming unpredictable loose cannon, a man of mercurial and dark moods, a tyrant, a destroyer. We see the weak and vacillating Pope Clement in Rome, agonizing over Henry's divorce dilemma. We see Henry's physician, Dr. Butts hurrying at the King's orders to attend Anne, who has the sweat, but secretly hoping she will die. We see poor Catherine, who actually loved Henry, shoved aside, implacable as a stone, but a stone weeping inside. And we see Anne, herself, small, frail, all eyes and hair, but with the determination of a bulldog, a capacity for virile hatred (Wolsey) nevertheless bewitchingly feminine, graceful and courageous, the lynchpin of Henry's court.

Norah Lofts' Anne is so very human, but so amazingly modern, really, you'll almost forget she lived almost 500 years ago. She is a free thinker and a self-made woman in a day when women were second class. You'll root for her, agonize with her. "The Concubine" is a wonderful Tudor feast, a tapestry so rich you'll have a hard time getting back to the twenty first century when you close the book.


Tags : The Concubine [Norah Lofts] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. All eyes and hair' a courtier had said disparagingly of her - and certainly the younger daughter of Tom Boleyn lacked the bounteous charms of most ladies of Court. Black-haired,Norah Lofts,The Concubine,Tempus,075243943X,Literary,FICTION Literary,Fiction,Fiction General,Fiction-Historical,GENERAL,General Adult,Great BritainBritish Isles,Modern fiction,Nonfiction,FICTION Historical

The Concubine Norah Lofts 9780752439433 Books Reviews

Norah Lofts has her own imaginative scenario for what could have really happened. There is absolutely no evidence for it, but it's interesting.
Excellent historical book, especially for Tudor fans.
Lofts does not try to modernize thoughts and feelings and puts herself in the shoes of those who lived then and understands their values.
I have read many books about Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, so, while I always know how the story ends, I do still expect to be entertained. Upon starting this novel I was pleased, though one huge discrepancy really bothered me. I realize this is a fiction novel, and I've seen many authors tweak a story here and there to make it more exciting, or to change some dates around a bit, but I just could not figure out why Ms. Lofts decided to invent a Stepmother for the Boleyn children? Anne Boleyn's mother did NOT die when she was a child. Her father, Thomas Boleyn was married to only one woman in his life...the Lady Elizabeth Howard. Elizabeth Howard Boleyn was the mother of Anne, Mary, and George, and she did not die early. In fact, she outlived Anne and George by two years, dying in 1538. This is documented and very well known, so I just can't imagine why the author decided to make such a big change in Anne's family life.

This aside, I really enjoyed the story. As far as I could tell, the rest of the book appeared to be historically accurate, and Ms. Lofts portrayal of Anne was one of the most human and realistic that I've read. So many authors paint her to be a shrewd, power-hungry, social climber...and to some extend she WAS, but it wasn't ALL of her. Others take a more gossipy, tabloid-type approach to their telling of the story, which can be ridiculous at times. Reading this book actually had me feeling a little sympathy toward her, something I've never really felt. I still believe that, in the end, Karma got her. Her treatment of Catherine and Mary was terrible. While she may not have outwardly done anything to them, she was the one feeding her hateful ideas to Henry, who then implemented them. Spiteful ideas such as separating mother and daughter, leaving them both nearly destitute and poor, and the biggest slap-in-the-face...forcing Mary to serve the Princess Elizabeth.

Under her subtle cruelty though, Anne was just a wronged girl of gentle upbringing who was offered the moon and the stars. Who wouldn't take them? After being blocked from marrying the love of her life (a move the King himself ordered because Anne had caught his attention), Henry began pursuing Anne in earnest. Seeing how her sister was cast aside after giving into Henry's lust, she chose to keep her dignity and do what no other women had done...tell King Henry VIII of England 'No'. It was Henry (at least as it was told here) who offered Anne the crown. That he'd put Catherine aside, and make Anne Queen of England. Well, after being told that she KNEW she had to continue to hold him off, otherwise, why bother making her Queen when he could keep her as his mistress? Little did either of them know Anne's journey to the throne would take NINE long years, and at the end of it, Henry would grow to hate her, which would ultimately lead to her death.

Overall, I absolutely recommend this. If you're new to the story of Henry and Anne, this is a great place to get your feet wet. If you've read a ton of books on the subject, adding this to your collection will not be a waste of time. While nothing new may be learned here, it was a fine portrayal of what the life of the Doomed Queen may have been like. I definitely look forward to reading some of Ms. Lofts other works of historical fiction.
An intriguing look into one of the most scrutinized relationships in history, "The Concubine," paints Anne Boleyn neither as a scheming, cold-hearted witch, nor as a complete innocent. The writing style is far from the lush, moment-by-moment thought analysis of, "The Other Boleyn Girl" - often years will pass between passages. However, the moments we do see, as vignettes, show us enough to paint a picture of Anne and Henry, and also leave enough room for our own imaginations to run. In short, "The Concubine" is an immersive look into Anne Boleyn's relationship with Henry without showing the relationship minute by minute.

Another piece I enjoyed was the different portrayal of Anne. Other media tends to portray her as cunning, manipulative, avaricious, and ruthlessly ambitious. However, this Anne was someone with whom I could empathize. Her motivations and emotions were recognizable, and all the more heartbreaking as she got caught up in forces she could not defy, but could only learn to bear with dignity. I wish only that her religious inclinations had been fleshed out more thoroughly.

I would recommend this to the people who cannot get enough of Tudor History, although it will be quite a different read from the scandalous novels!
If you love things Anne Boleyn and perhaps missed this splendid novel written 50 years ago, grab it and savor its riches!

Norah Lofts has enriched her novel with wonderful personalities, such as Emma Arnett the maid who accompanies Anne after Anne is more or less wrenched from the arms of Harry Percy. Emma, aging at 40 years old, taciturn, seething with resentments sizes Anne up and it is through her eyes that we first see Anne. Emma will be at Anne's side to the very last and it is she who ties the blindfold over Anne's eyes before the swordsman strikes. Under cover of darkness, she and her companions will take Anne's body back to her home and Anne's- to Norfolk- and lay her to rest among their ancestors.

Lofts brings the personalities surrounding Anne to vibrant life. Anne's step-mother, Lady Boleyn, comically called Lady Bo (because Anne's brother, George called her that, not being able to bring himself to call her mother) is a major character and she is absolutely delightful. Wolsey is as you'd expect, plumped up with pride, pulling the strings, rather like a satisfied but vulnerable spider. Henry is charming at times, but becoming unpredictable loose cannon, a man of mercurial and dark moods, a tyrant, a destroyer. We see the weak and vacillating Pope Clement in Rome, agonizing over Henry's divorce dilemma. We see Henry's physician, Dr. Butts hurrying at the King's orders to attend Anne, who has the sweat, but secretly hoping she will die. We see poor Catherine, who actually loved Henry, shoved aside, implacable as a stone, but a stone weeping inside. And we see Anne, herself, small, frail, all eyes and hair, but with the determination of a bulldog, a capacity for virile hatred (Wolsey) nevertheless bewitchingly feminine, graceful and courageous, the lynchpin of Henry's court.

Norah Lofts' Anne is so very human, but so amazingly modern, really, you'll almost forget she lived almost 500 years ago. She is a free thinker and a self-made woman in a day when women were second class. You'll root for her, agonize with her. "The Concubine" is a wonderful Tudor feast, a tapestry so rich you'll have a hard time getting back to the twenty first century when you close the book.