PLAIN JANE

Author: Laurien Gardner ISBN: 9780425220948 6/2008 HISTORICAL FICTION Publisher: BERKLEY
Time Period: 1537 England

With a face better suited to a nun's habit than a wedding dress, Jane Seymour has no suitors and few hopes. Then, her prospects brighten when she is granted a position at court as maid of honor to Queen Catherine. There, Jane watches as King Henry VIII ignores his aging wife, showering favor on the beautiful Anne Boleyn, the woman he would make his new queen. But soon he tires of Anne and his wandering eye falls on Jane. Though she has feelings of affection for Henry, she cannot let herself be swept away by his attentions if she is to win not only his heart, but also the greatest prize of all—the Crown.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

PLAIN JANE by Laurien Gardner tells the touching story of Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII. Far from being your customary happy romance, it re-tells this true story of a woman who gets caught up in a romance with this egotistical king. It is taken from Jane's point of view as she comes of age and becomes a lady in waiting for the present queen. Although Henry VIII was not the ideal suitor in most respects, the story had me fully enthralled and at times I could feel the emotions Jane must have felt.

This is one of those novels that you can't do too terribly much with. Everyone knows what happened to Henry's wives, including Jane. But I really liked the way this novel was written, although it was more of a historical tale for me than a true romance. This is probably because I personally could not stand Henry VIII. I would have probably been beheaded before the first week. By our standards today, Jane (and Henry's other wives too, for that matter) were treated horribly. However, there was an authenticity in the telling that I was really impressed with. Not to mention the fact that everything is told from Jane Seymour's point of view. The conclusions Laurien Gardner draws about what Jane was feeling, and her reasons for the decisions she made, make perfect sense and fit together nicely with the history books. In this respect, I felt Gardener did an exceptional job of putting this story together. This is definitely one of the better adaptations of the life of this queen.

Joanne Shaeffer