Book Review: Brief Gaudy Hour by Margaret Campbell Barnes

I'm finishing up a really wonderful book called Brief Gaudy Hour by Margaret Campbell Barnes.

I've been on a British history kick due to my new found fascination with the Showtime Series "The Tudors". If you haven't caught the show, you can get the entire first season on Comcast "On Demand" (if you get Comcast cable) for free or download it on iTunes. iTunes Store TV Shows

For a full editorial review of the book, head to Amazon.com: Brief Gaudy Hour at Amazon.


The show "The Tudors" really depicts Anne Boleyn as a manipulative woman who traps King Henry VIII using sex to leverage power over him and alter his decisions. The author of this book has really done her homework for historical accuracy, while I'm sure there are fictional aspects throughout. Brief Gaudy Hour is a great love story about a smart woman coming of age in a world completely dominate by men and the prevalence of social position. We all know what happens to Anne Boleyn in the end, but the tale of how she ends up there is both inspirational and tragic alike.

While I have a link to Amazon above, you can find this book at a better price through Alibris.com. I paid cover price of $14.99 at my local Barnes&Noble (gasp!) because I was just in the mood to start a new book at that very moment, but had I been a little more patient, I could have nabbed this deal on a used copy at Alibris.com:

Used Copy of Brief Gaudy Hour - $1.99
Coupon Code: 'FRIGATE2' - (-$1.00)
Subtotal - $0.99
Salest Tax $0.07
Shipping $3.99
Total Cost $5.05
Brief Gaudy Hour at Alibirs.com