[Review] The House of Boleyn by Tracy Borman

When nobleman Thomas Boleyn, lord of Hever Castle, is called to London in 1509 to present himself to a newly anointed King Henry VIII, he sets in train events that ensure the Boleyn name will never be forgotten.

Years later, as Henry VIII relentlessly pursues Thomas' daughter Anne Boleyn to be his queen, Hever Castle becomes her escape, a place where her trusted attendants and her father must advise, protect and support her. Lavish gifts are sent by the King and the Boleyn family is given ever greater prominence at court, their glory shining over everything and everyone. Until ambition turns the family on itself, enemies outside the castle circle closer and danger begins to stalk the corridors of Hever. And as Henry's gaze moves elsewhere when Anne cannot give him the heir he so desperately seeks, the family faces a terrible, bloody fate.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I'm picky as hell when it comes to historical fiction. There's so much bad out there that it just really put me off. But what I've found is that historical fiction written by respected historians is - 9 times out of 10 - bloody brilliant. And Tracy Borman didn't let me down. In short, I adored this book from start to finish.

The House of Boleyn tells the tale of the rise and fall of the Boleyn family - a story that has been told countless times. Anne Boleyn's story fascinates people so it's not wonder that so many authors have fictionalised it - many going for the usual lies and rumours that have plagued her for years such as incest. Yes, I've read novels where Anne has been portrayed sleeping with her brother. This book though? This book treats those rumours exactly as what they were - rumours. Borman has the story show how such rumours were twisted and twisted until they were 'believed' by Henry VIII and he snaps, having her arrested and executed simply because she was unable to provide him with a male heir. Of course certain things in the story have been changed, which is to be expected in historical fiction, but Borman provides a detailed authors note at the end of the book to explain just what and why these things have been changed and added.

The story gallops on at a pace that had me not wanting to put it down - I ended up finishing it in two days which is unheard of for me. Borman is a natural at story telling, making the characters both real and fictionalised feel human. They have flaws. They have emotions. They feel real. I particularly enjoyed how Borman portrayed the fears of Anne in particularly, as well as the fears of her father and the servants. It surprised me that the servants had such a part to play in the story - this is rare in fiction about the Tudors, or the royal family in general. It felt very Downton Abbey, and we were able to get the point of view of those below stairs, how some of them came to become friends with their masters and mistresses and how many of them would have really felt about the fast rising Anne Boleyn. I can imagine that there were those below stairs who believed that Catherine of Aragon was the true Queen of England. It's such an interesting perspective that I would love to see more of in the future.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves history and the Tudors. It's a rare gem in a genre in which you often find books that are just...not good. Borman, a highly respected Tudor historian who knows the history and the locations that the story is set in well (especially Hever), has written something that I would consider close to a masterpiece in the genre. She has given a new perspective on the Boleyn story, showing us just what the private lives of these people might have been like and how even those close to Anne Boleyn were able to have their opinions twisted thanks to the vicious rumours at the time.

5/5