Boleyn Traitor
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4.6 • 28 Ratings
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- £7.99
Publisher Description
She rose as a favourite. Will she fall as a traitor?
In the dazzling, dangerous world of the Tudor Court, nothing is more powerful than a secret – or more deadly.
Jane Boleyn has mastered many masks: loving wife, devoted sister, and obedient spy.
But as the King's rule advances into tyranny, Jane must decide: keep playing her part, or use the only power she really has – her voice.
Philippa Gregory brings the Boleyn traitor into the light in an explosive story of one woman’s survival in the treacherous heart of the Tudor court.
‘Beautifully written, meticulously researched … utterly compelling and unputdownable’ SANTA MONTEFIORE
A stunning tour de force: compelling, thrilling, mesmerising, completely engrossing’ BARBARA ERSKINE
‘An enthralling historical thriller and a mirror on contemporary politics … rich and compelling’ C J COOKE
‘A propulsive, emotional, thrill ride through the Tudor court’ LUCY CLARKE
'A thrilling story about ambition, power struggles … and dark side of the Tudor court' ADELE PARKS
‘A vivid recreation of a court in which sex and politics are intertwined and deadly' The Times
'[A] tense portrait of survival under a king whose love can mean death’ i paper
'As perilous as it is thrilling’ Mail on Sunday
'Gregory masterfully explores Jane’s guilt, ambition and survival […] you can feel the power, danger and allure of the Tudor dynasty on every page' Woman & Home
‘An immersive visit to the Court of Henry VIII with its magnificence and machinations, its pageantry and plotting' Saga
'Gregory’s research is impeccable, but she wears it lightly when transporting you to the Tudor court in all its pomp, glory [and] drama' High Life
‘Written with the world of modern politics in mind, where decisions and policy can spin on a whim, and bursting with […] intrigue, subterfuge, and authentic period detail’ Northern Echo
'Richly atmospheric, Gregory’s novel delivers a riveting portrait of Jane and drama of the cunning stakes involved in trying to survive Henry’s reign' Booklist
Book 10 in the Tudor and Plantagenet Novels series
Reviews
‘Gregory reframes Tudor history through Jane Boleyn’s watchful eyes. Court politics, whispered secrets and shifting allegiances collide in this tense portrait of survival under a king whose love can mean death’ i Paper
‘Returning triumphantly to the world that first catapulted her to bestsellerdom, Gregory thickens the plot by casting Jane as a spy for Thomas Cromwell, bestowing power and agency that is as perilous as it is thrilling’ Mail on Sunday
‘Gregory masterfully explores Jane’s guilt, ambition and survival. Utterly engaging, with sparkling dialogue – you can feel the power, danger and allure of the Tudor dynasty on every page. A triumphant return’ Woman & Home
‘An immersive visit to the Court of Henry VIII with its magnificence and machinations, its pageantry and plotting, all the more harrowing if you know how it ends’ Saga
‘Jane Boleyn is sister-in-law to ill-fated Anne, lady-in-waiting to five of Henry VIII’s six wives and a royal spy. Gregory’s research is impeccable, but she wears it lightly when transporting you to the Tudor court in all its pomp, glory, drama, with Machiavellian manoeuvres and a toweringly egocentric king.’ High Life Magazine
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Gregory resumes her Tudor Series (following 2017's The Last Tudor) with an engrossing tale of lady-in-waiting Jane Boleyn. In 1534 Greenwich Palace, Jane attends to her sister-in-law, Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's pregnant young queen. Henry is obsessed with producing a male heir, and after Anne gives birth to a girl, Elizabeth, he has Anne executed. Little is known about the historical Jane, who was wife to Anne's brother, George. Contemporaries vilified her as a traitor to her husband and Anne, both of whom were executed in 1536. Playing on the fact that Jane's father, Lord Morley, studied Machiavelli and Castiglione, Gregory casts her heroine as an ambitious, Machiavellian survivor who was enlisted by Thomas Cromwell "as one of his many lady-spies in the queen's rooms." The reader follows Jane through a well-staged series of court dances, royal hunts, May Day ceremonies, and other festivities. Lurking in the background are court intrigues, Spanish spies, and power plays, all of which bring on "death, undeniable death." Gregory also sketches the inner lives of "strong man" Henry VIII and his many wives: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, and "Kitty" Howard. It's Jane who steals the show, however, up until her tragic death in 1542. Once again, Gregory brings the Tudor era to vivid life.
