Tarnish

"Tarnish" by Katherine Longshore was a seriously captivating book. It took me a week and I could NOT put it down. Anne Boleyn arrives back at the English Court from the French Court and is immediately disliked for her French demeanor and her sharp tongue. Her sister Mary is the king's "whore" and their brother George is a drunk. Anne Boleyn doesn't fit in and Thomas Wyatt (a married poet) bets Anne that he can make her shine. Anne Boleyn wants to change but she wants people to hear what she has to say. Katherine Longshore shines Anne Boleyn's story under a modern light and it is beautiful.

While I truly loved this book, I didn't like how Longshore built on a certain relationship and then just let it crash in the last few chapters. It was also upsetting the way women were demeaned and insulted and disrespected. It also makes me grateful for the way times have changed. I very much understand that Anne and a certain person do not end up together in history, and Ms. Longshore cannot control the way women were treated, and I 'm so not saying these things affected the integrity of the book. I did love the relationship between Wyatt and Anne, as it was very loose and educated.
This book is very obviously historically influenced. I recommend it to anyone interested in the early 1600s, anyone who finds interest in scandal, and anyone who is willing to broaden their mental dictionary.