A nice, quick read for anyone who is just beginning to have an interest in the Tudor time period or who would like to discover a little more about Anne of Cleves than is in the general history book.
A really good starting point.

Anne of Cleves is a bit like Anne Bronte- you appreciate her more when you’re older. Sure, you crave the glamour and drama of Anne Boleyn/Wuthering Heights as a teenager, but you come to understand the importance of keeping your powder dry and not putting your head above the parapet (or on the block) to get your message across.
I have always been fascinated with Anne of Cleves. As a young Tudor enthusiast in Year 4, I remember having a heated conversation with a boy called Ryan when he said she was ugly and I passionately defended her. I’ve visited the mis-named house in Lewes a few times and I even dyed some yarn based on the most famous portrait of her.

I also recently learnt that she owned the land my very house was built on as part of her divorce settlement from Henry VIII. The woman was a badass- she SURVIVED. She had a good relationship with one of the biggest dictators this country has ever had. She deserves more than to go through history being defamed as a ‘Flanders mare’ (which, btw, Henry never called her) and stinky (which… he kind of did. Rude, considering he had a FESTERING ULCER ON HIS LEG THAT WOULD HAVE STUNK TO HIGH HEAVEN.) Obviously, when this biography appeared on Netgalley, I snapped it up.
I must confess that I came to this book having read quite a few biographies of Henry VIII and his wives, including Antonia Fraser’s (the best biographer of queens, in my opinion), David Starkey’s (much quoted here) and Alison Weir. So I have more than an passing interest in the subject, albeit from the distance of a few years since I read them.
This book feels quite light on analysis and relies heavily on primary sources, some of which are quoted in full. This is fine, although I would prefer an author to pick these apart with some detail. As a biography, this feels like more of an introduction than an in-depth exploration of its subject. I get that historical women are ill-served by male-dominated record keeping and I understand this is frustrating (what I would give to have a brilliant biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine). But I felt that the socio-political environment that meant Anne was packed off from what was essentially a provincial dukedom was not explored as it could be. I felt that I didn’t really learn who Anne was, or what really happened to her after Henry’s death. I wanted more about the relationship between Anne and her step-daughters Mary and Elizabeth. I didn’t quite understand just how Anne got to the decision to go along with Henry’s divorce. I just didn’t get… much of her. She feels less like the joke of history and more of a Tudor Miss Haversham, constantly asking money in her later years.
Overall, I’d consider that this book is a primer, rather than a full biography. It’s be a great place to start before going on to the more detailed, fuller biographies mentioned above. I think it’ll be quite a while- if ever- before any of Henry’s wives receives the full biography she deserves.

I would like to thank the Author, the Publisher and Netgalley for issuing me generously with ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Author has written several non-fiction books covering the Tudor period and her latest book is not a disappointment either. The least known and favoured by writers Anne of Cleves certainly deserves more attention. Just like Sarah-Beth Watkins proves, she was an intelligent woman who knew how to move in the labyrinth of Henry's court and later after his death she was aware that making Mary Tudor an enemy would be a mistake. The Author digs deeply into Anne's childhood and presents readers with authentic accounts regarding for instance the marriage negotiations and contract and even her last will. A highly reccmmendable read for those interested in the Tudor period.

One of the two of Henry VIII's wives who survived his death (the other being Katherine Parr), Anne of Cleves is usually dismissed as a bit of a lucky joke by surviving because Henry VIII just didn't want to stay married to her. While I had hoped this biography would give us more information about Anne's character and personality, in general this biography just didn't seem to dig deep enough. It may be because there was no information about her other than conjecture and rumor, but if so, why write the biography? Overall, I would have liked more depth.

This topic I do not go fully in, and go with the author when stating not much is done about Anne or a focus on her. It is a good read for those who do like the topic of Henry VIII and his wives or this time in history.

This is a nice concise entry level introduction into Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of King Henry VIII of England. It gives us an entree into the life of a woman, who despite her royal lineage, was never destined to be queen, and it seemed, was quite content to remain a "homebody" at the court of her family.

