Jane Boleyn

The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford

By: Julia Fox

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

In a life of extraordinary drama, Jane Boleyn was catapulted from relative obscurity to the inner circle of King Henry VIII. As powerful men and women around her became victims of Henry’s ruthless and absolute power, including her own husband and sister-in-law, Queen Anne Boleyn, Jane’s allegiance to the volatile monarchy was sustained and rewarded. But the price for her loyalty would eventually be her undoing and the ruination of her name. For centuries, little beyond rumor and scandal has been associated with “the infamous Lady Rochford.” But now historian Julia Fox sets the record straight and restores dignity to this much-maligned figure whose life and reputation were taken from her.

Drawing upon her own deep knowledge and years of original research, Julia Fox brings us into the inner sanctum of court life, laced with intrigue and encumbered by disgrace. Through the eyes and ears of Jane Boleyn, we witness the myriad players of the stormy Tudor period. Jane emerges as a courageous spirit, a modern woman forced by circumstances to fend for herself in a privileged but vicious world.©2007 Books on Tape; (P)2007 Julia Fox

Critic reviews

Advance praise for Jane Boleyn

“A riveting story–expertly written and based on an impressive body of research. Julia Fox’s book re-creates the inner life of one of the great scapegoats of history and vividly depicts the fervid, extravagant, interbred world of the Tudor court.”
–Sarah Gristwood, author of Elizabeth & Leicester

“Jane Boleyn’s true history was obscured by lies and propaganda. Now, in an outstanding debut by Julia Fox, the full tragedy of her thwarted life has come to light. A fascinating and moving read, Jane Boleyn exposes the harsh reality of Henry VIII’s court, where cleverness and ambition often led to the block.”
–Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire

“This electric account of the life of Jane Boleyn brings us face-to-face with the glittering but brutal world of Henry VIII’s court. For centuries the infamous Lady Rochford was accused of betraying her husband to his death on charges of incest with Anne Boleyn. Julia Fox’s immaculate detective work and vivid storytelling bring to life one woman’s struggle to survive at the apex of a society where success brought untold riches and a king’s anger cost you your life.”
–Leanda de Lisle, author of After Elizabeth

Comprehensive!

Reads like a novel! A great summation of the events and explanations of her posthumous negative reputation. Certainly gave a great perspective.

Anne, Henry, Katherine....oh and Jane.

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

I love Tudor history, and have since I was a child. I was very excited to find a book about the mysterious Jane Boleyn. After listening, I realized that I still haven't found that book. This book covers the lives and circumstances of the main players well, and Jane is an occasional side note. Nothing new on her marriage, motivations, heck even what she is accused of doing is not fully explored.

interesting but hardly anything about Jane

I am very interested in the Tudor history and all of the side stories involved. In my past readings, I was able to deduce very little about Jane and thought that I could get a good idea of her with this book. However, only about 15% of the book was about Jane, and it was the stuff I already knew. I was disappointed with that.

Quite long and boring

This book provides no new information for me on the subject matter or perhaps I already know too much on this subject. I found the reader’s voice to be very droney and boring. If you know nothing about Jane then I would say this is the book for you. But if you do, then this book is a hard pass.

Jane boleyn

the narration for this book I really enjoyed. in fact this book really surprised me, the first half it seemed to me was more Henry and Ann with just a little of Jane here and there. but the rest of the book wow. what was this women thinking? and of course Henry marrying a teenager talk about a dirty old man.and Jane, oh my God. talk about using very bad judgment, well she got what she deserved in the end. in some ways I feel sorry for Catherine but she isn't totally innocent either. over all it is a good book and I did learn a few things.don't believe what you see on TV about the Tudor history, read the book first, the TV is just entertainment.