Rating: 
Summary: Great work of historical fiction
Review: The Other Boleyn Girl tells the story of Mary Boleyn, sister to the infamous Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII. Mary becomes caught up in a series of political intrigues, as her family plots to become more powerful, especially against the Seymour family. Mary gives birth to Henry's child; in the meantime, Anne swoops in to take her place as Henry's mistress. Serving as backdrop is Henry VIII's court in the 16th century, where Henry and Katherine of Aragon's marriage is coming to an end. Tired of Katherine for not being able to produce a male heir, Henry breaks away from the Catholic Church in England and starts his own, so that he may divorce his wife. Philippa Gregory describes all of this in startling detail, as we watch Anne and Mary Boleyn vie for the King's affection. Power and status is what drives everybody involved. Its a fascinating look into life at court under the reign of Henry VIII. We get to see what Anne Boleyn was really like. Of course, we've heard stories, but I was amazed to see just what kinds of things she could do. Mary was the best kind of narrator for this novel, as we got to see firsthand the court and its going-ons. We often see Katherine of Aragon depicted in the history books as the frumpy, housfrou; here she becomes a real, genuine, loyal woman, who wouldn't give up her religion, no matter how much she loved her husband. That spoke of real character and courage on her part. The book takes us up to Anne's beheading. Again dissatisfied with the fact that he does not have a male heir, Henry trumps up charges of adultery against Anne. The ending is frightening, an account of what such a gruesome moment might have been like. It is said that, when the executioner lifted up Anne's head afterwards, the mouth moved. Gregory uses exquisite details to describe this event, and many others throughout the book. I've read many other works on historical fiction, and none other compares to The Other Boleyn Girl. It is very definitely a book worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Wish I would have paid attention in high school!!
Review: But of course I didn't. This book was wonderful! A thick book but def a page turner! It starts out with a beheading and ends in the worst tradegy but I hope Mary went on and had a wonderful life.
What it must have been like to be made to marry someone you really don't want to and to have to do various other things. I would love to read a sequel to this book to see how Mary and William are doing!!
We follow Mary as a preteen and her love with the King and her slow decline while her sister has caught the King's eye. The jealousy of sisters! WOW! George the brother has quite a part in this story, more so I am sure! There is death, love, friendship, although not much and more in this book!
BRAVO!! Def one of my fav authors now!
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down!
Review: Philippa Gregory has taken a well known story- about Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn- and created an enthralling read. The story of the seduction of Henry VIII by Anne Boleyn is told through the eyes of her younger sister, who also has 2 children with the king. Both sisters are pressured into pursuing the king by their family which is hungry for power. The narration delves into the motives and mindset of the main characters. This may be history, but it reads like a world class novel!
Rating:
Summary: History comes to life
Review: I was intimidated by the size of this novel, but was very quickly drawn into this tale of Mary, the lesser known of the Boleyn girls. The author does a fabulous job of making these historical sisters come to life and presents a compelling tale beginning at Anne Boleyn's introduction to the English court, always showing them as three-dimensional people with real desires, needs, and inner conflicts due to their outer circumstances.
I found it so intriguing to learn more about this time period and the relationship of Anne to Mary, and to their family, and to the royal family. As with many of Gregory's books, I feel like I know these people who lived long ago and want to learn more.
Rating:
Summary: Like eating a whole box of truffles!!!!!!
Review: Like eating a whole box of truffles!!!!!! You just cannot stop yourself from sheer delight! I have NEVER been a historical fiction fan, and I know this may not be the most accurate book- but this was one of the most enjoyable books I have read. I could not put this book down...I knew what the ending would ultimately be- Anne's beheading, yet still could not wait to see what happened to Mary. I read at least two books a week and as a result go through a lot of garbage- I have recommended this book to everyone I know that loves a good read- Not a lot of deep thinking involved, just a delightful story!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: The story of King Henry VIII and his six wives is almost common knowledge. Among those six lucky ladies there was Anne Boleyn. She was Henry's second wife. A lot is known about Anne but there is not much talk of her little sister, Mary Boleyn. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory is a story about Anne's sister Mary. In this novel Gregory shows the bitter sibling rivalry that is aided by their cruel families in order to raise their status within Henry's court.
The story starts in the spring of 1521 in London at the Tower where the young Mary, at the young age of thirteen, watches as her uncle is beheaded. Mary was married at the age of twelve to William Carey, and then started her career in the Tudor court at this young age. This pretty young girl caught the roving eye of the young king at fourteen. At this point Mary lives at court with her husband, but relies greatly on her family, especially her sophisticated sister Anne, with whom she always has a rivalry, and her kindly but somewhat secretive brother George. She is ordered by her family to become his mistress which soon becomes tricky business because she is young, naïve, and worries of the Queen's, whom she greatly respects, feelings. Also, she ends up falling in love with the King. Eventually she does become his mistress, which gave her a lot of joy. She will give Henry both a daughter and a son during their love affair. During her second pregnancy, Henry's eyes begin to wander to other woman. The Boleyns are very intent on keeping Henry's eyes on only woman within their family, so they put Anne in charge of keeping Henry's interest on her. Henry soon forgets Mary, and Mary is content with her children and would be happy to spend the rest of her days with her children living is at their family estate in Hever. But the manipulative Anne would not let Mary leave her side while she was in Henry's favor. Anne callously keeps Mary from her children and eventually adopts Mary's son as her own, taking him from his mother. Anne does this after her marriage to Henry when she begins to fear that she will never give the king what her sister had given him, which was the son he desired. The rest of the story to Anne's marriage to Henry VIII is well known to most. What is important in this novel is that Mary is the only sibling to escape from a tragic ending.
