This is a dense and interesting look at a character who has been maligned, pitied or exalted, depending on the source and the time in history since her death almost 500 years ago. The second wife of Henry VIII, who was a catalyst in his break with Rome and was a figure in the English Reformation, outlived her usefulness to Henry and the most convenient way to remove her so he could marry Jane Seymour, was to blacken her reputation and convict her of crimes that, in the fullness of history, few, if any, have come to believe.

She was a complex personality and the book with its myriad of source material looks at her from numerous vantage points. It is neither a quick nor easy read but academic books seldom are. But, if you are looking for a balanced representation of a real woman whose impact far exceeded the three years she was married to Henry, this will satisfy you. In fact, you may come away with extra respect that she was a woman who refused to be pigeon-holed into a role as “obedient wife” for which she was ill equipped. For that, she paid the price. Four purrs and two paws up.

With thanks to the author, publishers Pen & Sword and NetGalley, for providing me with a DRC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a fascinating look at the life and legacy of one of England’s most famous queens. Not a typical biography, instead it looks at Anne Boleyn from a series of different vantage points and through a variety of different mediums.

The decade of the author’s research that went into this book is apparent in the level of detail it includes. What also becomes apparent throughout is how people’s perceptions of Anne are largely driven by ulterior motives, whether they be religious (stay or break from the Vatican) or personal (stay in favour with the current monarch, Henry VIII or later Elizabeth I). Despite her conviction and execution, it seemed to have been generally accepted by people at the time that the evidence against her was weak and circumstantial at best, while the later marriages of Henry VIII and how those wives were treated would also seem to support the notion that this tyrannical leader would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

Regardless, what nobody can argue with is the importance of Anne Boleyn in the Tudor story, and the key part she played in the English Reformation. She also gave birth to Elizabeth I, who would go on to be a far more progressive monarch than her father was.

Overall this is a very interesting and informative read for anyone with an interest in Tudor times or Anne Boleyn in particular.

Helene Harrison’s The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn is an enjoyable look at one of the most famous English Queens to have lived.

Harrison covers not only the suspected art we have of Anne, but also historical reports from her contemporaries as well as Anne’s portrayals in theatre, films and novels. This book is a smooth read and does not feel like it makes the subject material dry in anyway.

I highly recommend this book to Anne Boleyn fans!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Pen & Sword for the advanced reader copy.

In this brilliant exploration of the representation of Anne Boleyn over nearly five centuries, Helene Harrison explores how she has been presented by third parties in historical documents, films, musicals, novels, biographies, and propaganda. Tracking the changes in her representation and the images she fits over time, Harrison offers fascinating insights into Anne Boleyn as a person and as a representation of larger images and ideas in ways which historians and literature and media scholars will really enjoy. Definitely unique and totally fascinating, this book is hard to put down and packed with incredible details and explorations of a variety of media types from over five centuries, and this is a great resource for Tudor scholars and Anne Boleyn fans. Packed with details and meticulously researched, this book is engaging, easy to read, and well-structured, and the research details are absolutely fantastic. Readers will love Harrison’s explanations and analysis as well as her organization of this book, and readers will really love the many insights and texts that she delves into in this brilliant read. Entertaining, fascinating, and immersive, readers will love this great addition to the current Tudor historiography for the incredible details, documents, and the media studies angle.

I’ve long since been obsessed with all things Tudor, so I was excited to learn more about Anne Boleyn from a different angle.

The whole book was absolutely fascinating and really made me think about Anne Boleyn in a completely different light so thank you

It bothered me how many times Harrison used the phrase "Anne failed to give Henry a son."

While Henry might have felt that was true, the facts are that Henry failed to give Anne a son, and also I buy the Kell theory that Henry made things worse with his genetic makeup.

The first half of the book is more standard biography as Harrison examines contemporary and near contemporary sources of Anne Boleyn.

The second half is a wonderful examination of all the textbooks, biographies, paintings, historical fiction novels, museum exhibits, movies and TV shows about Anne Boleyn that have come out in the last two centuries - most in the last two decades. I was delighted to see I had read/seen just about all of them - and grinned as she described the fights some historians will get into over their interpretations.

As a devoted Tudor fan, I’ve reached the point where I’ve read almost every biography of Anne Boleyn I could get my hands on. Luckily, this wasn’t one, which is why I jumped at the chance to review it. I found this book so refreshing; not another retelling of her rise and fall, but an exploration of how Anne has been seen through the eyes of others, whether they liked or loathed her.

