Pink Heart Reviews
Brief Gaudy Hour
Margaret Campbell Barnes
Source Books, March 2008, 384 pp
ISBN-13: 978-1402211751
Historical Fiction - Tudor Period
Trade Paperback – Reissue (org pub: 1949)
$14.99 (US) $19.99 (CDN)
Reviewed by Laurel
April 2008
Anne Boleyn stands alone in her garden taking in the tranquility and joy of her surroundings, before her life is changed forever when she is summoned to court to serve for Katherine of Aragon – Queen of England. It was while serving the Queen that she caught the attention of Henry VIII – King of England and husband to Katherine. Anne, though, is deeply in love with Harry Percy. It was an innocent day when Princess Mary stumbled upon the two young lovers revealing them to the King. It set his blood on fire and in a jealous rage he separated the two lovers – married one off never to have a private moment again. For Anne it was outrage and anger that drove her into the King’s arms as his mistress – wife – mother of his child and the betrayal that led to her death.
History documents well the chain of events that led up to Anne’s execution, however many authors are not able to capture the woman, Anne was so passionately human – flawed yet unique. It was interesting reading Anne’s perspective on things, how her anger at the control a King has over one’s person drove her ambitious greed. She was not well liked by the public and yet held her head up high. She had her moments of complete grief and guilt over events that transpired to her and her family and ones who were fiercely loyal to her. The flow of the novel, richness in details, and characterizations of well known historical figures are spell binding, enhancing the feel of the period, transporting you back there watching on the sidelines.
BRIEF GAUDY HOUR was originally published in 1949 – I
did not know this until after I read the novel. While it was certainly tame
in the sensual sense, the tension and desire between these two people was
abundantly clear – right up to the end of the novel where Anne was secretly
hoping for a reprieve. One that never came from the man she had come to
love over the years. Margaret Campbell Barnes developed and told Anne’s
story with raw emotion, that drew me in and made me feel for her and I developed
a better understanding of what life was possibly like for her and the personal
tragedy she surely endured. Brief Gaudy Hour is a novel that captures the
spirit and essence of Anne Boleyn, and it’s a novel that any historical
fiction enthusiast will enjoy and ponder over for days to come.
