The Boleyn Wife by Brandy Purdy
Posted By Claire on January 19, 2011
US Version - click for details
This review of Brandy Purdy’s “The Boleyn Wife” is written by The Anne Boleyn Files visitor, Niki Incorvia – thanks, Niki!
N.B. In North America it was published as “The Boleyn Wife” by Brandy Purdy, but in the UK it was published as “The Tudor Wife” by Emily Purdy.
The Boleyn Wife is the story of Lady Jane Parker, or Lady Rochford, once she married George Boleyn, the brother of Henry VIII’s most infamous queen, Anne Boleyn. Very little is known about Lady Jane Rochford as a woman, but Brandy Purdy does a compelling job of bringing her character to life. Giving her a personality, feelings, and a story, Purdy enables the audience to feel her pain during her husband’s trial and execution, and her melt down in the days leading up to her own execution along with Henry VIII’s fifth wife, Catherine Howard.
Although this novel is about Lady Jane Rochford it focuses in detail on Anne Boleyn and her relationship with King Henry VIII, using Lady Rochford as a main supporting character. I have read many historical novels from the Tudor era and this by far had the biggest impact on me. Purdy does an excellent job of detailing the events that changed Lady Rochford’s life forever, her jealousy towards Anne Boleyn, her tempestuous marriage with George Boleyn, and her affection for the young queen, Catherine Howard. It is hard to decide whether you sympathize with her role as a betrayed wife and cast away or blame her for contributing to not one, but two brutal downfalls of queens of England. The book begins with Lady Jane Parker’s immediate resentment towards the stunning Anne Boleyn at their family home at Hever Castle. Jane, knowing already that she is to be wed to George Boleyn feels the impact that Anne has upon any man she encounters. The initial interaction between Jane and Anne sets the stage for a long-standing feud between Jane and her future sister in law.
In this book, Lady Rochford played a more important role at the Tudor court than historians often give her credit for. Purdy portrays her character as an instigator who knowingly sets the stage for Anne’s downfall. Purdy pays a great amount of detail to Jane Rochford’s relationship with her husband, their conversations together, and George’s “party boy” ways, often staying out all night drinking and gambling. Jane alludes to Anne and George’s unusual closeness as brother and sister making it easy for her to accuse them of incest later on. “George was, as always, at Anne’s side, and I felt my hatred for her growing like a cancer inside of me.”
UK version - click for details
As mentioned earlier, a large portion of the novel is based on the story of Anne and Henry, but from the perspective of Lady Rochford. She carefully details King Henry VIII’s actions as very cruel towards Anne Boleyn at the end of their marriage, often drifting into graphic and sexual detail, illustrating his disgust for the woman for whom he destroyed so many lives to marry. Purdy introduces Jane Seymour while the court was on progress, when the king became infatuated with this woman so different from his current wife, Queen Anne.
Lady Rochford is depicted by Purdy as playing an active role in destroying Anne and her accusers. There is mention of Lady Rochford’s association with Thomas Cromwell and their plotting to bring down the Boleyn faction, replacing Anne Boleyn with Jane Seymour.
“I wanted that plain Jane Seymour to be the instrument of her destruction! What a comeuppance, what a humiliation it would be for that smoldering black-haired temptress, with all her clever witchery and wiles, to be pushed aside to make room for pure and demure Jane Seymour, that paragon of domestic virtue!”
Purdy includes an intimate relationship between Lady Rochford and Thomas Cromwell, adding depth to their conspiring and exchange of information. I am not sure if that was creative license by Brandy Purdy or if that did actually occur, although I have not read any accounts of such an incident before.
We don’t know for certain how big or small a role Lady Rochford played in the executions of Anne, George and the rest of those accused, but Purdy re-tells the story as Jane having a great contribution to the downfall of Queen Anne Boleyn.
The author also takes a different point of view when illustrating Lady Rochford’s role in Catherine Howard’s fall from grace. The popular Showtime TV series The Tudors depicts Lady Rochford playing an active role in Catherine Howard’s affair with Thomas Culpepper although, on the contrary, Purdy creates a much different scenario. Purdy re-tells the story of Catherine Howard and Thomas Culpepper with Lady Rochford as an innocent bystander, powerless to change the mind of the flirtatious Catherine Howard, instead of the meddler as she is usually depicted. The book also illustrates Lady Rochford as taking on Catherine Howard as a surrogate daughter, someone who could love her like a daughter loves a mother.
“Perhaps this was God’s gift to me, and in Catherine Howard I would find redemptions and a kind of love-a far better love- than I had never known before-the sacred and pure love of a mother and her child.”
At Lady Rochford’s own execution, she admits to falsifying allegations of Anne and George Boleyn being lovers because she just wanted rid of Anne. Many historians are of the mind that Jane Boleyn got what was coming to her, but Purdy does not show her personal opinion on the matter. Instead, she tells the story with such ease and detail, it is as if she were right there in the Tower of London where Jane spent her last days.
