The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory  (40)  £5.49

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory  (56)  £5.49

The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory  (40)  £5.49

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory  (60)  £5.49

A Respectable Trade by Philippa Gregory  (11)  £5.99

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Amazon.co.uk Review
Everyone knows the fate of Anne Boleyn, but not many know the story of her rise to majesty and the part played by her rival and sister, Mary, who was Henry's mistress and mother to two of his bastard children before the dazzling older Boleyn girl even caught his eye. Philippa Gregory, whose own role as the Queen of historical romance grows more secure with each new novel, has surpassed her self with this epic tale of lust, jealousy and betrayal. The Other Boleyn Girl charts the lives of both Boleyns--each in their turn "the other Boleyn Girl"--and their fiercely ambitious, conniving family who used the girls as pawns to advance their own positions at the court of Henry VIII. At 13, Mary is little more than a child when she is presented to Henry, ordered by her scheming family to serve her King and country by opening her legs whenever commanded, or doing anything else the great monarch desires. And while his loins are satisfied, life at court is sweet for the unofficial Queen and her pushy coterie. Inevitably though, the King's eyes soon begin to wander and Mary is overlooked, helpless to do anything but aid her family's plot to advance their fortunes, replace her with Anne and give Henry the greatest gift of all: a son and heir.

So good a job has Ms Gregory done at portraying the Boleyns and Howards as selfish, scheming, treacherous manipulators however, that it becomes increasingly hard to feel empathy for any of them. While Mary is merely hapless, Anne is the most ruthless of them all, so that instead of feeling cheated by knowing the outcome of her story, it only serves to help digest her unpalatable rise. Such a gruesome destiny was never more deserved. Ms Gregory has worked hard at researching her historical references. Daily life at court is described in fascinating detail--from the relentless leisure pursuits, masques and banquets laid on for the easily bored King to the complex hierarchies and machinations of the courtiers. However, the fall of Queen Katherine of Aragon and her only child, the Princess Mary, and the politics of the competing European courts and the break with Rome are seen only as a backdrop to the bawdy goings-on of the Boleyns and their fateful race for the crown. --Carey Green --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

You Magazine
The very believable dialogue and detail take you all the way into the claustrophobic privy chambers of the royal palaces. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory  (56)  £5.49

The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory  (40)  £5.49

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory  (60)  £5.49

The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory  (40)  £5.49

The Other Boleyn Girl DVD ~ Yolanda Vasquez  (5)  £4.99

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142 Reviews 5 star:  (97) 4 star:  (22) 3 star:  (11) 2 star:  (5) 1 star:  (7)           Average Customer Review (142 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   44 of 47 people found the following review helpful: The Other Boleyn Girl..., 4 Jun 2004 By  Clare "Bookaholic" (England) - See all my reviews    This review is from: The Other Boleyn Girl (Paperback) I have put off reading this book for some time, it was rated so highly that I thought I would be disappointed, how wrong I was! This is a fantastic novel written through the eyes of Anne Boleyn's sister, Mary. You see here whether fact or not how nasty Anne was to her sister and to pretty much everyone around her! The bitter rivalry between the 2 sisters is so evident and although many have said there are many historical inaccuracies here I do believe there is a lot of truth in this novel. Some of it shocking even amusing in places. I missed the showing of this on mainstream TV and it was acclaimed highly I would certainly love to watch it. This is just the 2nd of Philippa Gregory's novels I have read, she is a fabulous author. I loved this novel from start to finish, she really transported you back in time to the court of Henry VIII. Fabulous!  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   8 of 8 people found the following review helpful: Read it for what it is - a really, really good story., 27 Feb 2008 By  Morena - See all my reviews This review is from: The Other Boleyn Girl (Paperback) I'm giving The Other Boleyn Girl five stars because it's the first time for probably years, that I'm going around telling everyone I talk to how much I love this book. For the first time in ages, I became totally immersed and didn't skim a single page. As for the criticisms about historical accuracy which it has received, I would just say that it is not claiming to be a historical biography or an investigation into the Reformation, but a tale spun between the historical events which took place. I understood it not as Philippa Gregory saying "This is what happened", but rather, "This is a story which could have filled these gaps - enjoy.". I enjoyed the characterisation of the Boleyns; it all went to create a very compelling story. Mary's love story post-Henry is particularly touching and I liked the fact that, although billed as "two sisters competing for the love of a king", the novel went beyond that and into the adult lives of the protagonists. Perhaps a little off-topic, I'm also pretty taken aback that some reviewers are stating that the real Mary Boleyn was 'promiscuous' from a very early age. The one thing that stood out in the book to me was the culture of very, very young 'women' being traded between men at court, whether for marriage or just sex; I hardly think a (pre-)adolescent girl could have said 'no' to a king. Also, I disagree with the opinion that Mary was the 'weak' sister in this novel, and Anne the 'strong' one. One desperately hitching her fortunes to the whims of a man for no real motive but a lust for power, and one finding the courage to break away and be her own woman, finding strength in owning and managing her own land? I know which I think is the better "role model" (for want of a better term). And yes, perhaps the real Boleyn sisters were not like their fictional counterparts. It shouldn't really bother the reader unless they have just published a PhD of "Anne Boleyn: Feminist Icon". Anyway, for the first time since primary school, I've actually begun to be be interested in Tudor history, so there's a point for the historians, I suppose!  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   12 of 13 people found the following review helpful: Good, but not a book to be taken literally., 30 Jul 2007 By  Alexandra Coke "Alex" (UK) - See all my reviews This review is from: The Other Boleyn Girl (Paperback) I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and re-read it often. The characters are interesting, the story is well-paced and well-told, and Phillipa Gregory invokes the sights and sounds of the Tudor court very well. In Mary Boleyn, the book's narrator, she creates a character that the reader cares about, and surrounds her with even more entertaining historical figures - if there is one drawback to this book, it is that Mary is eclipsed by her 'supporting cast'. However, as good as this book is, it is not one to be believed. Gregory's facts are deeply in question - it is well known that Mary was the older Boleyn sister, not the younger, and her reptutation is at odds with the naive country girl that Gregory presents us with. It is highly unlikely that her children were fathered by the king (he'd never hesitated to bestow myriad titles on his other illigitemate son, after all, and yet Henry Carey, Mary Boleyn's son, went ignored), and the depiction of Anne Boleyn is unnecessarily negative. The pity we are presumably supposed to feel for Anne at the end of the book feels a little forced after Gregory has chronicled the cruelty, selfishness and incest of the character, but nevertheless Anne is fascinating to read about, and once again Gregory's gift for writing good characters is shown spectacularly. If you read this book as a novel, a story, and ignore the historical innacuracies, then you will almost certainly enjoy it. The relationship between the three Boleyn siblings is interesting, and Gregory is very skilled at showing us the court - so much so, in fact, that the book dims a little when Mary is away from London. Katherine of Aragon is excellently portrayed, and the machinations of the Duke of Norfolk, the head of the Howard family, are intriguing. Mary's love affair with William is touching - all the more so because it is the one thing we can be sure is true.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (