Jane Boleyn by Julia Fox

Jane Boleyn by Julia Fox, with the subtitle The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford, is the first book written by Julia. I’ve recently read her second book called Sister Queens by Julia Fox. That was for me an interesting book, with lots of resources going into research, from state papers, national library records to public record office archives. At the same time, it read like a novel.

This book reads as a novel too. But it wasn’t as much about Jane as it should have been to be called Jane Boleyn. This made me initially think of a 3 stars rating, but I loved reading it, so I did decide on 4 stars. I had to mark her down because she makes some assumptions without having a base for them. When you have diaries and letters, you can guess how a person was feeling when something happened, but, without them, is only speculation.

In this book I’ve read a wonderful account of the life at court and of some of the ones related and close to the Boleyn family. As there aren’t many documents regarding Jane Parker, who will become George Boleyn’s wife, Julia Fox tells how different events took place and that she most likely attended them. I did enjoy reading about the Field of the Cloth of Gold in the 1520, the summit at Calais.

Getting to read this sort of details from that time was very interesting. But, it wasn’t about Jane. I think the book would have had 5 stars rating and glowing reviews if the name was different, for example “Jane Boleyn and Life at the Tudor Court”. Almost all the reviews I’ve read about this book mention the same thing. That being said, do read the book if you like history.

As Julia Fox explains the situation very clearly, it can be read by anybody, even if you are not very knowledgeable of Tudor history. This is another thing I liked about it, even though I do know a bit about Tudor history, from all the books I’ve read.

One of the most intriguing things I’ve read in the Jane Boleyn book was about her financial arrangements before marriage and after George’s execution. It was quite a complicated process and some of the things agreed to weren’t great, that led to her having financial difficulties and asking for help from Cromwell. It only shows how precarious the life of the women was in the 16th century.

Jane Boleyn by Julia Fox

Details about the picture: –
My rating: 4/5 Stars.
Would I recommend it: Yes
Published by: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Year it was published: 2007
Format: Paperback
Genre(s): Non-fiction. History. Biography.
Pages: 398

About the author: Julia Fox was born in London. She wanted to be a teacher from childhood, and did taught in both public and private schools in London. Julia left teaching to concentrate on researching and writing. Her other interests include music, theatre, walking, and cooking.
Website & Social Media Links: www.juliafox.co.uk