Anna of Kleve: The Princess in the Portrait
Alison Weir’s series about Henry VIII’s six wives continues in her fourth instalment, Anna of Kleve: The Princess in the Portrait. Anna is one of King Henry’s lesser-known wives. Weir has done her best to give Anna a believable, engaging story. Some aspects may have been a bit of a stretch, but overall Anna of Kleve really came to life in this book.
I was keen to start mainly because, other than being King Henry VIII’s fourth wife and the only one to receive a divorce and not lose her head, I knew virtually nothing about Anna. After reading Weir’s book, I feel like I know more about the young girl from Kleve who married the aging, sickening king.
It was interesting the way Weir portrayed Anna and Henry’s relationship. In the beginning, Anna had so many hopes for her marriage. While a marriage based on love was rare back then, Anna wanted something akin to her parents’ marriage. Of course, that’s not what she ended up with. Far from it, in fact, but she worked hard to make the best of what she had.
Weir made it clear Henry respected Anna and felt something like friendship for her, as did Anna for Henry as the months went on, but it was clear he was not attracted to her. I believe respect is what ultimately saved Anna. She accepted Henry’s call for a divorce and once again made the best of the situation. In the end, she came out with a substantial yearly income, property, and her life.
I also liked how self-sufficient Anna was once she was free of her marriage. Although she did still rely on the Crown for occasional financial support, for most of her adult life she supported herself through her properties. She lived in luxury, but was good to her servants and had many friends. Compared to Henry’s other wives, Anna was the luckiest.
But was she really? In this book, Anna often laments of her loneliness and wishes for a relationship based on love. It’s never officially documented whether or not Anna had a lover after her marriage. It’s clear she never married, but Weir played with Anna supposed singleness. In Weir’s book, Anna reunites with a bastard cousin whom she had her first sexual encounter with at a young age. Their relationship continues over the years, but the two never marry and Anna dies in England alone. While I’m not a fan of how Weir depicted Anna’s first meeting with her cousin, there’s no proof that Anna didn’t have a lover or any type of relationship after Henry.
Anna of Kleve is another woman whose story is lost to history. Through this book, Weir has resurrected Anna and given her a voice. Although there are parts I didn’t enjoy, this was still a good read.
Anna of Kleve Rating: ★★★
I was keen to start mainly because, other than being King Henry VIII’s fourth wife and the only one to receive a divorce and not lose her head, I knew virtually nothing about Anna. After reading Weir’s book, I feel like I know more about the young girl from Kleve who married the aging, sickening king.
It was interesting the way Weir portrayed Anna and Henry’s relationship. In the beginning, Anna had so many hopes for her marriage. While a marriage based on love was rare back then, Anna wanted something akin to her parents’ marriage. Of course, that’s not what she ended up with. Far from it, in fact, but she worked hard to make the best of what she had.
Weir made it clear Henry respected Anna and felt something like friendship for her, as did Anna for Henry as the months went on, but it was clear he was not attracted to her. I believe respect is what ultimately saved Anna. She accepted Henry’s call for a divorce and once again made the best of the situation. In the end, she came out with a substantial yearly income, property, and her life.
I also liked how self-sufficient Anna was once she was free of her marriage. Although she did still rely on the Crown for occasional financial support, for most of her adult life she supported herself through her properties. She lived in luxury, but was good to her servants and had many friends. Compared to Henry’s other wives, Anna was the luckiest.
But was she really? In this book, Anna often laments of her loneliness and wishes for a relationship based on love. It’s never officially documented whether or not Anna had a lover after her marriage. It’s clear she never married, but Weir played with Anna supposed singleness. In Weir’s book, Anna reunites with a bastard cousin whom she had her first sexual encounter with at a young age. Their relationship continues over the years, but the two never marry and Anna dies in England alone. While I’m not a fan of how Weir depicted Anna’s first meeting with her cousin, there’s no proof that Anna didn’t have a lover or any type of relationship after Henry.
Anna of Kleve is another woman whose story is lost to history. Through this book, Weir has resurrected Anna and given her a voice. Although there are parts I didn’t enjoy, this was still a good read.
Anna of Kleve Rating: ★★★