The Boleyn Inheritance
by Philippa Gregory
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Book Summary Information
Author: Philippa GregoryEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-08-07
ISBN: 074327251X
Number of pages: 544
Publisher: Touchstone Books
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Book Reviews of The Boleyn Inheritance
Book Review: One of the most insightful and beautiful reads I've had so far this year!
Summary: 5 Stars
Henry VIII, especially the many intrigues surrounding politics and religion during his reign, not to mention his six wives, has always fascinated me. There is so much material that can be covered during and after his time as king of England that hundreds of books, novels and quite a few films and television series (including the latest on Showtime, The Tudors) have been created. And why not? His life was like a giant real-life soap opera. I read Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl years ago, and I hadn't read any of her books centered on the Tudor dynasty ever since. The Wideacre trilogy was a great read (except for the third and last book), but I hadn't picked anything of hers ever since, and that was about two or three years ago. I recently picked up The Boleyn Inheritance, not knowing what to expect. This is one of the best historical novels set against Henry's reign I have read in a long time.
Katherine of Aragon dies a lonely and undignified death after Henry divorces her, Anne Boleyn is beheaded for supposedly committing adultery, and Jane Seymour passes away shortly after giving birth to a son. Now it is time for Henry to take another wife. With France and Spain plotting against England, an alliance with the Cleves is necessary. And so, here enters Anne of Cleves. After enduring a power-hungry, abusive brother, Anne sees her marriage to King Henry as a ticket way out of her insufferable life at home. She imagines King Henry as he once was -- handsome and charming to the ladies. Instead, she gets an aging, overweight, angry bear of a man who rejects her after she publically humiliates him. He wants a divorce; she wants to remain the queen of England. Yet she knows what would happen to her if she dares to defy the man who has sent three women to an early grave. Her only option is to return back home to her abusive brother, ruined. But she can't let that happen. What will she do? Meanwhile, it appears that one of her ladies-in-waiting has gotten the king's attention. Katherine Howard is young, beautiful and flirty. She is also wise and sensual beyond her fourteen years. She loves to attract the attention of young men and think she is simply humoring a piggy-eyed old man when she flirts with the king. So imagine her life as King Henry's wife. This is all seen through the eyes of Jane Boleyn, Lady Richford. She is back in court after she made the testimony that destroyed both her late husband George and her sister-in-law. Now, under the Duke of Norfolk's demand, she must spy on Anne and Katherine. It appears that Anne Boleyn has left a legacy of tragedy and betrayal not only to her family, but also to all of England.
This is a riveting read. Historians/anglophiles will probably find that this novel isn't very innovating. I for one thought it was fascinating. It's beautifully written, the first-person POV from all three protagonists are clear and well put-together. You never get them confused. Jane Boleyn is the most interesting one of the three. A woman whose testimony sent her husband and sister-in-law to the block, she wasn't likable at all in The Other Boleyn Girl, but it was never clear to me (at least not in the real-life events) whether she'd done it from her free will or if she'd been forced to make the testimony. This novel implies that she had indeed been persuaded into making that choice. As for Gregory's characterization, I appreciate the fact that Katherine Howard is depicted as naïve and flighty in this novel. She is what I imagine most fourteen-year-old are like, vain and silly, which makes it especially jarring for me to know that Henry would marry a child. Then again, what could be expected from someone such as he? And also, they married them young in those times. It's like they were forced to go from children to adults at once. Out of all of his wives, with the exception of Katherine of Aragon, I think that Katherine Howard's demise is the saddest. I could understand why she'd want to be with men her own age and not with one old enough to be her father or even her grandfather. Philippa Gregory humanizes these three women in more ways than one. I enjoyed The Boleyn Inheritance and I look forward to reading Gregory's other books set in the Tudor era. I've already got The Constant Princess lined up.
Summary of The Boleyn Inheritance
ANNE OF CLEVES: She runs from her tiny country, her hateful mother, and her abusive brother to a court ruled by the terror of a vengeful king who despises her. Her Boleyn Inheritance: accusations and false witness.
KATHERINE HOWARD: She is in love -- but not with the diseased old man who made her queen and beds her night after night. Her Boleyn Inheritance: the threat of the axe.
JANE ROCHFORD: She is the Boleyn girl whose testimony sent her husband and sister-in-law to their deaths. Throughout Europe, her name is a byword for malice, jealousy, and twisted lust. Her Boleyn Inheritance: a fortune and a title, in exchange for her soul.
The Boleyn Inheritance is a novel drawn tight as a lute string about three women whose positions brought them wealth, admiration, and power as well as deceit, betrayal, and terror. Once again, Philippa Gregory is at her intelligent, page-turning best.
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