Tuesday, August 9, 2011

REVIEW and Giveway: To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn by Sandra Byrd

 Growing up on neighboring estates, Meg Wyatt and Anne Boleyn have been best friends since childhood.  While Anne is off learning the ways of the French court, Meg's first love decides his future calling is as a Priest leaving her heartbroken.  Anne returns and catches the eye of King Henry VIII who is so besotted with her that he seeks to set aside his Queen, Katherine of Aragon.  Meg is not as fortunate as she is married off to a man she does not love but her fortunes are intertwined with her best friend and where Anne goes Meg follows. She is soon a part of Henry's court where she has a first hand look at the triumphs and downfalls of her best friend and the remarkable religious changes occurring in England.  Meg's experiences cause her to question her feelings on love and faith as she watches helplessly while her life long friend moves closer to her unfortunate end.

 When an author tackles a story as well known as that of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn they face the challenge of bringing something new to the table so as not to tell the same tale that has been told a million times already.  Instead of going the route many have gone in telling Anne's story from her point of view, here we have the never before told perspective of her best friend Meg Wyatt.  This does indeed give new life to the tale because in addition to getting Anne's story (and we all know how that ends) we also get the story of fiercely loyal Meg.  Meg is a very likable character and balances out the bold and ambitious Anne quite well.  Where Anne is vivacious, cultured and known for her wit, Meg has a quiet intelligence and much simpler desires for her life.  Despite their differences in personality, these two women are truly friends til the end.  It isn't often you get a sympathetic take on the doomed Queen Anne but Byrd does that here and it is an entirely believable take on her.

Also a major theme in the novel is the reformation occurring in England as a result of Henry's desire for a divorce from Queen Katherine.  Here the characters examine their beliefs and their relationship with God through the events that are unfolding.  Sandra Byrd has written a lot of Christian fiction and I was a little worried when the book began to delve into the religious aspect a bit more.  I like books that examine the religious viewpoints of the time but not one that seems like it is trying to preach some sort of message to me. There is a fair bit of religion and praying but it is done here in a way that completely makes sense to the story and didn't come off to me as preachy which was nice.

I do tend to like historical fiction to stay as close to real events as possible and To Die For sticks to what was known to have occurred at the time and to what is known about Meg Wyatt as well.  She does mention in the author notes that she switched a few minor details in the interest of preventing confusion.  The main players (Cromwell, Jane Parker, Mary and George Boleyn) all make appearances but they are more on the periphery of the story as the focus is on the friendship between Anne and Meg.  I thought the writing was engaging and really enjoyed reading Anne's story through Meg's eyes.  This was a pretty quick read for me and I think it is a solid choice for any Tudor fan.

And now for the GIVEAWAY:

To Die For hits bookstores today and I am pleased to offer one copy courtesy of the publisher.  To enter please leave your email address in the comments.  Giveaway is open to US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.  Giveaway is open until Midnight on August 19th.  Winner will be announced on August 20th.  One extra entry each will be given to those who post about this giveaway on their blog, Facebook, or Twitter. Good Luck! 

This book was provided to me for review by the Publisher via Historical Fiction Virtual Book ToursThese are my honest thoughts on the book.

So excited I got to kick off the tour!  For additional tour stops which include more reviews, giveaways, guest posts and interviews with Sandra, click here.

30 comments:

  1. Yes please! Count me in! I have had this book on my wishlist since it first came on my radar. Beautiful cover......and great to read a good review!

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  2. Great review!! Looking forward to reading this, its on my wishlist. Thnx for the chance

    ctymice at gmail dot com

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  3. The Tudors are my fave! I have wanted to read this book I first saw it on Amazon and cannot wait....thanks for the giveaway!
    candc320@gmail.com

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  4. Enjoyed your review, I'm dying to read this one, I just can't get enough of the Tudor era.

    Thanks muchly for the giveaway and I tweeted :)
    http://twitter.com/#!/teddyree/status/100889201381351424

    teddyree@optusnet.com.au

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  5. I'd love to read this book! :)

    aikychien at yahoo dot com

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  6. Please enter me. I'd love to read this.

    Thanks,
    niteofblu at gmail dot com

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  7. I want to win this book so bad! I love the side stories about the Tudors!
    Allisonmharper@hotmail.com

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  8. I shared on Facebook (Colleen Turner): http://www.facebook.com/#!/candc320/posts/148692731880049.

    candc320@gmail.com

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  9. Thanks for the giveaway! sidhekist (at) gmail(dot)com!

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  10. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Rachelhwallen@gmail.com

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  11. Looking forward to reading this book! Please enter me.

    littleone AT shaw doT ca

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  12. Lovely review,
    I agree that writing about a well known historical figure can be a challenge for an author.

    I do love this period.


    Thank you for the giveaway
    I follow here and on twitter

    cb2ck at hotmail dot co dot uk

    carol

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  13. Lovely review! Please include me in the giveaway. teabird17atyahoodotcom

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  14. What a great review. I read it with almost a sense of relief. After watching The Tudors series, I felt that Meg was portrayed mostly as a slut and a turncoat to Anne. It sounds as though she would be more of a likable character in this book. Anne has always been an intriguing person throughout history and I for one cannot get enough reading about her. The time of the Tudors was such an unsettling time in history fraught with so much power and political intrigue, as well as huge historical changes happening. Such an exciting period to read about. Thank you for offering a giveaway for a copy of this delightful sounding book.
    conniecape@aol.com

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  15. The book sounds like a refreshing departure from the typical Tudor depictions. Thank you for the giveaway!

    ashley.l.mikowski@gmail.com

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  16. I remember reading about Anne Boleyn and being fascinated by her so I'm interested to read about her friendship with Meg in such a tumultuous time.

    Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  17. Thanks for this review. I have been very cautious with Tudor novels lately because they feel so repetitive. I like how this one has a different spin on it. Please enter me for the giveaway.

    dolleygurl[at]hotmail[dot]com

    I tweeted it: http://twitter.com/#!/dolleygurl/status/101081216584921089

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  18. I would love to read this book. I've had my eye on it for awhile.
    Thanks for the opportunity to enter the giveaway - so often they're not available to us in New Zealand.

    jtwebster.books@gmail.com

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  19. This book sounds great! thanks for the giveaway!


    I tweeted!
    http://twitter.com/#!/Ruby95660/status/101140291725180928

    ruby95660[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  20. Would love to be counted in with an Australian address. Thanks.

    mystica123athotmaildotcom

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  21. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review my book - and to kick off the tour. And thanks, too, to everyone willing to give my book a try. So many books beckon, I know, to me too!

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  22. Really love the virtual book tour idea! Super excited about this book - just saw it on GoodReads.

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  23. The book sounds interesting, I actually haven't read any books that was focused on Henry the VIII and his dramas, so this is a good one to start with!
    melorabrock {at} gmail {dot} com

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  24. Thank you for including me. Would love to give this book a try. =)
    tiredwkids at live dot com

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  25. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  26. I love Anne Boleyn

    RosieAvi AT gmail DOT com

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  27. I'm so excited to read this book. Those Tudors kept things interesting for sure! Please include me in the giveaway!

    Beth
    bharbin07[at]gmail[dot]com

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  28. I read one book I loved about Anne Boyelyn back in junior high which was a very long time ago. Now I would really eant to read this one which guaranteed to have much more historical detail.

    CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

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  29. I shared it with on Twitter:

    http://t.co/O1vznNu

    CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

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  30. I really want to win this! Thanks for the giveaway!

    Margaret
    singitm@hotmail.com

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