The concept of this book is fascinating, what influence did Anne Boleyn have upon her young daughter, Elizabeth, who wasn’t quite aged three when her mother was beheaded? This book does bring out the emphasis upon loyalty, Anne chose reliable women from her large family to care for and educate her daughter, especially when she knew her days were numbered. The details of clothes chosen for Elizabeth, jewels and nursery furniture is charming in the detail, and it is so very touching to read about the ring that Elizabeth wore that hid a picture of her mother inside it, all pictures and references to Anne Boleyn were destroyed when King Henry married Jane Seymour.
For an introduction to these two powerful women and the perils they faced, this book is a good introduction. For those of us who have read more widely upon this subject, this is a disappointing read, hardly any new facts to intrigue us with, and only two stand out remarks, that have no evidence.
It is remarked that Mary Boleyn had a disabled son. The first time I have heard that, but no evidence put forward. I had hoped for some clarification about Catherine Carey and Lord Hunsdon being related to a greater degree to Henry the Eighth, but nothing said, in fact these rumours were ignored. It was mentioned that Mary Boleyn and her final resting place is unknown, I have seen a metal plaque affixed to a wall, stating that the body of Mary was interred nearby, and it wasn’t at Hever.
The fact that Queen Elizabeth refused to marry following the death of her mother and her cousin, Catherine Howard, is very revealing. As Queen, she proved that a ruler doesn’t have to be male, and she seemed to relish her freedom and independence.
My thanks go to Netgalley and the publishers Atlantic Press, for my advance digital copy, freely given in exchange for my honest review.
I rate this as a 3 star read. I will leave reviews to Goodreads and Amazon UK.

I am a complete Tudor history junkie. Having read two prior books by Tracy Borman about the Tudors, I knew I had to read this one. I love reading about both of these incredibly strong women whose history still resonates even after nearly 500 years.

I enjoy Borman's writing. I've read and studied so much on the Tudor era, but I always manage to find something new. And, her books always keep my attention from start to finish. This book doesn't just touch on the major life points for these two women, but brings out details about how their lives and legacies intertwine despite the fact that Anne was executed when Elizabeth was only 2-years old.

So glad I read this book. I learned a few new things about both these royal women, and the Tudor era. And, I enjoyed Borman's take on the historical drama so many have written about. Anne's life, marriage and execution. Elizabeth's reign as the Virgin Queen. So much history, political drama and power struggles!

I'm definitely going to keep reading books by Tracy Borman. I am never disappointed!

What an excellent, well researched book this was! The parallel biographies of Elizabeth I and her mother, Anne Boleyn was interesting. I've read a bit about the subject before, but it always felt like Anne and Elizabeth were two compartmentalized things. This books highlights the mother/daughter bond, as short and tenuous as it was, and how that impacted Elizabeth for the rest of her life and reign. I think this is a great addition to the Tudor narrative.

I found this an interesting and original look at Elizabeth I, focusing on how she brought back her mother's memory in various ways during her reign. Having read several books on Anne Boleyn recently, I didn't really find anything new in Borman's portrait of Anne Boleyn. But I was very interested in her comparisons between Anne and Elizabeth. Elizabeth begins her coronation parade emphasizing her parents, she mimics Anne's dress, and her subjects likewise promote Anne as Henry VIII's rightful queen. But it goes much deeper than that. Elizabeth uses many of Anne's symbols as her own, particularly Anne's falcon, during her entire life. She promoted those Anne had supported (or their children if they had stayed loyal to Anne) and the Boleyns always had a prominent place in Elizabeth's court. Elizabeth promoted education and the reformed religion that had been so important to Anne, but she seems to have learned from Anne's mistakes as well- the most famous of which was to never marry and place herself under a man's power.

While not Borman's best book, this was an interesting and unique look at Elizabeth I and how she was influenced by the memory (and trauma) inflicted on her by her parents in their different ways. Definitely a book that should be read by anyone interested in the life and rule of Queen Elizabeth I!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Well researched and beautifully written, this is a must read for fans of the Tudor period. It's accessible enough for casual readers and rewarding for those looking for new insight into these two influential women. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Great.

I'm not an expert of the Tudors, so I have no idea what the historiography for Anne Boleyn or Elizabeth I looks like. With that said, I really liked the angle that Tracy Borman took with this dual biography of Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I. She argues for the influences of the mother on the daughter and also the high regard Elizabeth I had for her mother. Borman also makes the connection between what happened to Anne and the decisions Elizabeth I within her reign as to what type of ruler she would be (i.e. the Virgin Queen).

I don't know if this is because the Netgalley copy is a proof, but I do wish the ebook had images of the portraits mentioned within it. I do enjoy seeing those. I would also say that sometimes it got a little bogged down with names, but it's not the worst I've seen. It can be difficult to follow, but since this isn't your typical Elizabethan biography, maybe Borman is assuming prior knowledge to a degree.

