Children's Fiction, Biographical

Doomed Queen Anne

Name: Doomed Queen Anne
Author: Carolyn Meyer
ISBN: 9780152050863

by Carolyn Meyer

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Overview

She risked everything to become queen

Though born without great beauty, wealth, or title, Anne Boleyn blossomed into a captivating woman. She used her wiles to win the heart of England’s most powerful man, King Henry VIII, and to persuade him to defy everyone—including his own wife—to make her his new queen. But Anne’s ambition proved to be her fatal flaw.

In 1520, thirteen-year-old Anne Boleyn, jealous of her older sister's beauty and position at court, declares that she will one day be queen of England, and that her sister will kneel at her feet.

Synopsis

Everyone thought she could never be queen, but everyone was wrong

Publishers Weekly

Carolyn Meyer's Young Royals series continues with Doomed Queen Anne, based on the tragic events of Anne Boleyn's life. Told in the first person, Meyer's novel sensitively portrays Boleyn's childhood (at 13, she declared she would one day be Queen of England) through to the moments before her infamous end: death by beheading. (Oct.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

About the Author, Carolyn Meyer

CAROLYN MEYER is the acclaimed author of more than fifty books for young people. Her many award-winning novels include Mary, Bloody Mary, an ABA Pick of the Lists, an NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults; Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess, a New York Times bestseller; White Lilacs, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, an NYPL Best Book for the Teen Age, and an IRA Young Adults' Choice; Marie, Dancing, a BookSense Pick; and the historical novel, The True Adventures of Charley Darwin. Ms. Meyer lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
www.readcarolyn.com

CAROLYN MEYER is the acclaimed author of more than forty books for young people, many of which have received awards and honors. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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Editorials

From the Publisher

"Masterful."—VOYA

Publishers Weekly

Children's Literature

Could Anne Boleyn become Queen of England? Most people at court would have laughed at the very suggestion. Anne however, had a very strong will, a determination to do better for herself that anyone expected and to go further than her family ever dreamed of. When she was a child, Anne was considered very plain and uninteresting. Her parents even considered sending her to a nunnery on account of her "defects." Luckily for Anne, she was sent to be educated in the Dutch and French royal courts. By the time she was selected to be a member of the English court of Henry VIII, Anne was a very intelligent and shrewd young woman. She had also blossomed into a woman with singular looks and considerable elegance. Watching the king and learning the ways of the court, Anne bided her time. It didn't take long for King Henry to notice the charming Anne Boleyn; he was ready for a new mistress. Anne, however, refused to take on that role. She had seen other women become his mistresses, including her own sister, and watched their popularity flare, and all too soon, die. If the king wanted her, he was going to have to marry her, even though he already had a wife. The scandal and controversy that ensued changed English history forever. We follow Anne's meteoric path to greatness, somehow knowing that her personality and cruel fate are going to cause her fall. In this superbly written book, the dual personality of Anne Boleyn comes through. Well researched and giving a full picture of that period in English history, this is a must for a collection of historical fiction. This is one of three books by Carolyn Meyer in the "Young Royals" series. 2002, Harcourt,
— Marya Jansen-Gruber

From The Critics

Promising Henry VIII a male heir to his throne, Anne Boleyn manipulates him to her will by refusing to submit to his conjugal wishes. She convinces him to have his first marriage annulled to make their union legal and to maintain her integrity. When the Pope does not support this action, Henry splits the Church of England from the Catholic Church, an act that enrages many of his subjects. Anne does become Queen, but when she does not produce a male child, she falls from favor. Though innocent of adulterous treason, she is convicted and beheaded. However, Elizabeth, the daughter whom she and Henry VIII conceive, does eventually become Queen. Given her options at the time, Anne Boleyn behaves in an understandable, if not exemplary, way. Readers age 12 and up will gain a more profound understanding of the intrigue and the behind-the-scenes treachery of life in the British Royal Court in the 1500s. 2002, Gulliver Books/Harcourt, 240pp., Thompson

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-A novel, told in first person, about the unfortunate Anne Boleyn. In this account of her short life, she seems to have had no other real interest outside of her burning ambition to marry the king. Anne comes across as self-centered, selfish, and sometimes shrill. Since she makes no attempt to hide her efforts to win Henry's affection, she makes many enemies in the royal court, not the least of whom is young Princess Mary. Her eventual imprisonment in the tower of London on false charges and her subsequent beheading are described in the final chapter and a brief epilogue. Given the brevity of Anne's life and its single-minded focus, Meyer does an acceptable job of telling her story and steering a discreet course through the ins and outs of Henry's many sexual relationships. However, the epilogue reads like an afterthought and gives little information about how much of the book is true and about the major characters in the aftermath of Anne's execution. Still, middle-school girls will enjoy this portrait of the doomed queen, and it offers yet another perspective on the intricate relationships among members of Henry's royal family, his followers, and his enemies.-Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Meyer, who has told the story of the Tudor women from the perspective of his daughters Mary, Bloody Mary (1999) and Beware Princess Elizabeth (2001), returns to take the side of Anne Boleyn, the pot-stirrer, as it were. Beginning on the eve of her beheading, it is Boleyn's voice that explains how it all came to pass. And what a voice it is: vain, cunning, and spiteful. She is jealous of her sister (who was King Henry VIII's mistress before her), hates Queen Catherine whom she hopes to replace, plays a dangerous game with Henry, not surrendering her virginity to him for years, waiting for him to be rid of Catherine and to marry her. There is much loving description of gowns and jewels, and some indication of the difference styles of lavishness in English and French court life. What is more interesting is the tangled web of court intrigue at work and how Anne's fate is finally determined. All the implicit melodrama of her life is given full play here, but it will take some work to get to it. As in Meyer's earlier accounts, the first chapters are difficult and ponderous, full of enough detail to warrant backing up and starting over several times. Fortunately, there is a chart of the family at the front--an essential element in keeping track of the connections. Eventually, though, the story begins to gain momentum, rewarding the steadfast reader with a different perspective on the perils of ambition. (historical note, bibliography) (Historical fiction. 12+)