The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
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Book Reviews of The Boleyn Inheritance
Book Review: Wives of Henry VIII
Summary: 4 Stars
Having been thrilled with Philippa Gregory's "The Constant Princess" and "The Other Boleyn Girl", I couldn't wait to pick up "The Boleyn Inheritance". While this narrative did not disappoint, I must say that it wasn't as thrilling of a read as the first two Gregory novels that I read.
"The Boleyn Inheritance" picks up somewhat where "The Other Boleyn Girl" left off. Skipping Queen Jane Seymour and the years of Henry's abstinence from marriage after Jane's death in childbirth, Gregory tells a story of Anne of Cleves, a plain looking Duchess from Germany whom Henry VIII decided to marry purely for political reasons. Gregory tells the story as seen by Anne of Cleves herself, as well as from the point of view of two other women - Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford: the wife of George Boleyn, whose testimony cemented the death sentence both George and his sister Anne Boleyn received; and Katherine Howard, a young, frivolous and vain maid-in-waiting to Anne of Cleves. Gregory's writing was expert in that she wove the three narratives so expertly that the reader can always see different situations from different angles.
Anne of Cleves is very happy to escape from the Duchy of Cleves and her abusive brother William (Wilhelm). Arriving England, Anne is somewhat apprehensive to be married to a King who was already married three times and whose wives are all dead. After the disastrous first meeting with Henry VIII, Anne's apprehension grows even further, along with her disgust for the obscenely obese King. Henry VIII is no longer the young, handsome prince, but a bad-tempered, monstrous lunatic, with a festering leg that stinks of rotting flesh and delusions of being the direct link to God. Jane Boleyn, after being the lady-in-waiting for Queen Katherine of Aragon, Queen Anne Boleyn and Queen Jane Seymour, is now back in the role of lady-in-waiting, this time to the new Queen Anne. Jane's role is predominantly that of a spy for her uncle, Duke of Norfolk, but she can not help but become friendly with the humble and pious Queen Anne of Cleves. Katherine Howard, all of fifteen years of age, is appointed Anne's maid-in-waiting, and her primary concern is her looks and which dress to wear, as well as which boy to flirt with. What Katherine does not expect is for her flirtatious behavior to catch the eye of the old King Henry, who finds Anne of Cleves displeasing to his tastes. After only six months of marriage, Henry claims that his union with Anne of Cleves was never consummated, which Anne wisely agreed with, and their marriage is annulled. Due to Anne's agreement, she is afforded all the honors befitting a Princess of England. His marriage dissolved, Henry is free to marry Katherine, a girl young enough to be his granddaughter.
While Anne of Cleves inherited Anne Boleyn's house at Hever in Kent, Jane Boleyn became a lady-in-waiting yet again, to Henry's fifth wife, Queen Katherine Howard. Jane has a hard time controlling the capricious young Queen who is her own cousin, and, following Duke of Norfolk's direction, Jane arranges for Katherine to meet young courtiers, all with the goal of producing the male heir for the increasingly impotent King Henry. No one at court counted on Henry being all-seeing though, the fact that would become the undoing of both Jane Boleyn and Queen Katherine Howard.
While "The Boleyn Inheritance" is largely based on historic facts, the author once again asserted that the novel is fictional, possibly to avoid the constant bickering of the historians as to which particular piece of information is true and which isn't. Gregory hence advises the reader to enjoy her novel as pure entertainment. One should not read Gregory's novels as scholastic works on Tudor England, as her books are meant to entertain only. I liked Gregory's narratives, though they were not as engaging as those from her previous two novels. Gregory gets the reader into the minds of the three main characters with an ease one learns to expect from Gregory. While the novel concentrates mainly on Henry's wives, the reader also follows Henry in his increasing madness and paranoia. The reader also sees the changing life at court, the changes occurring with the changes in moods of the aging King.
All in all, "The Boleyn Inheritance" is a highly readable, entertaining novel in the style of Gregory's previous books on the Tudors. The book is very easy to read, comprehend and follow, even for those who are absolutely not familiar with the Tudors. Highly recommended.
Book Review: Great Follow up to The Other Boleyn Girl
Summary: 4 Stars
"Three women who share one fate: the Boleyn Inheritance" (from the back cover)
This quote really sums up what I consider to be the third book in the Tudor saga by Philippa Gregory. The Boleyn Inheritance is narrated through the voices of three narrators: Anne of Cleves (the 4th wife of Henry VIII), Katherine Howard (Henry's 5th wife), and Jane Rochford (the late Anne Boleyn's sister-in-law). Each of these women has a lot on the line because of the cloud that hovered above with the name of Boleyn. Each has earned their current place, in a sense, because of the death of Anne.
