Dear Heart, How Like You This

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Summary: Back to Life!
Review: Wendy J. Dunn has resucitated the spirit of Thomas Wyatt in Dear Heart. Not only does she portray Anne Boleyn as a woman trapped between the power and lust of others, but as a soul in need of far more than ambition and power as most have portrayed her. Thomas Wyatt's story is amazingly written as he travels to and from England, somehow avoiding his adulterous wife and his passion for Anne. It clearly emphasizes on the power and indiscretions many had in Tudor times, such that they destroyed innocence and the pure love of friendship. I recommend this novel to anyone and everyone who has ever been interested in the Tudors, or Anne, and especially Wyatt. Dear Heart, portrays the man behind the poetry, the tortured soul that loved a woman who was loved and killed by the King, and both were victims to his unpredictable will.

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Summary: I didn't think it was possible...
Review: ...to enjoy a book but dislike the main character as much as I did. The concept of this book is a very good one, but many elements were either overlooked or relied upon too heavily. While it's possible that Wyatt was a very passionate man, as his poems suggest, the frequent references to his childhood and relationship with his cousin Anne Boleyn was syrupy and overly obsessive. There were, as another reviewer stated, long stretches of the novel (his trips to Italy) that were unnecessary to the plot. And at times parts used to thicken the plot left me unconvinced and indifferent.

As I stated above, the concept is indeed a good one and oddly, I enjoyed certain elements of the book. But were I to pass the book on my shelf, I would not be tempted to reread it.

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Summary: A Love For All Time
Review: A king who would not be denied. A woman who would be queen. And a gentle poet forced to watch helplessly as his one true love slipped out of his arms forever. These are the elements in Wendy J. Dunn's poignant novel, "Dear Heart, How Like You This?"

"Dear Heart" tells the story of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII. The novel is written in first person, from the point of view of Anne's cousin, Sir Thomas Wyatt. Tom has secretly loved Anne his entire life, but has always been told he is not highly born enough to pursue her. He carefully masks his feelings, especially after Anne catches the eye of the king, and remains at Anne's side as one of her staunchest friends and supporters. Then the unthinkable happens. After marrying Anne, the king tires of her and falsely accuses her of adultery. Imprisoned himself on the whim of the king's arrogant brother-in-law, Tom watches helplessly as his true love and his closest friends go on trial for their lives...

"Dear Heart" is a novel that grips you before the end of the first sentence and doesn't let go until the bitter end. In Dunn's more than capable hands, Anne Boleyn comes to life, first as a whimsical child, then as a hurt and angry teenager, then as a woman both frightened and exhilarated by the dangerous game she is playing, and finally as a bruised-but not broken-victim of the king's cruelty. Through Anne's tumultuous life, her cousin Thomas is a spellbinding narrator, reporting the events around him with a reporter's keen eye and a poet's tender heart.

I would recommend "Dear Heart" to anyone who enjoys a love story or who has even a passing interest in English history. It is a beautifully written novel of love and betrayal. In fact, I'm off to read it again, just as soon as I dry my eyes.

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Summary: Great Read
Review: As an avid reader of Tudor History I found this book to be a great read. It took me back in time and kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't wait to turn the page. I will be recommending this book to all my book clubs and my friends as well.

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Summary: Heart-rending tale of love and loss
Review: DEAR HEART, HOW LIKE YOU THIS? is a heart-rending tale of love and loss. Narrated by the poet Thomas Wyatt, the reader embarks on a fascinating journey that takes us from the yews of Hever Castle in Kent to the intrigue-laden courts of England, France, and Rome, as Wyatt recalls his desperate, and often helpless, desire for a woman whom he cannot save - the ill-fated Anne Boleyn. By turns wildly romantic and imbued with poetic melancholia, Dunn's assured prose brings to life the charismatic Wyatt, depicting through his eyes Anne Boleyn's transformation from a spirited child to wronged woman bent on exacting vengeance from a heartless king, and a queen tormented by her own ambitions, until her final horrifying hour on Tower green - an hour that destroys Wyatt's innocence forever.

Dunn depicts Anne, and her brother George, as warm-hearted, intelligent persons, confidants in a triptych that includes Wyatt. Each in their own way is caught up in Henry VIII's brutal machinations, but it is Wyatt who truly captures the imagination: a man with an abiding curiosity in the world around him, who cannot help but bear witness to the Boleyns dizzying rise and terrifying fall, even as he, too, is swept up in events beyond his control. His own faithless alliance with an adulterous wife; his love for a father succumbing to a relentless illness; his ambivalence toward his children; and his self-doubts as to his ultimate importance in a society overturned by the tumult of the Reformation underpin this tender story that dares to ask the question: What does it mean to love?

Though framed as an account of arguably the most famous of Henry VIII's six wives, DEAR HEART, HOW LIKE YOU THIS? is far more than another re-telling of a well-trodden tale. For entwined with the glamorous, ultimately tragic, story of Anne Boleyn's life and death, is that of an inherently good man's struggle with the evils of his time, and of the toll that is often exacted of those who finds themselves immersed in the sweeping tides of historical change.






