Journal Entry 1 by MommyMace from Hopkinton, Massachusetts USA on Friday, May 06, 2005

Wow. Great book!  

Journal Entry 2 by MommyMace from Hopkinton, Massachusetts USA on Sunday, August 21, 2005

I enjoyed this book so much I will start a bookring on this book and return it to my personal collection. I will collect names and list them here, and then re-arrange them based on shipping preferences. Participants so far:

Scarlett17, UK, prefers to ship within Europe
lesezeichen, Dusseldorf in Germany, ships internationally
moomin22, Austria, ships internationally <------on it's way here
wyldewomin, MA, ships anywhere
RlyLv2Rd, MN, ships anywhere
tnelson99, Missouri, ships anywhere
Jengif, prefers to ship US
Bulan-Purnama, US ship
back to me!

 

Journal Entry 3 by MommyMace from Hopkinton, Massachusetts USA on Tuesday, August 30, 2005

The bookring has begun! Sent to the first person in the bookring list. ENJOY scarlett17!! 

Journal Entry 4 by Scarlett17 from Bexley, Kent United Kingdom on Thursday, October 13, 2005

The book arrived today! I was going to leave it until I'd finished the book I was currently reading but, having read the first two pages, I'm hooked already! This book has gone to the top of the pile and I hope I'll enjoy it as I've been looking forward to it. 

Journal Entry 5 by Scarlett17 from Bexley, Kent United Kingdom on Friday, October 21, 2005

Wow! This book was brilliant! Despite my earlier entry, I decided I ought to finish the book I was already reading before this one, so I started reading it properly on Wednesday. It's now Friday and all 661 pages are finished. It was one of those "just one more chapter" books. I knew a fair amount about the wives of Henry VIII, having studied the Tudors in school. It was interesting to hear the story told from a point of view other than Henry's. You never really learn about what it must have been like for those who both loved and feared him. I know this is a work of fiction, but it is based on fact and gives an interesting view of the lives of women in the Tudor court. It is also made more human (and more compelling) by the close examination of the relationship between Anne Boleyn and her sister Mary, through good times and bad and to the ultimate terrible end of Anne's life.
I can think of several other people who I think would enjoy this book so I'm sure I will be buying a good few copies as Christmas presents!
Thanks MommyMace for sharing this brilliant book. I've just had lesezeichen's address so I will post this on to her on Monday. 

Journal Entry 6 by lesezeichen from Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Sunday, October 30, 2005

The book arrived yesterday, thanks to everybody involved. By the way I had gone to the post office to send out a book to Cardiff (to TraceyR) when I found out that the book I had to pick up was *from* Cardiff. Just a little thing, but that's bookcrossing to me ;-) Anyway, the journal entries so far sound most enticing and it won't be long before I start reading... 

Journal Entry 7 by lesezeichen from Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Tuesday, November 01, 2005

I agree with you, this is a great read. I am not much into historical fiction generally, but this book managed to grab my interest from the beginning. It is very well written and as somebody has already mentioned narrating the story from Mary's viewpoint is an intersting twist. I appreciated that the characters were not black and white at all, as I even felt sorry for Ann for all her selfishness and egotism. The process of her turning from huntress to victim - thus repeating what happened to the first queen -is brilliantly depicted. The only small complaint I have is that the love story between William and Mary is a little bit too much on the perfect side, but I assume the author may have done this on purpose so as to form a distinct contrast with the other relationships maintained at court which are dictated by the hunger for power and calculation. Anyway, the book has rekindled my interest in English history... Thanks again!

Edit 07.11.: Sent to Austria today