Excellent book, amazing research!
This is a fascinating, well-researched book, and the writing is superb. I love Tudor history, and Tracy Borman's new contribution is so interesting and so well-done. It was interesting to read how Anne Boleyn posthumously influenced her daughter, one of the most intriguing and powerful leaders of all time. Tracy Borman humanizes both Elizabeth I and Anne Boleyn really well, their motivations, fears and strengths. Even despite men attempting to villainize Anne Boleyn's character while alive and through history, it seems like Elizabeth while not publicizing much did take her mother's lesson to heart and used them throughout her life.
I really enjoyed this book, and highly recommend to history lovers. This is a great book!

I’ve always been fascinated by Queen Elizabeth I’s story and Henry VIII’s wives. I’ve watched some movies; listened to some podcasts; added lots of books to my TBR, and read a few of them, but hadn’t gone much further than that in Tudor history. My interest in reading about Tudor history was sparked again after reading Edward VI: Henry VII’s Overshadowed Son by Stephanie Kline. This was an excellent follow-up book for me to read. I loved how the focus was on Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I respectively, and their relationship. Most other books, shows, movies, podcasts, etc. tend to center all these women around Henry VIII, understandably in many instances, but this perspective was refreshing.

Anne Boleyn’s name is well known among the wives of Henry VIII, but I really didn’t know much about her life before joining the court. I also didn’t connect her and Elizabeth I in my mind since each of their biographies are often explored separately. In addition, much of what I knew of Elizabeth I was of her later life, also understandably with everything she accomplished, but it was fascinating to learn about her birth and childhood. Their time was tragically cut short, but Tracy Borman absolutely delivers on the book’s summary promising originality and shedding new light on both women. She especially showed how Elizabeth I honored her mother and her legacy during her reign.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in British Tudor history, British queens, and mother daughter relationships during that time.

Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/ Atlantic Monthly Press, for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoy Norman's writing and I continue to go back to her works time and time again and this one was no exception.I don't really know if this was suppose to be a compare and contrast type book or just a book centering around what they would have mostly likely admired about each other.I tended to lean towards the latter though.Plus,there were random bit and bobs about the Boleyn family, favorites,their courts, religion, clothing, symbols and remaining household items.Some information was quite new to me which in my eyes made this absolutely worth the read.

Much thanks to Netgalley for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review

Tracy Borman presents a very well-written and meticulously researched book, drawing on an extensive range of primary and secondary sources. Borman shows us that Anne Boleyn was a very intelligent and well-educated women who was a patron of education and played a major role in religious reform, Although Elizabeth was less than 3 years old when her mother was executed, Borman shows us that this event greatly influenced her life and actions. The book is easy to read, although the detailed account of Boleyn relatives that were appointed to serve under Elizabeth became a bit tedious at times. A family tree would have been helpful. Perhaps this will be included in the printed copy.

Thank you Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I have been reading many nonfiction books about the Tudor dynasty and this one was just as good! I was so curious about Elizabeth and her reign more so than Anne. I found that I learned more than I thought possible about the latter and had all my questions answered about the former. It was informative, intriguing, and revealing of two strong and complicated women. I never knew about the parallels between a mother and daughter who didn’t spend much time together and it was incredible to see. This is a great Tudor nonfiction!

I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I downloaded this book in digital format from Netgalley and read it on my Kindle e-reader. I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy.

Before reading this book, I was a huge fan of Queen Elizabeth I because the theater flourished during her reign. I knew relatively little about Elizabeth's mother, Anne Bolelyn, and I never thought about Anne's influence over her daughter.

The coronation of King Charles III recently took place. The author remarks that King Charles is descended from Mary Boleyn, Anne's sister, and that his son, the Prince of Wales, is descended from Mary Boleyn through both his parents. Elizabeth I, however, will always remain the only descendant of Anne Boleyn.

Review to come! Sorry I posted the wrong review to the book WHOOPS! I'm trying to include at least one hundred characters, I'm very excited to read this.