Mary and Anne lived their lives in a constant rivalry between one another. Mary worries in the beginning that Anne would have a better marriage then her own and secretly wishes Anne's boat would sink while she is returning from France. The family fuels this rivalry, and when Mary has the favor of the king Anne was ordered to help Mary in every way to keep Henry's attention on Mary. Mary, while not as ambitious as her sister, liked having Anne as second best. It gave Mary pleasure to see her sister in her old dresses while she wore new ones given to her by the king. However, soon the fickle Henry's favor changes to Anne and Mary is put in the shadows. Mary now has to take the position of aiding Henry's favored girl, her sister, as their roles are reversed. Now the more powerful of the two sisters, Anne is a spiteful and hateful person. It gives Anne pleasure to order her sister around and to see her in pain. Although it may appear that Anne wins in their rivalry because she gains the title of Queen, in the end she is beheaded after three short years as Henry's wife. On the other hand Mary, while not Queen or Henry's wife, lives the life she always wanted in the country with her children.
Mary's character is very different from Anne's ambitious nature. Mary is compassionate and was never aiming to gain money or power from her relationship with Henry. She did it all for her love of Henry. This shows the depth of her naiveté. She follows every order that her family gives her. Later in the book, after losing Henry's favor, Mary never expected Anne to take her children, even though it is obvious that Anne is an evil conniving person that would do anything for the crown. It is apparent that Anne and her brother George are having an incestuous relationship with each other in the story that Mary seems unaware of. Mary is even present in the room for a very un-sisterly/brotherly kiss that happened between the two. George and Mary were the true parents to the second deformed child that Anne borne but Mary never acknowledged the relationship. Also, the beginning of the book while witnessing her uncle's beheading, the young Mary kept waiting for the king to come and pardon him. She believed until the ax fell that the king would save him but he did not. Then, at the end, in the same place and situation, with her on the chopping block, she again believed that somehow her sister would be given a pardon from the king and saved. Yet again Mary is proven wrong and her sister is not saved. This shows that even after all these harsh years in court she is just as naïve as she was from the beginning.
This was a great book but if you are looking for something that is based on strict historical facts, then this is not the book for you. Although based on actual historical facts, this book is an entirely fictional story. It is an interesting story based on two sisters, one of whom is the Queen of England for a short time. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good book to read, especially for those who like realistic, historical fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Page-Turner
Review: A different take on the story of Anne Boleyn, this novel is told by her overlooked sister, Mary, who was Henry VIII's mistress before he became besotted with Anne. Gregory uses modern language and expressions in her writing, so this novel does not drag a modern reader through a field of Thees and Thous, which IS more historically accurate, but frankly I am not interested in reading a novel that I have to translate. Lots of sexy court plotting and intrigue make this a page-turner perfect for beach reading or a rainy weekend, but I'm afraid serious history buffs will not appreciate the modern take on the story.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your time.
Review: I read this book through a perioud when I was Anne Boleyn Crazed, and expected it to help highten my fever. Instead, it got quenched. This book,was like an ice cold bucket of water.
I will give her this, if anyone is wondering where the two stars came from:she has beautiful imagery, and a sicknly compelling way of writting. Other than that, this book was a disturbingly trasy novel fit only for the sex-crazed. Need I say more????
SO, IF YOU REMBER NOTHING ELSE BECAUSE SOMEONE HIT YOU OVER THE HEAD WITH THIS STUPID, IDIOTIC, DULL 400+ PAGE BOOK REMEBER THIS: DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME!
Rating:
Summary: First disturbing, ultimately engrossing
Review: When I first began this book I had a difficult time relating to Henry VIII as a "romantic hero", and although I tried to take into account the time-period and presumed factual bones within the fiction, the image of a young Mary Boleyn being married off at the age of 12 and then encouraged (and willing) to engage in an affair with the king at the age of 14 was also something I found hard to reconcile. However, as the character of Mary matures and becomes more conflicted with the values of her ambitious family and the royal court, I became much more invested in her. Therefore, what was first disturbing, ultimately became an engrossing and satisfying piece of historical fiction.
Rating:
Summary: A different take on the story of Anne Boleyn
Review: While reading this book, I was never sure who the 'other Boleyn girl' actually was. At times it referred to Mary Boleyn, Anne's sister who conducted an affair with King Henry and bore him two children, and at other times it seemed to refer to Anne herself, who's driven ambition ultimately led her to the block. This is a nice twist on the title which would lead you to believe that it was only Mary who was considered beneath contempt as the other Boleyn sister's fortunes rose.
The choice of having Mary Boleyn as narrator of this story was inspired as it provides a completely different look at the complexities of court life and an intimate look at what it must have been like to be so tied to the future Queen of England even as your loyalties lay with the current Queen, Katherine of Aragon. Mary is between a rock and a hard place and her guilt and confusion come through so clearly on the pages. Katherine is portrayed sympathetically here as the cuckolded wife who must bear her husband's infidelities even as they happen right in front of her.
As she goes from being the pawn in her family's game to raise the family's name at court to being a mere lady-in-waiting to her sister who manages to usurp her position, she realizes that her ultimate dream would be to own a farm in the country and to raise her children in peace, away from the glittering, cut-throat court. As Anne finally becomes Queen of England, you get Mary's constant commentary on the familiar story of her inability to provide the King with a male heir, her frantic attempt to sustain her crown, and her eventual downfall ending with her beheading. If I didn't already have a picture of her as a selfish manipulator, I would have been absolutely infuriated by her after reading of her behavior in this book!
This is definitely a work of fiction as not much is known about Mary Boleyn, but what entertaining fiction it is! Note: It does help to have a bit of background knowledge about the major players as the names and titles can get a bit confusing.
|
