• Mistress Anne

  • The Exceptional Life of Anne Boleyn
  • By: Carolly Erickson
  • Narrated by: Simon Prebble
  • Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (69 ratings)

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Mistress Anne  By  cover art

Mistress Anne

By: Carolly Erickson
Narrated by: Simon Prebble
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Publisher's summary

A powerful ruler, an alluring young woman, a scandal that would rock the nation: Anne Boleyn’s life story sounds more like a juicy TV docu-drama than a chapter of English history. Although she is not of noble birth or even especially beautiful, Anne Boleyn manages to rise to the very pinnacle of the English aristocracy.

Renowned for her extraordinarily vivid recreations of historical events, Carolly Erickson brings out the full fascinating story of the enigmatic Anne Boleyn. Erickson paints an engaging portrait of this intriguing woman and her tragic life, from her early education in court intrigue, through her courtship and controversial marriage to Henry VIII, to the day she mounts the scaffold.

With her expertise in the Tudor period, her sensitivity to sexual and political nuance, and her eminently readable prose style, Carolly Erickson is the ideal biographer for the elusive Anne Boleyn. Narrator Simon Prebble’s elegant performance evokes all of the bittersweet drama of Boleyn’s exceptional life and the tumultuous times in which she lived.

©1984 Carolly Erickson (P)1998 Recorded Books, LLC

What listeners say about Mistress Anne

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Just OK for me.

Not my favorite - the reader was excellent but the story tended to drag on.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

The writer needs to learn the real history

Ann did not have extra fingers, nor did she have any deformity . HER BODY WAS EXHUMED AND PROVEN RUMORS ARE FALSE.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

Not exactly accurately written,but quite enjoyed it. Still close enough,to make it worth a listen.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Entertaining and enlightening

An enjoyable listen for those interested in the history of the Tudors and the wives of King Henry VIII.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Atmosphere!

Carolly Erickson is my second favorite biographer. No one else gives me a sense of the time and place like she does. She also excels at conveying the emotions of the characters about events that occur and giving a sense of their personalities. She bases all of that on solid research, using carefully selected quotes from accounts and letters, NOT baseless conjecture.

Because they were written 20 or so years ago, her books are not quite as accurate in the little details as books written more recently, like Antonia Fraser's "Six Wives". However they are accurate overall.

I would highly recommend her books over a more recent author who is inaccurate, conjectures without evidence, and doesn't cite, and doesn't differentiate between her conjectures and things that were actually said and done. Which I have unfortunately encountered.

TL;DR Love this book, will read again!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

It was ok

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The story has been told a lot, but sadly I did not realize when this book was written. The author had included some falisies in her story telling that frustrated me. Examples of the moles over Annes body and the extra digit on her hand.

I picked up this story to listen to Simon Prebble whom I adore as an orator. I know a great deal of the history of Miss Bolyne, and just found this story to be luke warm on details. I then realized when it was published and thus the theories were dated.

What was most disappointing about Carolly Erickson’s story?

Nothing in particular, but its a history book that was written a long time ago. With information and discoveries of today, there is a chance to investigate and improve this story.

What about Simon Prebble’s performance did you like?

I adore him, I could listen to him perform all day long reading the dictionary. His voice is pleasant and simple. It doesn't fatigue my ear drums. Excellent inflection and his voices for various characters are quite enjoyable. I hope he will do more work. If he wanted to pick up the Harry Potter Series and or the Lord of the Rings, I would listen to that over and over again from him. Simple ADORE his performances. My absolute favorite.

Did Mistress Anne inspire you to do anything?

More research of my own.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Inaccurate

Unfortunately many of the statements presented in this book as facts are simply not true and don't seem to be based on information contained in any original sources.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Top Shelf

Love the detail and narrator. Story flows from chapter to chapter with anticipation of what comes next. A troubled relationship by two psychologically troubled individuals. Both Ann and Henry were too much alike.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I loved the performance

It was worth it! I loved the details and the performance is not annoying. Enjoyed it many times.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent outline of Anne Boleyn

This depiction of Anne Boleyn is excellent: it’s entertaining, factually based, and a great listen. Other reviewers claim it’s inaccurate due to exhumation proving Anne didn’t have six fingers. That’s impossible to prove by exhumation. No one claims she had a full sixth finger. Instead, there are written records of her having a sixth nail on her little finger and a large mole/growth on her neck. Neither would show on skeleton remains. There’s simply no way to know either way. All we can rely are writings from the time period and then decide whether they’re accurate or biased against Anne. In other words, no way to know for sure. This read provides insight into the history and motivations that put Anne’s head on the block. Truly fascinating listen.

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