Rating: 
Summary: Enthralling!
Review: I don't usually read historical fiction, but this book has inspired me to give the genre another try! It is like a romantic thriller but more fascinating because it is based on historical events. The book is hard to put down and I got very little else accomplished once I started it. It was a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience and I am recommending it to all of my friends.
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Summary: Merry Old England . . . and a lot more
Review: This gigantic and sprawling undertaking by Philippa Gregory is one of the most entertaining reads I've come across in a while. Thirteen-year-old Mary is the narrator of this twisted and bizarre tale. Someone once said that "truth is stranger than fiction" and that would more than adequately describe "The Other Boleyn Girl." Hate, lust, almost-incest, and sibling rivalry are only a few of the note worthy components of this stellar read. Well written and paced well, this latest page turner is sure to please. While I'm usually one to stick with tried and true bestsellers like "The Rule of Four" or "Bark of the Dogwood" I did decide to give this novel a chance, and I'm glad I did. This isn't something I would normally pick up, but if it's any indication of what's out there, I'm going to shop around. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Frabjous
Review: The Other Boleyn Girl reminds me of a play, with characters constantly exiting and entering. It is Shakespearian in the motives and plotting of the players. Although some of the events could make a reader queasy, it should be noted that the book IS set in the era of Henry the VIII, and beheading was not such an uncommon thing...
Rating:
Summary: Flawless Execution
Review: This is a mesmerizing tale of the court of King Henry VIII and his illicit romances. Motivated by pride and greed, the Boleyn family is nearly destoyed by their wicked scheming and England is never the same. The illusions, terror and emotion of the characters is palpable.Philippa Gregory writes with sensual realism that whisks her readers away to this tortured--albeit lovely world. This book is enticing and exciting.
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Summary: Bad sentence structure spoils it
Review: I am a Tudor history buff, and was somewhat bothered by the distortion of historical fact in the novel. My biggest complaint, however, is that I found it very poorly written. Within the first fifty pages I found a large number of problems in sentence structure, such as run-on sentences (two phrases, with different thoughts, separated by a comma instead of a semi colon or period); phrases, rather than whole sentences, as one "sentence;" long sentences that were hard to follow; and errors in punctuation. It seems to have skipped the editing process. I found my annoyance at the bad writing, together with the bad history, detracted from my enjoyment of the book
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Summary: Gregory's Research Apparent and Results in Winner
Review: I am a huge lover of historical fiction, first seduced by the writings of Issac Asimov and more recently the likes of Charles Fraiser, or Stephen Ambrose. Of course, most all of those stories focus primarially on "male issues," which by virtue of the time period, is usually the subject of war or plight of a particular peoples. Philippa Gregory's novel truly illuminates "female issues" from the persective of a woman who is most representative of her peers. She skillfuly weaves threads, fibers and bolts of corruption, scandal, dysfunction, sorrow, pain, with adornments of love, joy, success, achievement and happiness, to reveal a rich tapestry of societal mores, family dynamics and politics that so obviously define the tenuous and fragile nature of life during the Tudor reign. It is also evident that the subject was well researched to provide an intelligent and sophisticated read. The focus on how women were perceived, valued and utilized, coupled with the prevalence of abuse, neglect, power and control to dictate the lives of Tudor women, even amongst themselves, draws a frightening parallel to the lives of women today. The book is outstanding and will bring pause for reflection to any who read it, and, begs the question, when will we learn from our past?
Rating:
Summary: An easy five stars
Review: This book was an easy five stars. Could actually be six. Of the three books that I've recently come across, this was probably the best. The other two were "The Bark of the Dogwood" and a book titled "Birth of Venus." All three were great, but, being a Tudor fan, I found "The Other Boleyn Girl" fascinating. With its well-developed characters and great settings, this one is a sure hit.Also recommend: Birth of Venus and Bark of the Dogwood
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Summary: amazing - i loved it
Review: this book was impossible to put down. i raced to the finish and was sad when the book ended. i can't wait to read more from Philippa Gregory. She made this period of time in history come alive. Fascinating, entertaining, and very readable.
Rating:
Summary: Two sisters playing for the highest possible stakes...
