The Final Year of Anne Boleyn
by: Natalie Grueninger
Pen + Sword History
2022
***** ( 5 stars)

#netgalley # TheFinalYearOfAnneBoleyn

The controversies and mysteries, as much as the joy and happiness surrounding the last year in the life of Anne Boleyn may never be truly understood. The second wife of King Henry VIII, and mother of Elizabeth I, Anne was spirited and always had a concern for the poor and needy, especially pregnant women. The last year of her life she was labelled as a witch, a homewrecker, a matyr and.....gasp.....a feminist, amongst other names. She was the first woman ever executed, but wont be the last woman a man of power has devised to do away with to hide his own lack of morals and selfish rage.
This is a fantastic and engaging reveal of the last year of Anne Boleyn's life. The torment and torture she was put through is chilling, and harrowing, however this book also reveals the mindset of the time, and general lack of empathy in Tudor England. The extensive and deep research uncovers the positives Anne was able to accomplish in the short span of her life, as much as the controversies surrounding her and her death.
I completely enjoyed this and learned so much I did not know about Anne's lfe, and her unwarranted execution. I could not put this down, the writing was engaging and easy to get into. I cannot recommend this enough.
A huge thanks to Netgalley, Pen + Sword Books for sending this ARC e-book for review.

First of all, thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Every once in a while I decide to go out of my comfort zone and randomly request ARC's which interest me but would not be considered a usual read for me. this is one of those books! But this time I proved myself right, that getting away from the usual can be good!
Because book is interesting, well-researched, detailed and willing to go into the nitty-gritty. To me, there was a clear reverence for fact, rather than all the fiction that surrounds Anne Boleyn to this day, which felt honest and refreshing. There were some myths that were corrected in this book, which I, a casual observer of that time period, had come to accept as fact.
While I felt that the first part, in which everything went well and everyone was happy was the majority of this book, and therefore the latter half of the story in which everything, excuse my language use, goes to shit was somewhat rushed. Perhaps there wasn't as much to say, or everything happened so quickly in succession to the next event, that there was not as much time for all the suspicion and the paranoia, but it still felt as a very sudden, and jarring shift from the previous half of the book.
Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a lot and if I were to come across another book written by Natalie Grueninger, I would certainly pick it up to see if its subject interested me. Well done to her, and genuinely massive props to her for all the meticulous research she did. It blew my mind at times!

I went into this book not sure what to expect, and thinking that if it was about Anne Boleyn's last year, it was likely to be focused primarily on drama. In the end, I found that the tone of the book was quite different. Written in a conversational voice, Grueninger has presented a steady and well-argued version of the queen's final year, and one that doesn't revel in the gore. Instead, popular beliefs are debunked with a clear presentation of the evidence used and how it should be read, and all is done in a quite measured tone. It's not that the author doesn't show where her beliefs are, but she does so in a way that is measured in such a way as to almost feel gentle. I was really impressed with the style of writing. I feel like I learned some new things about a historical figure I've been returning to since I was young, and it didn't feel polemical. I'd recommend, for anyone already invested in the topic.

For people that are obsessed with the dynamic between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.
This book has great insight into the year leading up to Anne's execution.
The writing is novel-like while providing the facts in an art of nonfiction

I received an unedited copy of this book through NetGalley and to tell you how excited I was when I got that email would be difficult. About a year ago I discovered Grueninger's podcast and immediately became hooked. So, when I heard that she had written a book about Anne Boleyn I had to get my hands on a copy.

As the title indicates, this book outlines the last year of Anne Boleyn's life. Due to Anne's tragic downfall and Henry VIII's attempt to erase her from history, it is surprising that a whole book could be written about a single year in Anne's life. My favourite thing about this book is that Grueninger brought Anne's personality into the historical record. For example, I learned that Anne did not like monkies and was more partial to dogs, that she was more likely to read things in French but did not know Latin, and had lavish taste in fabrics which she usually wanted in expressive colours. None of that information is necessarily pertinent to Anne's downfall, but because so little survives about Anne, knowing anything about the woman behind the myth is fascinating.

I also enjoyed how Grueninger's writing and research really highlights the relationships between Anne and the various men in her life including: Cromwell, Henry, and Chapuys. The relationship with the latter is more unidirectional, focusing more on what the Spanish Ambassador heard and thought about Anne, but was still a great insight into how Anne played a role in European and court politics. Grueninger makes it clear that certain things have been lost to history but given the evidence that survives there has been misplaced emphasis on certain parts of Anne's story. For example, how close she and Cromwell may have been throughout her rise to power and during her time as Queen. I enjoyed how Grueninger would present evidence and then provides an interpretation of that evidence supported by other sources.

