Campbell Books

After I read this author's terrific book on Anne Boleyn, "Brief Gaudy Hour", I knew that I would read more by this excellent author. I was delighted to discover that she had also written a book about another woman who had married King Henry VIII, Anne of Cleves, wife number four. I was fortunate enough to have been able to find a copy of this long out of print book, and I was not disappointed.

This is a wonderful work of historical fiction of one of the lesser known wives of King Henry VIII, Anne of Cleves, who was a young Flemish princess of the Duchy of Cleves. When Jane Seymour, wife number three, died shortly after giving birth to the future King Edward VI of England, counselors to King Henry VIII urged him to marry again for reasons of state. As this vain monarch was by this time a bit of a hard sell, given the fact that his first three wives had died unhappy deaths and he was no longer young, fit and handsome, pickings were slim. His Lord Chancellor, Thomas Cromwell, urged upon him an alliance of political expediency between Cleves and England, in hopes of buttressing England's new found Protestantism, as Cleves was a Lutheran stronghold.

King Henry VIII provisionally agreed, provided that one of the two princesses of Cleves, Anne or Amelia, was to his liking. So, he commissioned renowned court painter, Hans Holbein, to go to Cleves and paint miniatures of these two princesses of Cleves. When Han Holbein arrived in Cleves, he painted miniature portraits of both Anne and Amelia. While Amelia was the more superficially attractive one, Hans Holbein saw something in Anne that transcended physical beauty, and, being the artist that he was, his vision transposed itself onto the miniature portrait that he painted of Anne, creating a portrait of exquisite sweetness. When King Henry VIII saw it, there was no question but that Anne of Cleves would be his fourth wife.

Unfortunately, when they met, Anne did not live up to his expectations, referring to her in pejorative terms as a great "Flanders mare". Anne was on the tall side, a large-boned and buxom woman, while King Henry VIII had a penchant for petite, slender women. Moreover, coming from a strict Lutheran duchy, Anne had none of the expected accomplishments that were de rigueur for the Tudor Court. Anne could not sing, dance, or play a musical instrument, nor was she particularly well educated in scholarly pursuits. Her education had been of a more pedestrian nature and geared to more housewifely pursuits such as the running of a household.

Consequently, Henry and Anne were like oil and vinegar, never really able to come together as one. From then on, Anne's life as Queen of England was to be one of humiliation. Henry made no secret of his dissatisfaction and worked to disengage himself from this marriage, as he liked her not. Although Henry looked to cast Anne aside and had already set his sights on wife number five, the beautiful teenager, Catherine Howard, who was one of Anne's own ladies-in-waiting, Anne continued about her business with dignity. Henry's children loved her, as did many who would come in contact with her, as she had none of the affectations or grasping and jaded behavior associated with those who populated the Tudor Court. She was a straightforward, intelligent, and kindly woman who was not given to being anything other than what she was.

When the issue of divorce reared its ugly head, Anne, ever practical, reluctantly agreed and in return received several estates and palaces, a handsome pension, and the dubious distinction of ever more being known as the King's sister, taking precedence over all except for the King and the King's children, and any future Queen. She would go on to live her own life. Of course, the author gives this story a fresh spin, weaving in a secret attachment that Anne of Cleves and Han Holbein shared for each other. It is this deep and abiding platonic love that would sustain Anne through her deepest and darkest hours in England. The author also gives an eye-opening twist on the post-divorce relationship of Anne and Henry.

This is simply yet another terrific work of historical fiction by this author. She expertly weaves a colorful tapestry of fact and fiction against the backdrop of the splendor of the magnificent Tudor Court, creating a three dimensional story around some of the most interesting personages in history. This book takes the reader on a spellbinding journey through the life of Anne of Cleves. It continues her story through two more wives, Catherine Howard and Katherine Parr, and the death of King Henry VIII, whom Anne herself would outlive by about ten years. This is a book that will thoroughly engage and entertain the reader. It is of particular interest since there is a paucity of books on the story of Anne of Cleves. Bravo!

A riot. I really could relate to this author. I have a Mother-in-Law who could be her sister! Everyone should grab a copy and send it to their friends who are hounded by their Mother-in-Laws. I bought this copy for my girlfriend who is getting married!

This book is very cute and fun, with lift-up flaps and activities in it. My daughter saw this book at a Dr. office and had to have it!

This was a fun book to read. Romance and racing and beautiful smart people. I love LSR and anything about it, I recommend this book, difficult to find...worth the search.
Byron Gates, Jr.
Shreveport, Louisiana [LA]
KobraRacing.com

The Three Cousins Detective Club Series is a wonderful series for 7-10 year olds. They are funny, and they are exciting mysteries. Everyone should read this series-even adults! You will get many laughs out of these books-guaranteeed!

I read this book before my daughter did, to preview it. I really enjoyed the plot and the lesson that the story taught. It was just long enough to hold a 7 year olds attention without getting into deep confusing plot twists. If you want a book that is fun to read, easy to follow, and one that you don't have to preview before your child reads it, any of the books in this series will do. I will buy more of these books because I know I can hand her one to read and know that anything that comes up in discussion from this book will teach a lesson.

When the three cousins go Christmas shopping, they get more than they bargained for. First four-year-old cousin Patience shows up and starts telling crazy stories about another Titus. Then Titus gets a strange message from a boy. As they are heading out to do window shopping, they meet up with a boy who could have been Titus's twin! What is going on? Can the trio solve the mystery?

This is a fantastic book for kids. Only sixty-four pages, it took me ten minutes to read. The words are easy, the story fun and exciting and best of all for you parents, a moral is tied in.

This entry in the TCDC series revolves around an incident that occurred 5 years earlier--an incident that none of the cousins remembers.

The ending is very funny--and very moving.

I ran across Elspeth Campbell Murphy's 30 book Three Cousins Detective Club series when I was looking for easy reader chapter books for my 7 1/2 yr old 2nd grade daughter. The Mystery of the Sock Monkeys (#21) paperback just happened to be where we started. The 62 pages are divided into 15 chapters, and the print is medium, not tiny. There are occasional black & white sketch illustrations. Piggybacking on the Young Cousins Mysteries series for ages 4-8, the Three Cousins Detective Club series is categorized as for ages 9-12, but is fine for a younger confident reader who just needs help on the occasional difficult word. The Christian author ties each volume to a Bible verse, & weaves Christian values into the stories. On a wkend vacation, I started reading it to my daughter. She was instantly captivated by the characters & story, & quickly began reading it on her own. 10 yr old cousins, Sarah-Jane, Timothy, & Titus are always alert to suspicious situations ,& thrive on following clues to conclusion. In #21, it occurs to them that the rough tough looking & acting motorcycle rider Spider Marley does not seem like the kind of guy who would be frequenting fabric & handicraft shops, or helping out his seamstress aunt. They unravel the real truth behind this interesting character. The stories are entertaining & wholesome & elementary school age appropriate. We will definitely read more, & see about donating some to school & local public libraries.

My son has loved these books since he was about 9 - he's now 12. They are fun and easy to read together. They are good for reading on their own, also.