| Jane Seymour Book:
JANE SEYMOUR: Henry VIIIs True Love
Book
JANE SEYMOUR: Henry VIII's True Love |  |  | | List Price: $29.95 | | Publisher: Amberley
Salesrank: 565083
| | Our Price: $19.77 | | Used Price: $47.70 | | | Media: Hardcover | |
Editorial Review:
The first ever biography of JaneSeymour, Henry VIII's third wife, who died in childbirth giving the king what hecraved most - a son and heir. First biography to show the real Jane Seymour, she may have been submissive and obedient in front of Henry, but her true personality was far more cutthroat.Huge interest in the wives of Henry VIII, most of his wives are the subject of at least two books, Jane has none.Jane Seymour is often portrayed as meek and mild and as the most successful, but one of the least significant, of Henry VIII's wives. The real Jane was a very different character, demure and submissive yet with a ruthless streak - as Anne Boleyn was being tried for treason, Jane was choosing her wedding dress.From the lowliest origins of any of Henry's wives her rise shows an ambition every bit as great as Anne's. Elizabeth Norton tells the thrilling life of a country girl from rural Wiltshire who rose to the throne of England and became the ideal Tudor woman.JANE SEYMOUR: Henry VIII's True Love Reviews:
Anything but Plain 
2009-07-16 - A good read, finally a book on Jane Seymour.
Since little is known about Jane's life before her arrival to court, much of that part of the book is speculation based off historical records and facts.
However once Jane arrives at court, we see more fact. Jane temperance allows for thoughts and ideals on her feelings of the actions surrounding her, in particular, her rise to Queen. Norton does a fine job of neither villifying or absolving Jane of this contraversial subject.
Also, Norton helps dispell the "Plain" Jane myth. Jane was remebered kindly and some Historians have taken that and made her "Plain", Norton shows that while Jane was not as memorable as her predessecors, she was indeed a woman of intelligence and quiet strengths.
All in all, a good book on Jane Seymour. Not quite the one everyone has been waiting for, but it does provide information on a woman who is often over-shadowed.JANE SEYMOUR: Henry VIII's True Love
Disappointed 
2009-07-16 - I was looking forward to this book as a full-length biography of Jane Seymour. Jane is by far the most neglected of Henry VIII's queens, and I have been waiting for something that would shed some light on her life and character. Unfortunately, after reading this book, I am still waiting.
Perhaps the problem here is that there just is not enough information available on which to base a full examination of Jane Seymour's life. As a child of the minor gentry, her youth would have been unremarkable and largely unrecorded. I do think, however, that some conclusions could have been reached by a more thorough examination of the records concerning her family - which would have offered some clues as to Jane's whereabouts at various points in her life.
There is more information available after Jane arrived at the court of Henry VIII, but Norton tends to attempt to enliven her narrative by supplying Jane's reactions and feelings concerning the events that she witnessed. As Jane did not leave a diary telling us how she felt, this is entirely speculation and very disconcerting to someone who is used to reading more traditional biographies.
On the positive side, there are a number of interesting illustrations provided. These are the reason that the book will continue to reside on my bookshelves.
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