Anne of Cleves, The Embassy of Cambodia, Confessions(7 - 9 out of 52) in Back entries: 2013 - 2015

Three short books to review this entry. Benefits of a change of shift at work.

Anne of Cleves (Henry VIII’s Discarded Bride) by Elizabeth Norton (191 pages, including Notes, Bibliography, List of Illustrations and Index) is the biography of the fourth wife of the six-times married King of England. I’ve always had a bit of respect for Anne of Cleves - here is a woman sent to a foreign land to marry the most powerful, eligible bachelor in the country with a poor marital history. He’d already set aside one Royal wife to marry a commoner, and then had wife number two beheaded on charges of incest and treason. Wife number three passed away shortly after giving birth to the longed-for son.

Anne of Cleves was unfortunate....stories have her as naïve, comical and ugly. Yet she survived the humiliation of an exceedingly short marriage, and became very well off in the process. This book was perhaps a little too short for my liking, and perhaps a little dry. I’d have loved to learn a bit more about Anne and Cleves, the choice of fashions of the time, that sort of thing. Having said that, it was a good introduction to this shrewd, strong woman. I’m definitely going to keep an eye out for more on Anne.

The Embassy of Cambodia by Zadie Smith (69 pages) is set in north west London, and is the story of Fatou (a domestic servant/slave). The story covers a short period of time whilst she’s working for the Derawal family. One of those books I’m glad I read once, but I’m not sure I’d read it again. Given the themes, the book could have been longer.

Confessions by Kanae Minato (234 pages) tells the story of Yuko Moriguchi, a single mother working as a teacher at a middle school in Japan. When her four year old daughter is found dead, it’s assumed that the girl drowned. But she figures out the truth and takes a terrible revenge on two of her pupils.

This was an interesting read, and the first Japanese author I’d read since picking up Ring by Koji Suzuki years ago. Minato has a writing style that immediately drew me into the story. A thought provoking, involving read.

Books Read: 9/52

Last updated December 21, 2015