This captivating novel evolves like a detective story, as a family member airbrushed out of history sets out to uncover the well-kept secrets of the three Boleyn women: Why was Mary, King Henry VIII's sweetheart, unaccountably disgraced and banished from court? How did Anne come to be executed, along with her brother and four others, on false, trumped-up charges? And what drove Jane, first to give false fatal evidence against her own kin, and then risk - and lose - her head for the part she played in Queen Katherine Howard's adultery? The startling conclusion of this book, endorsed by eminent Tudor historians, settles these age-old mysteries.

The Untold Reality of the Boleyn Women. It took the author Ann Henning Jocelyn three decades of dedicated research to fill the black holes in the Boleyn saga that have persisted for centuries. Her understanding of events at the court of Henry VIII has received the support of eminent Tudor historians. The author's interest in the Boleyn family stems from her marriage to the tenth Earl of Roden, a direct descendant of Lord Hunsdon, son of Mary Boleyn and, presumably, King Henry VIII. The Roden family is still in possession of early books and portraits of Mary, Anne and Hunsdon. Mary's portrait, stolen in an aggravated burglary in 1990 that cost the ninth Earl his life, was dramatically retrieved twenty years later. Performed as a playwright in many venues, including London's West End, the author has also written The Sphere of Light as a stage play. The world premiere at Hever Castle in August 2023 received outstanding reviews. The event attracted much media interest, national as well as local, and this is now being followed up by press advertisements for the novel.

About the Author
Ann Henning Jocelyn gave up a promising academic career in her native Sweden for work in the London theatre. Then, after marrying Robert Jocelyn, Earl of Roden, she settled in the West of Ireland, at Doonreagan, the beautiful country home where Ted Hughes once lived and where "a warm flow of inspiration" brought forth some of his best loved poems. Over the decades, Jocelyn has written a large number of best-selling books and stage plays, published and produced in many parts of the world. She is also well established as a tri-lingual literary translator, working with leading authors such as Nobel Laureates Kazuo Ishiguro and Jon Fosse. A favourite commission was to spend many months with Ingrid Bergman, doing the research and Swedish version of the film star's biography, My Life.

Reviews
"Captivating, sumptuous in detail and thrillingly plotted - a triumph!" Dr Owen Emmerson." "After Hilary Mantel and Alison Weir, is there room for more on the Boleyn story? Actually, there is. It is an engrossing story, and Jocelyn deserves credit for finding a lucid structure in which to unravel it once more, getting the balance right between the complexities of family and court politics under Henry VIII." Professor Tim Hochstrasser. "Engaging and deeply moving, bringing convincing new insights into the Boleyn story." Dr Damien Duffy. "Ann Henning Jocelyn's brilliant book has rewritten English history. I recommend in particular her clear and concise Author's Notes. They transform our understanding of the English Reformation and are essential reading for anyone interested in the Tudor period." Dr Gerald Morgan FTCD.



Book Information
ISBN 9780953903368
Author Ann Henning Jocelyn
Format Paperback
Page Count 266
Imprint Doonreaghan Press
Publisher Doonreaghan Press