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Summary: Dear Heart - a wonderful novel!
Review: I recently read "Dear Heart How Like You This?" by Wendy J. Dunn and I was so impressed and touched that I wanted to write a brief review to thank the author. I have never done anything like this before, so I read someone else's review of this wonderful novel to get an idea of how to write mine. The review I read was so eloquent I thought how could I possibly add anything to something so complete. All I can add are the deep personal feelings this book brought out in me. Sir Thomas Wyatt is my blood kin. I have always had a history of my family with pictures of Allington Castle and stories of Sir Thomas. I had this image of Sir Thomas, larger than life, possessing no human frailties or weakness. After reading "Dear Heart", I realized he laughed when he was happy and cried when his heart was broken, as it often was. While I read, I had to keep reminding myself that it is a work of fiction, but it did not feel like fiction to me. The characters and events are not fiction. It is not fiction that Sir Thomas loved Anne Boleyn for most of his life. Tom's grandson, George Wyatt, speaking of Thomas and Anne, said Sir Thomas "could gladly yield to be tied forever with the knot of her love." If I had inherited Tom's way with words, I could express how deeply this novel touched me. I do not know what else to say except thank you Wendy.

T. Wyatt

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Summary: Too much repetition
Review: I so eagerly looked forward to this book, that I interrupted a series I had been reading and started this book the day it arrived. I was disappointed. While the story intrigued me, and I will definately read more on Anne Boleyn (a subject who previously interested me very little); I was just disappointed in the development of the story. Too much was made of Sir Thomas Wyatt that really wandered away from his life at court and his connection to Anne Bolyen...it seemed to lengthen the book with no other real purpose. I learned more of him in the historical notes at the end than all of her pages told me. Then there were just some little particulars that I found tiring. Dunn would flip back and forth from Anne to Anna incesently - often several times in the same sentence. She also overused the world "Verily" to a degree of over-use I cannot even begin to explain. Lastly, somewhere mid-book, she obviously fell upon the idea of Wyatt referring to Anne as his "Dark Lady" - something not used till that point and something she obviously liked because it also be came over-used needlessly. Now, if you can get beyond those petty annoyances, there is a story here. However, Dunn tells it in about 100 pages more than she needed.

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Summary: Enchanting novel
Review: This book will change your view of Anne Boleyn forever. Usually written about as a conniving bitch who was determined to be queen, here Anne is a sympathetic character. Her motives are made clear and understandable.

Written from the point of view of Thomas Wyatt, a young poet who fell in love with her, this is more Anne's story than Thomas'. Thomas, a sensitive and sweet young man, is endearing as well. Indeed, all the characters in this novel are well-drawn.

Although this novel is beautifully written, I did feel that the word 'verily' was used too much and although it was meant to be true to the Tudor period, I found it slightly irritating.

However, I would thoroughly recommend this enchanting novel.

Rating:
Summary: Enchanting novel
Review: This book will change your view of Anne Boleyn forever. Usually written about as a conniving bitch who was determined to be queen, here Anne is a sympathetic character. Her motives are made clear and understandable.

Written from the point of view of Thomas Wyatt, a young poet who fell in love with her, this is more Anne's story than Thomas'. Thomas, a sensitive and sweet young man, is endearing as well. Indeed, all the characters in this novel are well-drawn.

Although this novel is beautifully written, I did feel that the word 'verily' was used too much and although it was meant to be true to the Tudor period, I found it slightly irritating.

However, I would thoroughly recommend this enchanting novel.

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Summary: A TALE OF TRAGEDY TO STRIKE AT THE HEART AND SOUL.
Review: Wendy J Dunn's "Dear Heart, How Like You This?" is a glimpse into Tudor England that has yet to be achieved by any other author. There have been many books written about the ill-fated Anne Boleyn but through the eyes of poet Sir Thomas Wyatt, Anne is portrayed as never before. For instead of a queen, we see a child with a love of life unsurpassed, an innocent spirit whose path to the execution block was paved by betrayal, untruths and heartbreak. A woman who could trust only two men in her life, her brother George and the man who loved her from childhood, Thomas Wyatt.

Based on documented history, Wendy J. Dunn has indeed added the exact amount of spice to create this superb historical novel. As Thomas shares his love for Anne, he also shares the fickle character of the Tudor time period where passions ran high and a sentence of death could so easily be achieved. Loyal to each other unto death, Anne, George and Thomas' lives are entwined so steadfastly that what could not tear them apart was instead used to destroy them.

As we come to know Anne, George and Thomas through Thomas' own words, we learn of a friendship that truly transcends time. Spun beautifully by the author, it is a camaraderie most have witnessed and yearn for. It is the familiarity established by the author that carefully captures you and heaves you right into the nucleus of Tudor England. It is not without surprise then that once the book concludes, you feel Thomas's loss keenly and it is with an element of sadness that you allow the cover to close on his life.

What I admired most about this book is not only its sensitivity to the time period but its incredible grasp of human nature. In an era where life was unpredictable and fate often lay in the palms of others, Wendy J. Dunn captures the people that dwelt within it simply but effectively and ensures their vibrancy to the every end. Cleverly and thoughtfully composed, the author imparts a tale that she herself states is -- "conceived around people who were once flesh and blood."

Historians will enjoy this book for the insight it offers on Tudor life, for the politics of the English court and for the dominance of Henry VIII. Others will enjoy this work simply because it is a tale of tragedy that cannot fail to strike at the heart and soul.