SEPTEMBER 2013 - AudioFile
Longshore’s novel is a fictionalized account of Anne Boleyn's early years in Henry VIII’s court, before she became queen. The story drops the listener right into the middle of Tudor England, complete with courtly intrigue and gossip. Bellair gives emotion to the drama and intrigue of the courtiers’ competition for popularity with the king, which required sophistication and knowing whom to trust. She also creates a sympathetic character in Anne Boleyn, who starts off as an outsider and eventually becomes a strong, independent woman whose voice demands that she be heard. Bellair gives listeners a treat with her accents and portrayal of emotions in this well-voiced drama. S.B.T. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
Praise for Katherine Longshore's first book, GILT:
"A substantive, sobering historical read, with just a few heaving bodices." —Kirkus
"...royally riveting for the reader." —Booklist
"This is an enjoyable novel to recommend to girls interested in history, love, and betrayal." —VOYA
Praise for TARNISH:
"An un-put-downable historical romance." —School Library Journal
School Library Journal
Gr 8 Up—In this companion novel to Gilt (Viking, 2012), Anne Boleyn arrives in King Henry VIII's court amid whispers and stares from the courtiers. She knows her position is precarious; that she is talked about because of what she's done in the past and for the fact that her sister, Mary, is mistress to the king. Yet she is determined to be held in high esteem at court. Her brother, George, tells her she is too different to obtain that goal. She speaks her mind and gets into trouble. Enter renowned ladies' man Thomas Wyatt. He bets Anne that he can turn court favor to her side if she does as he asks. If the plan succeeds, he will have her in his bed because she will want to be there. After some thought she concedes and their game of courtly love begins. He pursues her and she encourages it. Soon she realizes that Wyatt's plan is working. People-especially men-are beginning to notice her. More importantly, the king has turned his attention to her. These developments excite her, but what she doesn't count on is Wyatt falling in love with her, and realizing that she loves him as well. She comes to understand the importance of love, but in the end rejects Wyatt in favor of the king. An un-put-downable historical romance.—Wendy M. Scalfaro, G. Ray Bodley High School, Fulton, NY
SEPTEMBER 2013 - AudioFile
Longshore’s novel is a fictionalized account of Anne Boleyn's early years in Henry VIII’s court, before she became queen. The story drops the listener right into the middle of Tudor England, complete with courtly intrigue and gossip. Bellair gives emotion to the drama and intrigue of the courtiers’ competition for popularity with the king, which required sophistication and knowing whom to trust. She also creates a sympathetic character in Anne Boleyn, who starts off as an outsider and eventually becomes a strong, independent woman whose voice demands that she be heard. Bellair gives listeners a treat with her accents and portrayal of emotions in this well-voiced drama. S.B.T. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
Following on Gilt (2012), which told the tale of Henry VIII's doomed fifth wife, Catherine Howard, is another beheaded wife's story. The oft-rehearsed tale of King Henry VIII's second and best-known wife, Anne Boleyn, is recounted in this mostly factual reconstruction of the years before Henry's divorce from Queen Katherine and marriage to Anne, an event that is said to have changed the course of English history, since Henry broke with the Roman Catholic Church in order to secure a divorce. Anne's confident, present-tense narration conveys her tempestuous personality, her feelings of alienation from the ladies of the court and her desperate ambition to secure a position there. Flirtations with figures of history, including the poet Sir Thomas Wyatt and noble Sir Henry Percy, as well as Anne's strong attraction to the king himself, a deeply charismatic individual, propel the narrative. They add spice to a complex tale that occasionally gets bogged down in historical detail and is sometimes marred by linguistic anachronisms. However the raw emotions and unflinching honesty of a young girl caught in a whirlwind of history shine through, keeping readers engaged to the end of this sizable novel, which ends before her marriage to the king and subsequent beheading. Teens with a love of history will not be able to resist this skillful retelling of the remarkable achievement of Anne Boleyn, who rose from tarnished foreign outcast to the king's bride. (Historical fiction. 13-17)