Fascinating concept for a book and executed so perfectly by Tracy Borman.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this dual biography of mother and daughter, Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I.
Tracy Borman's deep knowledge of her subject shines through on every page. She clearly demonstrates how Anne Boleyn's life and tragic end affected Elizabeth and informed many aspects of her own life.
Although they knew each other for less than 3 years, the book clearly demonstrates the depth of love and concern Anne Boleyn had for her baby daughter. Anne's accounts and correspondence show that the queen was involved in every aspect of her daughter's life, from selecting the clothes she wore and sending little gifts, to selecting the people around the little princess. Anne ensured that Elizabeth was surrounded by members of her own family, people who would love and protect her.
Tracy Borman also highlights the slanders Elizabeth suffered against her mother, the shame, neglect and ignominy she was subjected to after her mother's execution.
But it is, ultimately, a story of triumph. When she came to the throne, Elizabeth made subtle references to her mother, revered Anne and went some way toward redeeming her reputation while, at the same time, not bringing up the past and highlighting the fact she was declared illegitimate after her mother's death. Throughout her time as queen, Elizabeth surrounded herself with her Boleyn and Howard relatives, with those who had been closest to her mother. The book demonstrates how Elizabeth slowly but surely redeemed her mother's character, showing that she never forgot Anne, and that she loved her mother.
Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I by Tracy Borman is a fascinating, enlightening and illuminating read.

I have always been very interested in the Tudor period so it was wonderful to see a fresh view. The author does a good job of showing Anne Boleyn in a measured way, both her strengths and weaknesses. She also shows her concern for her daughter. This is followed by a well argued tale of the influence Anne had on Elizabeth, her choices and decisions. It was well researched. I enjoyed reading this book and learning something new about the Tudors.
This is a review of an ARC provided by NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book, I want to read more about this two woman and this book didn’t disappoint me!
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the book

The title of this book drew me in. I've done a little reading on Elizabeth I, but it isn't a period in history that I feel like I could converse on well at an intellectual level. I do enjoy reading about women in history, though, so this was a book that I thought would be very interesting. After all, Anne was beheaded by Henry VIII when Elizabeth was just two and a half years old, and the two had been separated for much of Elizabeth's young life, so how much influence could Anne have had over her daughter?

As it turns out, she had quite a lot. I guess it would be more correct to say that the memory of Anne had quite a lot of influence over Elizabeth, particularly in the people she surrounded herself with and in the symbols she used (she utilized Anne's falcon crest in numerous ways throughout her reign).

The author makes clear in the introduction that this is not a joint biography of Anne and Elizabeth but an "intertwining [of the threads] of Anne and Elizabeth's stories" (p. 3). This is especially true in the second half of the book where the author looks at Elizabeth's reign. While I expected more focus on Elizabeth's challenges and accomplishments as monarch and how her childhood experiences impacted the decisions she made, most of these chapters discuss the people that Elizabeth either brought into her closest circle or those she rewarded in another way (most being her Boleyn relatives) and how these people had also served Anne. There is page after page of which relative and which friend was given this or that special privilege, which I felt could have been covered in much less space and much less detail. As the author pointed out in the intro, these relationships do show how mother and daughter's lives and close relatives and friends were intertwined, but I honestly lost interest after a few chapters. It might have helped had there been a list of the various people discussed with their specific relationship to one or both of the queens as a guide. It might also have helped had there been images included in the ebook in the chapters that detailed some of the items that had belonged to Anne which were passed down to Elizabeth (those that Henry VIII didn't destroy after Anne was beheaded). The hard copy of the book might have some of these images, but the ebook ARC did not. Overall, the chapter on Elizabeth's ascension and coronation was the one concerning her adult life that held my attention.

There were some interesting things that I learned as I read, all of them concerning Anne Boleyn. I did not know that she had been such a reformer in so many areas. She was a Protestant and was instrumental in the establishment of Protestantism in the form of the Church of England as the English state religion. She also promoted educational and social reform. She was educated herself and wanted to be sure that her daughter was educated as well.

All in all, the concept of the book was interesting, but I didn't find it a compelling read. The author has obviously done extensive research, which I appreciate and applaud, and I believe the topic would have made an excellent journal article, but I don't feel there was enough interesting material for an entire book.

I thank the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for providing me with a free ebook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#AnneBoleynElizabethI #NetGalley

FINALLY, A GREY REPRESENTATION OF ANNE BOLEYN

It might sound strange, but my favourite part of this book was actually how Borman didn't try to make Anne Boleyn a saint. For so long she had been seen as a pure villain. Then the pendulum swung too far in the other direction (in my opinion) and she was portrayed as a guiltless saint. But Borman puts the truth somewhere in the middle. And I feel like time is finally ripe for this view of Anne. For her to actually be a person, and not a caricature of one.

Of course, I also really liked how Borman portrayed Anne's everlasting effect on her daughter, who must not even have been able to actually remember her. Borman does an excellent job of connecting the two women and showing how Elizabeth incorporated lessons from her mothers life in her own.

Not that this book needs any more praise, but it’s excellent, I love when a historian can take a look at a well worn figure or event from a new perspective and this did that. Bravo to Borman who has always been great but what a unique way to examine to pivotal figures in English history. Incredibly well researched, well written and thought provoking

Well written and interesting history book. I found the Anne Boleyn third more interesing than the Elizabeth I area. Recommended for Tudor enthusiasts..