...I wish I hadn't been given the newest edition with the movie cover. I couldn't get the image of Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johannson out of my mind when reading The Other Boleyn Girl and it took the edge off things a bit because they were nothing like I wanted to 'see' them in my mind.
That aside.....The story is a fascinating one and Ms Gregory has breathed life into all the characters for me. It's made me hungry for more. I've trawled the web these last couple of days reading everything I can find on the Tudors. My existing knowledge of Henry VIII was limited to schoolgirl history and I only wish I'd had this book, back in the day when History was on my timetable. You know it's a good book when you seek out any little bit of info on the web that relates to the story you've just read.
I'm really amazed though, at the negative reviews here, which site 'inaccuracy' as the reason to give 1 or 2 stars. It's a work of fiction. The characters were real people, but Historical Fiction is just that - Fiction in an Historical setting.
I can't believe people are saying it's a terrible book because it's not 100% accurate. It's fiction. If anyone is looking for 100% Historical accuracy, perhaps a work of non-fiction would suit better?
As a work of fiction, it's a good book.
My only advice is.......don't buy the movie cover edition if you can help it. Unless Ms Portman and Ms Johannson are your exact idea of Mary and Anne Boleyn.
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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.
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The story of Henry V111's relentless quest for a bride who would give him a male heir, denouncing Rome in the process and pronouncing himself head of the church in order to divorce Katherine of Aragon, has been told countless times. But in this story, Philippa Gregory tells of the events leading to his brief but tempestuous marriage to the ill-fated Anne Boleyn from a refreshingly different perspective - that of Anne Boleyn's sister Mary who, propelled by her ambitious and scheming family, attracted the king's roving eye long before his attentions turned to Anne.
OK, it may not be 100% historically accurate. Nor was Shakespeare, but that does not detract from the strength of his plays. If you are looking for historical accuracy you need a history textbook, but if you're seeking an easy to read, romping tale about that most colourful and immoral of English kings that also gives a fascinating insight into court life in Tudor times, then I'd thoroughly recommend this book.
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I read this book last year having always been intrigued by the Boleyn family. Philippa Gregory draws you in with her easy to read style so much so that at times I felt like I was spying on certain conversations and found myself with tears in my eyes during the last few chapters. If you are remotely interested in the Tudors or even if you want to enjoy a good romance then this is the book for you.
I would however, like to point out why this book didn't get 5 stars. The books only failing is that it is factually incorrect and many people seem to take what Philippa Gregory has written about as fact and not the fiction that it is.
There are many different stories about Anne Boleyn some painting her as a saint and some as an all out witch. I felt that Anne was portrayed well in the sense of her ambition and desire to be queen (it was rare in that day and age for a woman to be so sure of her own path which I think makes her an excellent role model). The second half of the book however, follows a story that is a 'rumour' and just one account of what may have really happened. Philippa Gregory states that Anne Boleyn was the eldest daughter when in fact it is still unknown which daughter was born first. According to many historians it is likely that Mary was the eldest. Also do not believe Mary to be the perfect angelic girl painted in this book. It has been recorded that she, unlike her sister Anne, was quite loose with her favours at a very early age, whilst studying in France. Before she was Henry's mistress the King of France at the time boasted that he had had the pleasure of her company on an intimate level referring to her as "my hackney carriage".
If you enjoy this book and would like to learn more I would recommend Alison Weir's book "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" as an excellent follow-on or alternatively "Six Wives" which is soon to be released by David Starkey.
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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!
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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!
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I recently borrowed this audio from my local library and loved it's drama and sexiness. Philipa's brilliantly researched and thrillingly written novel comes to life with the help of Diana Bishop's imaginative narrating. You really feel as if you are in the Tudor palaces as a lady or gentleman of the court. Imagine serving a king so fickle, antagonistic, voilent tempered and flirtatious he would divorce an honest Spanish princess and English queen for an upstart dangerously power hunry Howard concubine, from who's sister he had two illegitimate children already. A fascinating and shocking read which as led me to research for myself the intreguing life of Anne Boleyn.
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This well-known author of historical fiction has outdone herself with this rich and absorbing tale of the notorious Boleyn sisters, Anne and Mary. The Tudor court, with all its pomp and intrigue, is seen through the eyes of the beautiful Mary Boleyn, who at the age of fourteen arrives at court and becomes lady-in-waiting to Katherine of Aragon, Queen of England and wife to King Henry VIII. Although already married to courtier William Carey, Mary captures the heart of King Henry VIII, whose roving eyes land on this innocent young miss.
In the eyes of the grasping and greedy Boleyn family, Mary is but the fatted calf through whom their ambitions, they believe, will become realized. So, they offer her up as a sacrifice to their ruthless ambition. Forced to separate from her husband in order to become the King's mistress, Mary betrays the Queen and becomes mistress to the King, all at the behest of her family. Every step of her affair is choreographed from the wings by her family, with the adept aid of her sly and clever sister, Anne, in the role of chief manipulator.
Mary struggles with her own code of honor and personal morality, which is often in conflict with what is mandated by her family. Still, despite her best intentions, Mary disappoints them, as her nature is not the kind that takes well to intrigue and manipulation, as she has sincere feelings of affection for the King, as well as for the Queen. After bearing the King two children, however, she is set aside by a formidable rival, her own sister, Anne, in whom the Boleyn family now place their hopes and ambitions.
This is, first and foremost, the story of Mary Boleyn, a woman who has generally been reduced to a footnote in history. It is notable, however, that she was the only Boleyn sibling to survive the purges of the Tudor court and who, ultimately, married for love in an age when this was not the norm among those of her class. It is also the story of Anne Boleyn, her rise and fall, as seen through the eyes of her sister, Mary, with whom Anne was to have a lifelong rivalry.
To a lesser degree, it is also the story of their brother, George, a more remote, though no less interesting, personage. His interjection into the story is necessary, as the author attempts to address the issue of incest that arose at the trial of George and Anne Boleyn. She gives quite an interesting perspective on the issue, weaving it, part and parcel, into the story in an effort to explain his downfall, as well his betrayal by his own wife.
Told against the magnificent backdrop of the Tudor Court in all its splendor and majesty, the author weaves a complex tale of greed, ambition, sex, and political machination, as well as unparalleled intrigue, in sixteenth century England. Filled with well-fleshed characters taken right out of the annals of history, the story is one that is sure to delight all those with a love for well-written historical fiction. In particular, fans of beloved author, Jean Plaidy, will enjoy this book.
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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
Henry VIII's Other Woman..., 3 Jan 2002
By A Customer
Having read other books by Phillippa Gregory (the "Wideacre" Trilogy and "The Wise Woman") I suspected that I would not be disappointed by this...and I was right. "The Other Boleyn Girl" is a fascinating insight into the world of the Tudors, combining fact and fiction seamlessly to create an unputdownable book. I have even looked up further information on the story's narrator, Mary Boleyn, on the Internet as a result! I think anyone would enjoy "The Other Boleyn Girl", especially those with more than a passing interest in the Tudors. I couldn't have spent a more enjoyable long haul flight if I'd tried!
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I cant recommend this book highly enough. I was not a great fan of historical fiction but I have not been able to put this book down! I have always found the tudor era fascinating and this book brings that period to life and makes you feel as though you are really there. I was aware that the book is not historically correct at times, and as long as you know that from the start, its a fabulous read. Buy it you wont be disappointed, I have just ordered two more of Philippa Gregory's books as i enjoyed this one so much.
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