Grueninger does an excellent job of weaving together contemporary sources and Anne's own words to show how Anne's life took such a drastic turn. This book is a fantastic read for any Tudor and history lover.

An extremely well-researched and detailed exploration of Anne Boleyn's last year of life.

Anne Boleyn has long been one of history's most maligned women. I've loved reading the new literature coming out re-examining Anne Boleyn and treating her with more fairness. In the same vein of such books as Anne Boleyn:500 Years of Lies, Grueninger reframes Anne Boleyn and specifically the period of her fall, giving us context that has long been ignored and highlighting evidence that contradicts the typical narrative around this historical Queen. Grueninger wrote about details that I hadn't heard before, despite having read an abundance of books on the Tudors and Anne Boleyn.

I would recommend this book to any fan of Tudor history, with the caveat that its audience is scholarly and those looking for a more causal read may get lost in all of the details.

The world of someone close to a king, especially someone close to King Henry VIII, was full of hazards and great triumphs. All the glist and glamor of the Tudor court could not save them from the rage of the King. This could apply to anyone who fell during the reign of this infamous King, but none more so than his second wife and queen, Anne Boleyn. Much has been written about Anne Boleyn and her dramatic fall from grace, specifically the final month of her life, but what was she doing in her last year alive? Natalie Grueninger hopes to answer this question in her latest book, "The Final Year of Anne Boleyn."

I want to thank Pen and Sword Books and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book. I am always learning new facts about influential Tudors, like Anne Boleyn, so when I heard about this book, I knew it would be on my to-be-read pile.

We begin our journey to Anne's ultimate demise with the court's changes in 1535. There is still tons of support for Henry's first wife, Katherine of Aragon, and her daughter Mary, even with the new Act of Respecting the Oath to the Succession, which proclaimed Princess Elizabeth as King Henry VIII's heir, not Mary. Anne interacts with ambassadors from foreign lands, like Charles de Solier from France and Eustace Chapuys, the imperial ambassador.

My favorite part of this book is how much care Grueinger took in telling the story of Anne Boleyn's final progress with Henry VIII. I have never read an account of this progress in the details Grueinger provided, including where she stayed and who served her at different royal houses. We also see how she dealt with the divide between Catholics and Protestants and how she relaxed in her downtime.

Grueninger examines Anne's fall from grace and how it took place, starting with Henry's dramatic fall from his horse and Anne's tragic miscarriage of a son that would have secured her place on the throne. Here, we see the death of Katherine of Aragon and the rise of Jane Seymour. Emotions are running high, and rumors are flying all over Europe, so Grueninger takes the time to bust a few of these myths. Finally, we look at the show trials and the executions that sealed the fate of Anne Boleyn and the men associated with her.

Natalie Grueninger's passion for telling the true story of Anne Boleyn is evident on every page of this book with the amount of research she poured into this subject. This book presents Anne Boleyn in a new sympathetic light, which any Tudor fan would appreciate. If you want a beautiful nonfiction book that examines the tragic fall of Anne Boleyn, I highly recommend you read "The Final Year of Anne Boleyn" by Natalie Grueninger.

Anne Boleyn was more than a murdered wife and this book shows her power, influence and voice over centuries. Her terrible predicament and the constant threat she must have lived with are brought to bear as the author discloses Anne’s experiences and the role she played in the court and wider society.

This was very well written. I am a huge fan of royal history and especially Anne Boleyn. This was extremely interesting, tense, and despite knowing how this story ends - enthralling. I really enjoyed being able to experience this novel. I would love to read more on how the author was able to find and piece together such detailed accounts.

A deeply fascinating account of Anne’s final year - but even more than that, a twisting and turning deep dive into politics of the time and how we got the modern monarchy. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

This was a very well researched book about the last year of Anne's life. While most books focus on her rise, this one focuses on her downfall. It also addresses rumors and false accusations made against Anne at the time. I will say, I have read much about Anne Boleyn, so there was not much I already didn't know. However, it is a good read for someone just learning about the Tudors, and it flows nicely.

I was quite drawn to the title of this book having never heard of the author. I'm a historical fiction fan and have always been intrigued by Anne's story so I thought let's read some non-fiction for a change and do a deep dive into her story. This definitely looks like a comprehensive research study detailing her last four seasons however, I am far from qualified to understand it as I am only a casual history reader. I could not understand references, the people involved or circumstances of her era so it did not compute. I don't know if this is being sold as a casual read or as a scholarly reference book but it is not targeted to my audience.

