The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
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Book Reviews of The Other Boleyn Girl
Book Review: Definition of a Good Read.........
Summary: 5 Stars
The Other Boleyn Girl was a novel I looked forward to reading everyday in the same way I looked forward to savoring a dessert and coffee. Delicious! It may not be historically accurate in every sense or have the cleverest prose but it doesn't claim to be a history book. It is simply a well done story that happens to have some historical truth to it which does define historical fiction. Phillipa Gregory has written a wonderful novel about the Boleyn family with Mary Boleyn as narrator. This gives the reader an inside look into the court of Henry the VIII and the culture of England in the 1500's. It is profoundly interesting on both accounts. Gregory manages to create an atmosphere which allows the reader to feel as if they are there. It is appalling to see that women are treated with little regard to their feelings and not much more than servants or sex objects. It is shameful how the advancement of a family in the social ladder rested on the looks, and sexual prowess of the females in the family regardless of their own feelings. Anne Boleyn in the novel is portrayed as a scheming, heartless, shrew who actually steals her own sisters baby so she may have a better chance at becoming queen. Mary the narrator although portrayed as naive in most ways is jaded by her families need for power and control and is more or less controlled by them. George the other sibling often quotes that it is not their lot in life to be happy but to do what they must for the family. How their lives play out is the meat of the story and is very well done. Against the back drop of England in the 1500's, court intrigue, betrayal, lust, power plays and treachery, what more could a reader ask for? Well done!Book Review: Wow, Well Done, Facinating and Frightening
Summary: 5 Stars
I was fascinated by this book, both by the history and the fiction. I thought Philippa Gregory did a wonderful job of recreating the court of Henry VIII. She paints a vivid picture of the ruthless ambition of the Boleyn family as well as the egomaniacal King Henry. They were all more than a bit frightening.
This is the story of the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn as told by her sister Mary. Mary the younger of the two sisters was the first to find favor with the king. Her sister, as instructed by their father and uncle, won him over while Mary was giving birth to his child, all while his wife Katherine of Aragon sat by his side at the throne.
I liked the Mary Boleyn that Gregory creates for us. She is able to see her family's all consuming ambition and where it leads them. She sees how her elders use her and her siblings in order to gain position, land and wealth. She examines her own loyalties and her betrayal of the one woman she loved like a mother. She was able to see history repeating itself for her sister. And she was horrified by the things her sister did to gain the throne and in her attempts to produce a future king. Mary is a sympathetic character and has a very interesting vantage point from which to tell this story.
I enjoyed it and will be reading more Philippa Gregory.
I had been putting off reading this book because of how long it was. I thought it would take a while to read since it is 661 pages long but it was very easy to read. (I was able to read four hundred pages in two days.)
If you like what I like I think you'll like this.
I am off to read The Boleyn Inheritance now...
Book Review: I didn't want this book to end...
Summary: 5 Stars
Amazon recommended this book to me based on other purchases, and I'm so glad they did! I thoroughly enjoyed it. I read this book immediately after finishing "I, Elizabeth," and thought that going from that point of view into a new one would be jarring, but I fell smoothly into Mary's story and loved every minute of it.The book could easily have romanticized the story of Mary Boleyn and her affair with the king, but instead shows a very realistic picture---there is love there, but there is also deceit, manipulation, and betrayal. Anne Boleyn is not just a {prostitue} who displaced a queen, but a real person who in the end falls prey to her own overpowering ambitions. Even Henry has his gentle side, and isn't portrayed solely as a tyrant who likes shedding wives. There are tender moments, and then there are scenes that will make you shudder and be very glad you're not a woman living during the reign of Henry VIII.
I did find the ending to be a little abrupt; Mary is at court with her husband and children, trying in her own way to help Anne. She witnesses Anne's execution (thinking all the while that Henry will pardon her at the last, dramatic moment), leaves with her husband and children to go home, and there the book ends. After getting to know Mary so intimately through out the rest of the book, I would have liked more of a reaction to Anne's death and the aftermath. Since most people are familiar with Anne rather than Mary, though, I suppose it made sense to end the book there. I was so immersed in the story, though, that I could have happily read about Mary's adventures for the rest of her life, even if she never went near royalty again.
Book Review: Wow...this book was pretty amazing.
Summary: 5 Stars
Sometimes historical fiction can be dry and difficult to read. This book does not fall into that category. It is well-written and very easy to follow. I like that this novel is based mostly on historical facts. Yes, it's definitely fiction, but the main events of the novel were true to life. This book will be a real eye-opener for anyone who doesn't realize how poorly women have been treated throughout history. They were cursed at birth and then used and abused throughout their entire lives. Their happiness was dependent solely on men. That must have been a horrible way to live. It's especially difficult for the modern American woman to fathom what that kind of life must have been like. It must have been incredibly tough.
The relationship between Anne and Mary is bizarre. I know about sibling rivalry, but this went beyond that. This was a cut-throat, evil, primitive sort of relationship. With a sister like Anne, who needs enemies?! I never realized before reading this book how motivated and desperate Anne Boleyn was. She was a woman driven by ambition only. She is a perfect example of you reap what you sow.
Of course, Henry VIII is portrayed as he was - a selfish, immature, sex-crazed man who thought he was God. He reinvented the Church so he could divorce Catherine of Aragon, beheaded and poisoned people at will, and sexually used and tossed aside countless women who loved him. He was truly a tyrant.
I am glad that Mary escaped the life at court and married William Stafford for love. She might have felt like the lesser Boleyn girl, but I think she was the braver, happier Boleyn girl.
I highly recommend this book.
Book Review: Wow....
Summary: 5 Stars
As a history major and an avid reader of historical non fiction, I was extremely hesitate to read a piece of historial fiction. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I wish that more professors in college would have required us to read books like this for our history classes...it would have made class so much more exciting.
The Other Boleyn Girl tells the story of Mary Boleyn, the often forgotten sister of the much talked about Queen Anne Boleyn, Henry the VIII's second wife (just one of six!!). The story begins with Mary's family pushing her into the King's bed, even though she is a married woman. While many so that Mary was a whore and she gladly went after the King, Gregory instead portrays a woman dealing with a constant inner struggle between what she feels for her husband and for herself and what she feels for the King. In the end, family pressures get the best of her and she finds herself in an intense and oddly satisfying affair with the King.
However, soon Mary's sister, Anne returns to the court and catches the eye of the King. The second half of the book centers around Anne's relationship with the King and with Mary. Mary is suddenly pushed aside as her sister quickly climbs the social Tudor ladder faster and faster eventually being crowned Queen.
Upon finishing this novel, I immediately started investigating King Henry and Anne Boleyn myself. This piece of literature made a time period that I had often thought to be dull and boring, exciting and interesting to me. I recommend that anyone interested in history pick up this book and give it a try. I promise you won't be disappointed!!