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My paternal grandparents were at one time big book people. In the early part of their married life they lived on a farm near Huston, Idaho. "Huston, IDAHO?" you ask. Yeah, so do people around here. A town so small it doesn't really exist, not even on the map (see?). While my grandparents were far from wealthy, they invested in quite a library. When my grandfather passed away, he was happy to know their collection was going to a new home, to live with his English Lit major granddaughter. Even though I am a renter that moves a lot, I now have two huge bookcases full of hardbacks all printed before 1950. There are some collections (The Great Books, a complete Kipling, a very dated Encyclopedia Brittanica I find fabulous for curing insomnia, etc.), but there are also some novels. If I am going to give these books a home, I feel like probably I should read them.
A few weeks ago after finishing my book club book I wanted something light and unchallenging to read (since I was in the mood). A trip to the library was right out since it was about 10 pm, so instead I perused my shelves. A bright green cover with the words Brief Gaudy Hour in some type of gold leaf emblazoned on the spine caught my eye. Just the sort of thing I was after! Opening the fly I learned that it was a fictional biography of Anne Bolyn. Intrigue, power, and undoubtably lots of sex! Woo. Trash.
Sitting down to read, I wasn't dissapointed. Instead I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was an engaging story that certainly contained some elements of a trashy novel, but it also had literary merit. Maybe that is why it is still in print after 59 years. This is historical fiction as it should be done (take that, Anchee Min). I was looking for an engaging story, and that was exactly what I found here. The novel is populated with characters whose names I recognized from history classes and Shakespeare. Their actions are believable, and the story is presented as fact, not as speculation. For historical fiction, I feel that this is the best way ahead. I have now been exposed to one complete portrayal of Anne Bolyn's life, and it was persuasive enough that I could believe it, or I could use it as a starting point to find out more (maybe more factual) details of Henry VIII's second Queen.