Helene Harrison traces the many interpretations of Anne across time: from the reformer and religious figure some admired, to the temptress and schemer condemned by her enemies, to the romantic heroine reclaimed by modern writers and filmmakers. The book shows how each generation has reshaped her image to reflect its own values and anxieties, which makes it as much about the storytellers as it is about Anne herself.

This approach gave me a new appreciation for how history is constructed, and how a figure like Anne Boleyn can never really be pinned down to one “truth.” Easy to read an genuinely compelling, this book was a clear labour of love. Overall this felt like a thoughtful and engaging study that stood out from the many biographies I’ve read before. An incredibly interesting read for fellow Tudor lovers looking for a little nuance.

This was a good read. If you’re interested in art history, definitely. I wish it was a little more sociopolitical, maybe delving a little more into wider social consequences of the Anne Boleyn legacy. But it was a short, informative read.

I've been pretty much obsessed with Anne Boleyn since I was a kid. I think she's a truly fascinating person. I've read a lot of books about her, because I think different authors view her differently and can provide unique viewpoints.

The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn is a really interesting look at how Anne Boleyn has been viewed throughout history. Helene Harrison uses many primary sources to look at how Anne was seen in her lifetime and lots of secondary and other sources for how she was viewed after her death.

Just as Anne had supporters and detractors during her lifetime, she had both after as well. Chroniclers writing 100 years or so after her death tended to treat as either an evil whore who was entirely responsible for Henry VIII's break with Rome (Catholic writers) or a saint and reformer (Protestant writers). Neither was true, but Anne takes on many identities over the centuries,

I found it interesting that writers of the Victorian era tended to view Anne as a sad tragic heroine, which makes sense given that the Victorians loved tragedy. This is a big contrast to modern portrayals, which tend to view Anne as a strong woman and a feminist heroine.

I really enjoyed the overview of Anne's portrayals in art, theatre, film, and fiction. It's a testament to her legacy that we're still so fascinated by her all these centuries later. This is a great read for anyone who's interested in Anne Boleyn.

“The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn” is a a review of Anne through her portraits. No portraits exist from when she was actually alive; the famous ones are from her daughter, Queen Elizabeth’s time. So in this case, portraits has been broadened to ways she was depicted. It thus shows Anne through some portraits, letters, court documents, and even new musicals, television and movies.

The book is based on the authors dissertation - sometimes the writing is pedantic and other times overly simple but overly focused on a single idea. Having written long papers myself this may have been just to fluff out the story. Interesting way to view Anne’s story but not much new here.

❤️ 🧚‍♂️ Wishes do come true 🧚‍♀️ ❤️

The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn by Helene Harrison was a brilliant book and full pf so much information about Anne Boleyn. Helene the author did an excellent job on researching Anne Boleyn which took over a decade of research! WoW and I am so glad I had a chance to read and review it. I have always been interested in the Tudor times and especially about Anne Boleyn who was a Mistress. Queen. Reformer. Traitor. Icon, what a character she was. Plus, this book was so different from the other books I have read in the past.

This book examined Anne Boleyn through images and perceptions of her. which was also done through documents, letters, images, propaganda, films, novels and historical biographies. Which made this book excellent and so different!
The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn explores her through more than 500 years of history and explores how new perceptions of her have changed and developed over time.

Anne Boleyn has quite a devoted scholarship, who was honed through perceptions. Her life, reign, and tragic death at the hands of the man who tore England apart to be with her have made Anne Boleyn one of the most divisive and exciting figures in English history.

She was an incredible woman in her time. . . .Hats off to her . . . She was amazing!

Big Thank you to NetGalley and especially Pen & Sword | Pen & Sword History for my ARC.

*The Woman:* Anne Boleyn was a multilingual, musical, and fashionable woman who defied societal norms. She was a strong-willed and intelligent individual who played a crucial role in shaping England's spiritual and cultural identity.

*Skills and Achievements:*
- Multilingual (English, French, Italian, and Latin)
- Musical talents (block flute, harp, lute, and virginals)
- Fashion icon (introduced French styles to English court)
- Patron of scholars and reformers (William Tyndale, Thomas Cranmer)
- Influenced Henry VIII's break with Rome and the formation of the Church of England

*Perception Over Time:*
- *18th-19th centuries:* Portrayed as a romantic victim or tragic heroine
- *20th century:* Depicted as a feisty, rebellious, and intelligent woman
- *Modern era:* Celebrated as a feminist icon and a complex, multifaceted figure

*Legacy:*
- Mother of Elizabeth I, one of England's most renowned monarchs
- Cultural impact: inspired numerous books, movies, and TV series
- Reformation icon: paved the way for the emergence of Anglican identity

*Controversy and Criticism:*
- Accused of adultery, heresy, and manipulation
- Portrayed as a femme fatale or a threat to social order

Despite controversy, Anne Boleyn remains a fascinating figure in history, celebrated for her intelligence, strength, and influence on the English Reformation. She was neither saint nor villain, but simply human.