Review: Philippa Gregory's "The Other Boleyn Girl" is an utterly fascinating and masterfully written story. While there are a few places where Gregory has taken more artistic liberty with history than I would have liked, the overall effect of the book as a story in itself is terrific. Most people will have heard of Anne Boleyn, the ill-fated second wife of England's King Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth I. Little attention, however, is paid to Mary Boleyn, Anne's sister. Mary was one of Henry's many mistresses and had two children by him, but few texts say much else about her. She is, in every sense, the "other Boleyn girl" of the title. Therefore, Gregory's choice of Mary as the narrator for this story lends it a fresh and intriguing perspective on life in the Tudor court and her sister's well-known rise and fall. The book opens in 1521, with a young and naive 13-year-old Mary watching the execution of her uncle, the Duke of Buckinghamshire. It then skips ahead to the following year, when Anne returns from France and enters service alongside her sister as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine of Aragon. Though historians are not entirely certain which Boleyn girl was the eldest, the author has chosen, for this story, to place Anne's birth one year ahead of Mary's. As it becomes apparent that the Queen is unlikely to provide the King with a male heir, and also that Henry has taken a fancy to the nubile Mary, the Boleyn family is quick to push this youngest Boleyn girl into the King's bed. Their hope is that she will bear him a son and that Henry might eventually marry her. They would then be blood relations to the future King of England, making them the most powerful family in the country. Mary quickly provides Henry with two children - first a daughter and then a son. After the second child is born, however, the King's attraction to Mary begins to wane. It is then that Anne decides to play for the King's favor herself. The two sisters find themselves to be both fierce rivals and each other's only allies at the same time. Eventually Mary steps aside as Anne aspires to the greatest prize of all, the Queenship of England. From here on we see the Boleyn girls take very different courses in life. Anne must do everything she can to hold Henry's attention and maintain her position. Mary, meanwhile, wants nothing more than to leave the duplicitious world of the court behind and settle into a peaceful life in the country. But she cannot be free while Anne needs her help. We watch Mary struggle with her opposing duties and desires right up until the end of the story in 1536. While the story is excellent, I do have a few quibbles with Gregory's twists on history. The real Anne Boleyn was not so cold and heartless as she is portrayed to be in this novel. She was simply highly ambitious and lacking in propriety and discretion. Likewise, Mary was not as overwhelmingly innocent and virtuous as Gregory would have us believe. She, too, was ambitious, and schemed along with her family. I must admit, however, that for the sake of the story these adjustments by the author are beneficial. What disturbs me more is Gregory's implication that Anne had an affair with her brother, George Rochford. This was, of course, one of the accusations that led to her execution, but most modern historians agree that it is highly unlikely that it actually happened. An excellent book for more information on Anne Boleyn is Alison Weir's "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" - I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about any of Henry's wives. Despite the fact that Gregory made some alterations to Mary's and Anne's dispositions, she nevertheless did a spot-on job with most of the other key players in the book. Her portrayal of King Henry VIII in particular was excellent. Based on all I have read about him (and I've read quite a bit), she has captured his personality perfectly. We see his transformation over time from the robust, fit, flirtatious youth to the obese and moody tyrant of his elder days. In fact, Gregory seems to have a gift for showing changes in a character's personality over time. She has done the same thing with Mary. At the beginning of the book she is young and almost irritatingly naive, but by the end she has grown into a strong, intelligent, and well-rounded woman. It is fascinating to watch these changes unfold. This is the first of Philippa Gregory's novels that I have read, but I'll definitely be reading more in the future. She is a gifted writer and I like her style. There is enough of a factual basis to keep the story plausible, but she adds her own interpretations that lend much intrique and excitement. Though the book takes place in the 16th century, Gregory has modernized the dialogue to a point where it still sounds authentic but is much easier to read. This is definitely a worthwhile book for any historical fiction buff, and while it's not a completely accurate history of the time, it is nevertheless a colorful look at the Tudor court and a fascinating story. Don't take it as a history lesson, but definitely do read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great read!!
Review: Someone in my book club picked this book and I thought I would hate it since I am usually not interested in anything historical. It's about 2 sisters in King Henry's court and these girls endure SO much. I must say, I could not put this book down! I loved all the twists and turns. It is a very long book but I got interested very quickly and that made it easy to read.
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