Eight stars
In this short story that bridges two of the larger novels in Weir’s Six Tudor Queens, the reader is able to focus a little more attention on Anne Boleyn. Jo Maddox is tour guide around the Tower of London whose groups are always complimentary of her knowledge. As a historian, Jo is happy to have found a special guide to provide some of the history of Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn. Leading her group towards the Tower, they encounter their guest, whose resemblance and attire parallel Boleyn quite strikingly. As the group follows and learns much of the history of this woman’s final days, Jo continues to see another woman whose dark hair and eyes are also quite like Boleyn. It is said that the Tower holds many ghosts of those slain, but could Anne Boleyn truly be appearing amongst many other tour groups? This is only the first surprise that befalls Jo Maddox. The rest is for the reader to discover herein. Weir does a wonderful job with this extremely short piece, which complements the Six Queens series and keeps fans waiting for the next full-length novel.
When I say that this is a short story, I literally mean ‘short’. A mere seven electronic pages, Weir teases the reader with a narrative that dispels many of the myths attributed to the young queen. Fans of Weir will know that her attention to detail and renowned status as one of the United Kingdom’s preeminent historians has not been offered up lightly. The piece proves entertaining and insightful, weaving fact and fiction onto the printed page. One can only hope that Weir’s full-length novels will captivate the reader as much (teaser chapters for all three full novels find their way as a sort of afterward). While I cannot find any fault with this story, I wanted to take a moment to chastise Amazon (Canada and US) for not getting in synchronicity with their UK counterpart and providing access to these lovely ‘between’ stories. It has taken me a period of real literary gymnastics to get my hands on this one and I cannot see why Weir fans across the Pond are not able to bask in the greatness of these short pieces as easily. Please remedy this soon!
Kudos, Madam Weir, for providing a lovely reprieve from the hectic aspects of life with this piece. Perfect for that morning coffee or evening tea, this story left me wanting more.
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
Book Reviews to Ponder 