Ginger Garrett’s In the Shadow of Lions takes the concrete facts of the stories of Anne Boleyn and Thomas More and spins them into a historical fiction that will make one appreciate their family Bible. While the book does follow the story of Anne Boleyn’s rise to Queen of England, this story becomes a part of the greater story of how the Bible came to be written in English and made available to the common people.
Garrett tells this story from the eyes of two women–Mary, a servant in Sir Thomas More’s household, and Anne Boleyn, a lady in King Henry VIII’s court. Sir Thomas More is staunchly against the William Hutchins’ English translation of the Bible being smuggled into England. Mary is struggling with the sins of her past and her hatred of the Church. Anne brings the book with her from France but struggles with the dangers it holds. Confused and desperate, Henry searches for a way to find God’s will for England and an heir to solidify his kingdom.
Garrett takes a different approach on the story of Anne Boleyn. Anne’s character has been speculated from historical accounts for years by historians. Usually, she is painted as intelligent and conniving with an unstable temper and deserving of her eventual beheading. Garrett, however, uses the same historical facts, but assumes that Anne was a faithful God-seeking woman who throughout her entire ordeal with Henry was simply trying to maintain her virtue and follow God’s will. At first, this was a stretch for me to believe because my mind has been entrenched with the idea that Anne was an evil schemer, but after awhile it became clear to me that if Anne was in fact a devoted Christian, it would be conceivable that she would keep Henry at an arm’s length, wanting to perserve her virtue and reputation. This new take on a righteous and humble Anne is very refreshing as I have wanted for so long to like the mother of one of my favorite people in history, Elizabeth I.
While this Anne is godlier than the others portrayed in the media, she does not lack those qualities we know existed in the true Anne Boleyn. She is still intelligent, witty, and Garrett especially draws on the idea that Anne was open-minded when it came to scripture and God’s will. This is where the stories of Thomas More’s opposition to the Hutchins’ Bible and Anne’s role in England’s break from Catholic Church collide into what led to the Bible being widely available to the common people. The struggle and the fight of this drama will make you appreciate the value of having the Word of God so easily accessible.
Garrett’s beautifully brings to life the exquisite life of Henry’s court and the grim realities of life in the London streets. Her use of language is fresh and her grasp on history brings the characters, places and events to life. This book is a pageturner, the reason I haven’t been available to update this blog in awhile. I couldn’t put it down.