An insightful and easy to read resource on Anne Boleyn.I really appreciated all the viewpoints on Anne's character, relationships, religion,her actions as queen and her fall.Although I found her portrayals through the years on stage,film and the small screen pretty interesting at times I felt as a long time follower of Tudor history I could have totally skipped this section.I though the synopsis of each play or program were overly long and slightly tedious.Overall though I will be keeping this as a future reference.

Having read plenty of traditional biographies, I was looking for something different—and this book delivered. The author takes a unique approach by working with contemporary sources, including those written by people who actually knew Anne Boleyn. As the narrative progresses, it moves through centuries of evolving interpretations, ending with fictional portrayals in works many readers will already be familiar with.

While the content is quite scholarly, the book remains very accessible and engaging for general readers. I discovered many fascinating details—for example, the relationship Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had with the legacy of the Tudors. I also appreciated the summaries of various historians' views, especially since I was already familiar with some of their works.

Overall, this book offers an insightful and well-structured exploration of how Anne Boleyn has been remembered over time. It's a refreshing take for anyone who feels they've read it all when it comes to Tudor biographies.

As someone who is being introduced to Anne Boleyn (beyond the surface knowledge that I believe everyone knows of her by now), "The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn" by Helene Harrison was a great introduction to her legacy. This well-researched book is written by an author that did her master's on Anne Boleyn's image and perception throughout history.

In an academic, detail-oriented manner, we observe Anne Boleyn through the eyes of her contemporaries all the way to modern historians and pop culture. Each chapter holds a magnifying glass to one facet of her life: her education, her childhood, her love life, her marriage life, her religious beliefs, etc. Through contemporary accounts and historical research, the reader is introduced to all information shared about her as well as why or why not a certain source or anecdote is plausible or was disproven. The book is very good at sharing all viewpoints, be it by those with a high opinion of her or otherwise.

After her death, the book turns our attention to her legacy leading up to the present day. Works that feature or depict Anne Boleyn are explored one by one sharing what they delivered accurately and wasn't. Works like SIX the musical, the Tudors (2007) as well as movies and books are all introduced to the reader. I've added several of the books especially to my ever-growing TBR.

The author's passion is clear on every page, while still providing an unbiased and comprehensive read for the reader. I learned a lot. If you're interested in Anne Boleyn and her life, this is a great book to add to your list.

She’s been regarded as a witch, a concubine and a pious great Queen who changed England into a Protestant nation. This book is a comprehensive and interesting look at how Anne Boleyn has been written about through the ages, from Chapuys, the Spanish Ambassador, to the present day. There are many wildly contrasting views here. Even recently, there was a big discussion between the historians G.W. Bernard and Eric Ives on whether Anne was guilty of adultery or not.

Helene Harrison also discusses novels, films and TV series which include Anne as a character, such as The Tudors. This is probably the most accessable part of the book for many readers. Anne Boleyn is always fascinating and this book is a fine addition to reference works about her.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this book. I typically enjoy reading about the Tudors, however I couldn’t finish this book. I got to 22% before I stopped. It was hard to follow for me. Going from one theory to the other.

I enjoyed this read! I was just in mood for some kind of biography about her since I was always curious but knew so little

It is well researched and well written. Definitely a good introduction to Anne Boleyn

An interesting take and extremely well researched. I went into this book only knowing the barest bones of Anne Boleyn’s story, mostly attributed to pop culture. The most surprising part of this book to me was actually how much we DON’T know. Nearly all surviving sources are biased, were written years after the fact, or have been lost to time itself. The portrait that most of us picture when we think of Anne isn’t even definitively her, most of her portraits were destroyed after her execution. Anne’s life was sensationalized from the start, continuing all the way into pop culture today, after reading this book I find it comforting to know that the truth likely lies somewhere in between fact and fiction.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a fascinating deep dive into not just Anne Boleyn’s life- but how she's been portrayed, and reinterpreted, over the centuries. The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn goes beyond the familiar “six wives” narrative and looks at how Anne’s image has been shaped by politics, religion, pop culture, and even fan obsession.

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering who the real Anne Boleyn was, this is a thoughtful, well-researched read.

Definitely recommended for history lovers, Tudor fans, and anyone interested in how myths are made (and remade)!!