Plain Jane:
A Novel of Jane Seymour
“Her face was considered forgettable.
Her story is not.”
By: Laurien Gardner
The story of Henry VIII and his six wives has become infamous with intrigue, scandal, seduction and executions. Most are familiar with the part of the story concerning King Henry falling for the beautiful and precautious Anne Boleyn. And his subsequent divorce from the Catholic Church and Catherine of Aragon. But, the story does not end with the beheading of Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, for she was only the second wife.
Jane Seymour knew from the time she was nine years old that she was considered “plain.” One day while playing and running through the halls of her country home she overhears her parents discussing her future. She has no suitors and no prospects for court their only conclusion is that when she is old enough she will have to be sent away to a nunnery. Years later, by the luck of a family friend in power, Jane is granted a place a court and a maid of honor to Queen Catherine. But, Jane is not only plain; she is quiet, kind and wins the Queen’s favor with her needle work.
Jane goes to the Queen’s court in the height of the scandal that is gripping all of court; the king is seeking to divorce his current wife. She watches as the king, who she honors and loves because it is her duty, splits from the church and declares his marriage to Queen Catherine void. She watches as he marries Anna Boleyn and makes her queen. Queen Anne had a terrible temper and was known go off a spouts of rage and jealously.
Jane then watched the king bore of Anne’s antics and inability to bare him a son. The king’s eye begins to wander. And it wanders in the direction of Jane, who is in every way the opposite of Anna’s dark beauty. Jane who believed she would only be suited for a nun’s life was now facing the possibility of the Crown for her head instead of a Habit. But Jane must be careful not to let herself be swept off by the king’s romances or else she might only see herself a mistress to the king.
Will Jane keep her head and gain herself the crown? Will Jane be able to remain strong in the face of Queen Anne’s execution? And will Plain Jane be able to keep King Henry’s eye from wondering for long? To find out Read Plain Jane: A novel of Jane Seymour.
My rating: Four Stars!
This is a great book for anyone interested in life of King Henry the VIII’s third wife Jane Seymour.
This book can be used in English and History classes. It is a great example of life at court during the epoch of the Tudors. It gives great examples of daily life of women and the ways they were treated.
Plain Jane is not long and would make a great book for any high school class. It is full of intrigue, romance, scandal and a good beheading.
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