I enjoyed the parts of the book that were narrated by Anne of Cleves the best. She was only really part of the Tudor Court for a very short time and was new to the country of England as well. Her chapters brought an outside eye to the story while Jane and Katherine's brought the inside eye. One thing that I really saw in this book was how easily used Katherine Howard was. She was manipulated by all sides and didn't even have a chance to realize quite what was happening. I wasn't a huge fan of Katherine's sections for that reason - she was completely oblivious to everything that was happening - come on girl! Jane's sections were interesting to see her wrestling with the guilt over what she did to her husband and sister-in-law. It was also enlightening to see the way she rationalized everything she did.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book just as much as The Other Boleyn Girl and The Constant Princess. A unique way at looking at this short period of time and the events that quickly unfolded.
To borrow a little more from the back cover to wrap this up nicely "Anne of Cleves - Her Boleyn Inheritance: accusations and false witness. Katherine Howard - Her Boleyn Inheritance: the threat of the axe. Jane Rochford - Her Boleyn Inheritance: a fortune and a title, in exchange for her soul."
Book Review: Another great Philippa Gregory novel
Summary: 4 Stars
This novel sucked me in from the beginning and did not let go - all three women were relatable and I desperately had to find out what would happen with each of their lives.
This is the first novel by Gregory that I have read where she tells the story from more than one perspective. In this case, it was very effective as the reader essentially got to hear the same story told by three different women who lived it, yet their roles were so drastically different from each others'. What struck me most about these women was how utterly helpless they all were to control anything about their lives. Every single decision was made for them, and even the very strong-willed among them - such as Anne of Cleves, who did everything in her power to be her own woman and make her own decisions - were completely controlled by the men around them. And especially in the court of King Henry VIII, women had no hope. They could do exactly as was expected of them, be perfect little angels who listened to the men in charge and do exactly as they were told, and the king would still find some reason to put them to death, or if they were lucky, exile. As much of a horrible person Jane Rochford was, and as much of a "slut" Katherine Howard was, I simply found myself feeling so sorry for them. They had no choice in any of their actions. It was actually kind of heartbreaking to read about, especially regarding Jane, who honestly felt like she was doing the best she could for her family, yet was being manipulated by her uncle and suffered an awful fate for it.
I loved this book, and I will be continuing to read Philippa Gregory's work until I've finished it all (and hopefully by then, she'll have written more!). It was a fabulous book to kick off 2009, and I highly recommend The Boleyn Inheritance.
Book Review: pleasantly surprised
Summary: 4 Stars
It was with great trepidation that I picked up The Boleyn Inheritance by Phileppa Gregory. The Other Boleyn Girl made me angry the first time I read it (long before the movie), being filled with a great number of historical innacuracies which I could not get past. However, after debating about TOBG on a Henry VIII group on myspace, I decided to read the book from the point of view of one who doesn't know the history, and finally I could appreciate Gregory's twisting and ommitting of historical events.
In my reading of The Boleyn Inheritance, I have found some history that is untrue. However, I am very much impressed with the three women in the book who are all telling their story from their own first person narrative-- Jane Rochford (the wife of George Boleyn), Anne of Cleves (Henry's fourth wife) and Katherine Howard (Henry's fifth wife).
I kept comparing Gregory's interpretation of Katherine Howard to Jean Plaidy's interpretation of Katherine Howard in the book The Rose without a Thorn. I find this Katherine, if not a more reliable narrator, to be a little bit more real and personable.
As for the narrations of Anne of Cleves and Jane Rochford, I'm very glad Gregory decided to include both of these women in her novel, as their part of history is oftem glazed over.
All in all I have been excited in my reading of The Boleyn Inheritance. Even though I know what happens (simply because I know the history) it is quite a page turning novel, a novel which has not pissed me off the way The Other Boleyn Girl initially did. Anyone who is a Henry VIII history fan or simply a fan of the book and movie The Other Boleyn Girl will like this newest addition in Phileppa Gregory's repertoire.
Book Review: A Good Follow Up to "The Other Boleyn Girl"
Summary: 4 Stars
Philippa Gregory's "The Boleyn Inheritance" picks up three years after the end of "The Other Boleyn Girl", Gregory's blockbuster novel about Anne Boleyn and her sister Mary. Many of the characters from the earlier novel make a return appearance here, but the story is told from a different perspective--with three narrators, Anne of Cleaves, Kitty Howard, and Jane Boleyn. These three narrators give a very different perspective on Henry VIII's court than is seen in the earlier novel, although all three women are subject to Henry's rapidly changing temper. The court is now one of fear instead of the golden court of the earlier novel, and everyone has to watch her back to keep from getting caught up in the Boleyn Inheritance. As first Anne, and then Kitty become Queen and then quickly fall, the treachery of the English court is explored with all of Gregory's usual detail and intrigue.
Although I don't think this book was as good as "The Other Boleyn Girl" or "The Virgin's Lover" it is definitely a strong addition to Gregory's "Boleyn" series. The novel is a fast paced and easy read, and it keeps moving to keep the reader interested. I wished frequently that Gregory would have spent more time getting into the head of each of her characters--sometimes the chapters felt a little rushed. But overall I did feel like this was an enjoyable read that captured the spirit of the Tudor period and life at court.
I would recommend this book to fans of the Tudor period or people who enjoyed Gregory's other works.