She was, when the search for a new wife for Henry VIII began in @ 1537, "... one at the end of an unflattering list ... report not favourable .." And yet, queen she became - and she seemed to make the most of her life as an independent woman of means following the divorce from Henry when " .... my husband hath nevertheless taken and adopted me for his sister ...."

A base for further reading.

Book: Anne of Cleves: Henry VIII’s Unwanted Wife
Author: Sarah-Beth Watkins
Rating: 5 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, Chronos Books, for providing me with this ARC.

I would like to start out by saying that I really didn’t know all that much about Anne of Cleves, beyond the basics. This is the first book that I have actually read just about her alone. I have came across her in documentaries and books about Henry VIII’s wives. I do actually feel really bad for her. Now, she did actually end up coming out on a good end, but to be cast aside just had to hurt.

I found this to be a very easy read with lots of good stuff in it. We get a look at Anne from her early life until the end in a really short read, but with lots of details. I loved seeing just how actually important she was on the international scale and getting to her life after the divorce. Most of what I have read and watched about her ends after she was thrown to the side by Henry VIII. For example, I didn’t realize that Mary and Anne were only a year apart in age. I liked how Sarah-Beth went into a little detail about this relationship. I personally would have liked to have seen more, but I’m not sure if there’s really enough research material out there to go further into the relationship. I also didn’t know that Anne really suffered under Edward’s rule.

I enjoyed just how easy this was to read. I know some reviewers have pointed out that this isn’t written in a scholarly way and they didn’t like that. I personally like the narrative format; to me, it feels like I’m being entertained instead of learning. The writing here kind of reminded me of Dan Jones and Suzannah Lipscomb. It still sticks to history, but has that beautiful storytelling touch to it. As a teacher, I look for books like this to add to my classroom library. I think my students will really enjoy this, especially my girls who like reading about women in history. Granted, Anne may not be the strongest figure for them to read about, but she will give them another view of Tudor England. Although she will show them an example of a woman in history doing whatever it took to survive.

I just really enjoyed this one and really do wish that it was longer. This is the first book that I have read by this author and I will be checking out her other books. I think she could be the next big figure in Tudor England. I strongly recommend that Tudor history lovers pick up this one.

This book will be out on October 26, 2018.

(Review is already on Goodreads and will be posted on Amazon on release date.)

In this biography of Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII's fourth wife, Sarah-Beth Watkins offers a casual overview of the short-reigning queen's life. Watkins quotes from contemporary documents at length, presenting anecdotes and important events in Anne's life in equal measure. While this could have been a good introduction for readers new to the Tudor period, the book is unfortunately rife with grammar and punctuation errors, Watkins is also in the habit of making assumptions about various figures' feelings, opinions, and desires without any kind of evidence to back these up. This sloppy writing and scholarship may not bother some readers, but I can't condone it.

My review has been posted to Goodreads.

Review has also been tweeted as usual.

Thank you! :c)

This book was amazing. After recently discovering that I'm related to Anne (distantly of course) I have been devouring everything I could that told me anything about her and this by far was one of the better researched of the books about her. highly recommend this book!

As a massive fan of anything Tudor, I was absolutely delighted to be sent a pre release copy of this wonderful, wonderful account of the life of Anne of Cleves. I dove straight in and literally devoured the pages.

Written by Sarah Beth Watkins, this easy to read book was a fab biography of the life of Anne of Cleves. My heart really felt for her, having to leave her home and all she knew, for a life in a strange country, not knowing the language, it must of been utterly terrifying. And that's without the knowledge of what had become of Henry's past wives!

Although the marriage was used to create an alliance between England and Germany, Henry wasn't particularly taken with his new wife, which upset Anne when she was faced with the fact that her short marriage was coming to an end. Despite this she conformed to Henry's wishes and agreed on a divorce settlement which left her known as 'the kings beloved sister' and kept in high regards, she was free to live a very wealthy lifestyle and outlived the King. Unfortunately Anne faced financial difficulties towards the end of her life which must of been awfully hard for her.

I particularly loved the illustrations in the book as well as the wonderful account of this very brave lady.

Would recommend to any fan of history. Thank you so much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read In return for an honest review. Five stars.