| DEAR HEART, HOW LIKE YOU THIS? is narrated by the poet Thomas Wyatt, who has been in love with his cousin Anne Boleyn since childhood. Wyatt is reputed to be one of the 16th century's most eloquent poets; in this book, he looks back upon his life and forbidden passion for Anne in 1536, the year of her execution. He recalls their carefree youth among the yews of Hever Castle, when he first falls in love with her, through to their ambitious adulthoods spent in the intrigue-laden courts of England, France, and Rome.
While Anne is pursued by Henry VIII, who denies her her first love and sets her on a path of revenge to earn the throne in order to hurt and manipulate the King, Wyatt suffers a stoic, often helpless desire for her from afar. He travels to Italy as a diplomat; marries a woman he cannot love and raises a child whose paternity he questions, while all along he carries a torch for Anne. He eventually confesses his love after she falls ill and almost dies; in return, she offers him her sole moment of freedom before she marries Henry and becomes his queen. Only with Wyatt does Anne find a measure of peace; she takes him into her confidence, relating her innermost secrets and fears, even as she attempts to give the King his long-anticipated male heir. | ||
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Plot & Themes Time/era of story - 1600-1899 - Romance/Romance Problems Yes Kind of romance: Life of a profession: Job/Profession/Status story Yes Unmarried Love Triangle? Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - society Setting Europe Yes European country: - England/UK Writing Style Sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - vague references only Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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