Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen: A Novel (Six Tudor Queens) Hardcover – May 15, 2018

I am always humbled when I pick up a book by Alison Weir that I have not read before. The depth of research that she has done regarding her topics is far superior to other authors/historians who have written on the same topics. I can derive the feeling that I am getting a more authentic feel for the subject whether it is about the six wives of Henry VIII or Katherine Swynford (or any of the others that she has graced us with). Many authors have taken great liberties with adjusting facts to create a more dynamic story. To be truthful I knew just the bare facts when it came to the life and times of Jane Seymour. I really appreciated the different approach that was used in the "Haunted Queen". She didn't come off as milk toast she had opinions of her own and it had to be difficult to deal with the person that Henry became in his frustration to have an heir and a spare. I particularly liked the way that she presented the symptoms that led up to Jane's tragic death after giving birth to their son. I kept saying to myself that she was not describing child bed fever but actually two different contributing disease processes that caused her body to be overwhelmed (you can not take the nurse out your reader even with a compelling tale).I am looking forward to jumping into my next read which will be probably her next book in the series. I can recommend this book and actually all her books to anyone who loves to read about these historically significant women from a female perspective. As a side note now my curiosity is raised regarding Strickland's perspective on Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour's role in her fall from grace. I guess I have a lot more reading to do!

Weir does a pretty good job in delivering her interpretation of Jane. I think before anyone judges this book too harshly, they should read the end notes from the author where she explains what is fact, what is fiction, and how she came to her conclusions about Jane's life and death. The part that didn't sit well with me, despite Weir's allowance for fictional freedom, was turning Jane into Henry's mistress and having a miscarriage. Those two things are pretty serious assumptions to make considering that if it really happened there would be at least one witness or some account of it. There were always people watching and spying at court and I don't think Jane could've flown under the radar unoticed. Despite that embellishment to the story, I enjoyed the book and finished it in one day.One thing I took away from this book is the debate over who was the best at stealing the king away from the former wife. Anne or Jane? Anne was vibrant, fiesty, and knew how to play the court well, but she was cruel to anyone who stood in her way or posed a threat to her. In this book, Jane came across as kindhearted, demure, and always quietly observing, yet very well aware of how the court operated. I like to think she went about winning the king's heart in a much more dignified and discreet way than Anne did. And she succeeded where no other wife did....she gave the king a son.The paperback has an extra short story in it that is the Lady Mary telling her account of what happened right after Jane died. This was a nice little extra I wasn't expecting.

This is another of my favorite books. Love the use of history to tell the story. Makes me want to see more of this time.

I think that people always gloss over two of Henry's wives -- Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves -- and therefore I was glad to find this really interesting book on the former, and look forward to reading the book on the latter which is coming out soon!Jane always seemed to unprepossessing, someone who stood in the shadows of Henry but the author has used her research to great advantage in weaving a story about Jane that shows not only the probable reasons for her conservative nature, but also the rather prudishness of Henry who, as has been said before, began to wonder where Ann Boleyn's sexual adeptness came from which could have led to her downfall. Yes, he had mistresses but by the same token, from all historical accounts, perfunctory sex outside marriage seemed to be enough for him. And Jane, who seemed a reluctant mistress and then a dutiful wife to most historians, was probably equally matched to him in prudishness.Ms Weir shows us a conservative successor to Ann Boleyn who was most likely a pawn to the machinations of her family. Jane was not particularly pretty, but probably a motherly type (and welcome change for Henry) in stark contrast to the charming, witty & clever Ann, who was very well-aware of her exalted position and knew how to manipulate her husband. She was always the wife he cared most about because she gave him a son and despite the horrors of her death (the fear that most women faced from botched birthings was very real), she gained his eternal respect. It's important to remember that Ann also had miscarriages, and a healthy daughter, but he seemed wary of her as each thing succeeded, while Jane also had miscarriages but seemed to retain his love without censure. And by giving him a son, she guaranteed her place in British history and in his fickle heart

A brilliant look into the function of the Tudor court seen through the tale of Henry's third Queen Jane Seymour. Alison Weir is a brilliant historian who has taken her knowledge of Tudor times and brought to life the Tudor court and the intrigues that were very much a part of it.Lots of detailed research and facts have gone into this book but as with all fiction so has Alison's imagination.Who better to do the imagining than a well renowned historian. This book tells Jane's story from her point of view and also shows the way women of the time were treated more as property than partners. The rules were very different for women especially when it came to affairs of the heart. A good read and the first time I have felt that Jane's character has really shown clearly in a novel.If you like Tudor history based on truth and historical instincts then this is a book for you.I have loved the series so far and can't wait for the next book about Anne of Cleves.The best thing about this series? Even though I have learnt a lot over the years, I have still discovered new things about Henry and his Queens and courtiers in each book. Alison Weir is a joy to read and I for one will be following her books with interest.

I like it, but I don't love it! I really loved the two previous novels on Katherine of Aragon and the notoriously controversial Anne Boleyn but feel that this one is a little contrived, largely because in terms of personalities and their actual life stories, Jane Seymour is possibly the least interesting and vivid of Henry's procession of wives. This one also messes a little with the character of Henry the Eighth and plays his courtship of Jane as a lovely story of charming innocence as compared with the explosive relationship he had with Queen Anne B: it was probably all a little more cynical than that given the ambition of her Seymour brothers.That said, this author never tells anything other than an interesting tale, and this is the stepping stone book to the story of Anne of Cleves, which will be worth waiting for. The background characters are well drawn and La Boleyn dominates this narrative every bit as much on the page as she clearly did in life!Read it to keep in step with the series.

Alison Weir’s Six Queen Saga reaches its third consort, Jane Seymour.Born into a large family, Jane enjoys a comfortable upbringing under the watchful eye of her mother. During this period Jane develops a strong sense of piety and purpose, which is almost shattered during a family scandal. This and Jane’s heartache becomes important to her characterisation and motivation later in the novel.Upon entering the court, Jane develops a strong admiration for Catherine of Aragon. However, the shadow of Anne Boleyn and the Great Matter soon fall over Jane... setting the scene for her ascent later.Antonia Fraser described Jane as a matriarch in the making. Weir builds a convincing and grounded portrayal of Jane, drawing from extensive research and her growing abilities as novelist. We don’t see just a meek and mild figure. Jane is fully rounded and an active protagonist.There is a somewhat gothic flavour explored, here, that could be tedious with some authors but works in this narrative quite well. In fact, this is my favourite of the novels thus far. Highly recommended.

I have a huge interest in the lives of the Tudors and this book gives a fascinating insight into the complex life and loves of Henry VIII. Not knowing very much about Jane Seymour, the book tells the story of her life and rapid rise to becoming perhaps Henry’s favourite wife or was it that she didn’t live long enough for him to tire of her? The only downside for me is that I felt the story was a bit too drawn out but nevertheless I thoroughly recommend it.

It was very interesting to revisit this well trodden historical path with Jane Seymour as protagonist - this is a very unusual thing. The book is well written and Alison Weir’s reputation as an historian ensures that there is some rigour, which isn’t a given with historical fiction. I think she did the best with some fairly thin material. Even at the time Jane Seymour was a shadowy figure, especially coming after such vivid characters in Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Add to that the fact that her time at the forefront of history was so brief, and (as it seems to me) her very attraction for the King was that she was meek and mild, and you can see how it makes the novelist’s job difficult. I love Hilary Mantel’s equally shadowy and enigmatic Jane and am eagerly awaiting how she will develop Jane’s character in The Mirror and The Light. But this was good to read in the meantime.