I love Natalie! Her research was fascinating to read and I learned a lot while reading her latest book. I have listened to her podcast for years and follow her social media accounts to find more information. I was very excited to receive a copy of this book. It may be one I will have to add to my personal collection.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. Interesting read. I didn't know realize they this book was actually published in the 1970's. If you are interested in the Tudor period I highly recommend. You might find some of the information interesting.

I love history and one of my favourite periods in history is the Tudor period, I have loved it since I was a little girl and Anne Boleyn has always been my favourite so I was so excited to get to read this book. The book is incredibly well researched and is full of facts without ever feeling boring or heavy. I loved the fact that the author addresses the myth surrounding this fascinating woman and sounds them out with research and facts in an engaging manner.
The book was filled with information that I already knew, both fact and myth, but it is also brimming with informtaion that I didn't know and that I was fascinated by.
I felt like one of my favourite historical figures was in front of me telling me here story, I loved it.

I've always loved history especially this time period and anything about Anne Boleyn was definitely a good read if your not interested in history though definitely not a read for you

*Many thanks to Natalie Grueninger, Pen & Sword, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
An extremely well-written and researched book focusing not just on the queen's last year but on the world around her, based on sources available and with some distance to Anne Boleyn although the Author clearly admires her. The queen intrigues me and I found this particular non-fiction most informative and insightful. I learnt a lot and Ms Grueninger cleared some popular myths or misunderstandings surrounding the last twelve months of the queen's life. I was touched by the mention of her generosity towards those in need. I do not think I have ever seen it mentioned in other books, be it fiction or non-fiction.
One thing is certain, Anne Boleyn remains one of the most fascinating European female historic figures.

I was quite drawn to the title of this book having never heard of the author. I'm a historical fiction fan and have always been intrigued by Anne's story so I thought let's read some non-fiction for a change and do a deep dive into her story. This definitely looks like a comprehensive research study detailing her last four seasons however, I am far from qualified to understand it as I am only a casual history reader. I could not understand references, the people involved or circumstances of her era so it did not compute. I don't know if this is being sold as a casual read or as a scholarly reference book but it is not targeted to my audience.

The Final Year of Anne Boleyn by Natalie Grueninger is a worthy addition to the vast number of books already written about Anne Boleyn. Over the course of 21 chapters, Grueninger presents an almost moment by moment biography of the last 4 seasons, if you will, of Anne's life.

My thoughts:
1. While Grueninger makes clear in the book's introduction that her goal is to present an objective, nuanced portrait of Anne's last year, I don't feel that was truly accomplished. I learned during my years in college as a history major that a set of events can be presented and interpreted in a myriad number of ways. That is because every writer of history delivers events via their own viewpoint. Remaining objective and impartial would be accomplished only if one was listing a straightforward timeline of dates, names, times and locations.
2. Having to read full letters, written as is (meaning in Tudor-style English) is a bit annoying. While they can provide some pertinent insight, for me, they trigger my inner proofreader. I find myself correcting punctuation and spelling when I read them.
3. I found a good chunk of the information included in the book to be unnecessary. It didn't seem to have any true relevance to Anne herself, or even some of the people in her immediate circle.
4. Grueninger makes an observation I found to be quite ironic. Upon the death of Katherine of Aragon, Anne was initially euphoric because she was now the only queen. But then she realizes, as Grueninger points out, that now there was nothing to prevent Henry VIII from chucking her aside for another wife the way he did to Katherine for her. In a weird way, Katherine's death is really what sealed Anne's fate.

As stated, this book is a worthy addition to the vast library of Anne Boleyn books. It's also perfect for die-hard Tudor history buffs. One just has to have patience to slog through the dry bits.

I have read so many books relating to Anne Boleyn over the years. So what I look for now in a book is does it tell me anything that I didn’t know before. The answer to this is yes I feel that I know Anne Boleyn that little bit better having read this book by Natalie Grueninger. The amount of research that the author has done is obvious, you only need to look at the appendix and see the amount of publications that she has read to compile this book

I always saw Anne Boleyn as the Queen that caught the Kings eye.I. A woman Who was not bothered about others. She may have believed at times that whilst Queen Katharine and Princess Mary were alive she wouldn’t conceive.

Anne was a woman interested in scholarly learning. She sent money to Oxford and Cambridge university’s. She sewed clothes for the poor. She gave out money to causes close to her.. She was a women who I believe did love the king but was unable to give him the long for heir he so desired over everything..

There was so much information in this book I found it best reading some each day. My congratulations to the author on a well written book she can be proud of.