Overall, this was a great book, probably my favorite about the Tudor time period. Purdy really told the same story in a fresh, new light, leaving the reading constantly intrigued. I would recommend this book as a staple for anyone who takes an interest in the Tudor period.
By Niki A. Incorvia, M.A
Book Details
Title: US – The Boleyn Wife, UK – The Tudor Wife
Author: Brandy Purdy (Emily Purdy)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Avon (US), Kensington (UK)
ISBN-10: 0758238444 (US), 1847561942 (UK)
ISBN-13: 978-0758238443 (US), 978-1847561947 (UK)
Pages: 384 pages (336 in UK edition)
Publication date: Paperback -1st February 2010 (US), 1st April 2010 (UK)
Availability: Available in Paperback on Amazon.com – click here – and also on Kindle. For UK customers, it is also available at Amazon UK – click here. Also available at your favourite bookstore.
I am not sure about this book. I think a simpler explanation would be the Jane and George got married by a pre-arranged contract and no one considered if they were compatible or not. They may have had nothing in common and just led separate lives without any official kind of break-up. George and Anne did share a lot of the same interests and we usually gravitate toward people who share our views and opinions. George may have been simply trying to help his sister cope in the politics of the Tudor court. I like to give people the benefit of doubt when no good evidence exists to validate a negative view.
I would not recommend this book at all as it takes terrible liberties with the historical facts.
Jane has an affair with Thomas Cromwell and spends her life crouching in cupboards whilst spying on various members of the court. Anne Boleyn dances the dance of the Seven Veils whilst Katherine Howard and Anne of Cleves indulge in a lesbian affair.
I never thought I would recommend a Philppa Gregory novel but her Boleyn Inheritance is a much better take on this subject.
I haven’t read it, Lady Kateryn, and I don’t think I’ll bother now you’ve said that. i’m not sure I can cope with Katherine Howard and Anne of Cleves having a lesbian affair!
Yes, it does indeed show a lesbian one night stand with Catherine Howard and Anne of Cleves, after they dance together at the New Year’s Ball. I have to say, over all, I didn’t enjoy this book very much – like “The Other Boleyn Girl,” it seems to think that sex was basically the only thing anyone cared about in the 1520s and 1530s. Or at least, it was basically all that they seemed to do. Her portrayal of George Boleyn, however, is actually very good – probably the novel’s only major strength.
It’s also originally been published in the UK and US as “Vengeance is Mine.”
Ah, so it’s been republished under a new title. I don’t like it when that happens because people end up buying the same book twice!
I’ve never read any of Brandy Purdy’s books so are they all slightly ‘salacious’?
I haven’t read this book, but I read in the blurb, and on the comments from Amazon, that once again George Boleyn has been cast as bisexual, basically having sex with anyone, man or woman. This is despite the fact there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest he was anything other than hetrosexual. It so infuriates me that every fiction writer has started to depict him that way. How original.! It would br wonderful if a writer could portray George as he really was. Now that would be original!
I suppose sex sells, or people think that it does. It does sound as if George is the usual George and Jane is yet again the voyeur and instigator and to blame for Anne and George’s downfall.
I suppose sex sells, but when it’s at the expense of real people who died tragically, you have to question the morality of it. If Purdy wrote a book, fiction or not, about Tony Blair being gay he’d sue her. But it’s obviously safe to do so when the person has been dead five-hundred years.
Very true! Just goes to show that it is important that we get the real stories of these people out there.
I read it a few years ago and reviewed it on Amazon; overall I didn’t mind it, because Purdy’s a reasonably talented writer, but I had to approach it as an alternate universe. As a story, it mostly works but it’s rubbish history – there are massive, and sometimes ludicrous liberties, some of which have been pointed out above, and reliance on myths (the sixth finger, the deformed foetus), twee or cliched nicknames etc (“Flanders Mare” gets a run, for example). Purdy does have a habit – based on the two books of hers I’ve read – of presenting history as “Everyone’s BIsexual Yey!” and the AoC/KH scene is just silly. People like Weston, Smeaton, Culpeper etc and to some extent, Henry come across as 2D caricatures unfortunately, but George and Anne’s relationship is done really well, and even though it’s portrayed through Jane’s negative eyes, they come across as sympathetic.
It’s a classic example of a “get it from the library and buy it if you love it” book.
I had to laugh at the two different covers for the US and UK. I guess US publishers are either completely ignorant on fashion through the ages, too busy to really care how accurate covers are or assume that the readers won’t notice if the book has enough sex on the inside! Look at the dress on the cover of the US version as opposed to the UK version! the US is not even close!
No, you all are right there were a lot of inaccuracies. Although, it was an interesting read. It’s a fiction book, I just enjoyed the way it was written. I just hope no one uses it for research or a point of reference.
and I do admit the sexual relationship between Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard was very unnecessary.
I bought this book a few weeks ago, and Im only into the 2nd chapter and Im struggling, it seems quite poorly written to me, and after reading all the comments here I think Ill leave it.
Im very proud of my ever growing large tudor book collection, but I think this one is for eBay!!
Thanks everyone, youve saved me wasting my time with this one!