Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Anne's secret diary? Kinda boring

Since this has seemed to be a kind of Elizabethan year (not providing links to past entries), I figured I would bring it to a close with the novel my mom lent me: The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn, by Robin Maxwell. I knew it wasn't likely to be "good" but I figured it could probably be pretty fun. And it's kind of a kick to compare all the pop culture portrayals of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Plus, this offered the bonus of juxtaposing young Elizabeth settling into her reign while learning her mother's fate through her long-hidden diary.

Um, no. It wasn't bad per se, and the idea that it was Anne's fate that led Elizabeth to spurn marriage where she would have to submit to a man is a nice conceit, but it didn't really have any kick. Perhaps I'm just spoiled now and want something sexier and more colorful. Or perhaps I'm really ready to return to more serious fare. Either way, I'd say it's probably time to move on.

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