To Die For by Sandra Byrd
Book blurb from goodreads.com : To Die For is the story of Meg Wyatt, pledged forever as the best friend to Anne Boleyn since their childhoods in neighboring manors in Kent. When Anne's star begins to ascend, of course she takes her best friend Meg along for the ride. Life in the court of King Henry VIII is thrilling at first, but as Anne's favor rises and falls, so does Meg's. And though she's pledged her loyalty to Anne no matter what the test, Meg just might lose her greatest love -- and her own life -- because of it.
Meg's childhood flirtation with a boy on a neighboring estate turns to true love early on. When he is called to follow the Lord and be a priest she turns her back on both the man and his God. Slowly, though, both woo her back through the heady times of the English reformation. In the midst of it, Meg finds her place in history, her own calling to the Lord that she must follow, too, with consequences of her own. Each character in the book is tested to figure out what love really means, and what, in this life, is worth dying for.
Though much of Meg's story is fictionalized, it is drawn from known facts. The Wyatt family and the Boleyn family were neighbors and friends, and perhaps even distant cousins. Meg's brother, Thomas Wyatt, wooed Anne Boleyn and ultimately came very close to the axe blade for it. Two Wyatt sisters attended Anne at her death, and at her death, she gave one of them a jeweled prayer book -- Meg.
What I like about the cover: Well, seeing it online, it's nothing compared to actually holding the book. :) It's beautiful! Anne's dress, on the left, is that blue/gold one. If you look closely, you can see that the sleeve facing you has strands of pearls all looped up over it. But it's Meg's dress that I really like. Not that I'd wear it, but. :) The top is lined with pearls, all sewn on. The sleeves are also studded with pearls. I love the red velvety material used to accent the goldish one. It goes perfectly with her hair! Also note Anne's pearl necklace, with the big "B." Even though all your can see is the lower half of their faces, you can tell they're both beautiful girls.
FYI, I'm currently reading and loving this story! Review coming soon.
2 comments:
Charity -
I am SO glad to hear the book is good. It was a novel that caught my eye because it was connected to the royal Tudor family.
I'll look forward to your review. =)
Rissi,
I know you feel! I've picked up a book or two that had WAY TOO MUCH DETAIL about, well, certain things. :P However, while this books mentions them (it'd be really hard to write a book that didn't, while being historically accurate!) it's in a very clean way, which is a relief. :)
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