Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Review: I loved this book....Ms. Gregory did a phenomenal job to keep this story entertaining, interesting and highly readable. After reading this, I was prompted to learn more about the Boleyn sisters, though there is hardly any information on Mary. From what I've read about Anne Boleyn, Ms. Gregory has the story very accurate, even though it is a fictional book. Definately read this book!!!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful read that stays with you
Review: I was never interested in historical novels and knew very little about this time period, but I found this book incredibly interesting. I could not put it down and didn't want the story to end. I would recomend this book to anyone, even if they are not interested in historical novels. I enjoyed the perfect blend of historical accuracy and the imagined emotions of the characters. It is a glimpse into what time was like during this very interesting time period. The story and characters will stay with the readers for a long time.
Rating: 
Summary: Why does everyone blame Anne Boleyn?
Review: Creating Anne Boleyn as the caricature of a mean spirited, ambitious and conniving woman perpetuates the myth that women are the downfall of men. It shows how Anne Boleyn is the temptation and how Henry VIII took the bait. In order to marry Anne, the King decides to renounce the Papacy and form his own Church. This book also doesn't do much in terms of any feminist interpretation of the Boleyn sisters. Gregory reinforces how the good and virtuous Mary ends up well taken care of and lives the life she always wanted by being patient, caring and loyal. On the other hand, Anne ends up beheaded because of her ambitions to be in a position of power. Is Gregory saying that all women who strive to be in a position of power are evil and conniving? I found this book to be in very poor taste. It was historically inaccurate and degrades women.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Story, Poor Style
Review: This book shows lots of possibilities, but while I am reading it I am distracted by her poorly written tag lines in her characters' dialogue, and her sex scenes are too graphic for my taste. She leaves little to the readers' imagination. Regarding the tag lines, she uses far too many adverbs, such as "Anne said desperately" or "he said staunchly." In some cases, they are repeated on several different pages. Such -ly adverbs should have all been edited out, except for the ones which concern the volume of a characters' speech (e.g. "He said softly" is acceptable, because "softly" cannot be shown by a character's body language, etc., whereas emotions can. In short, simple "he said's" and "she said's" should have been all she used. Adverbial tag lines are distracting.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting at first, but then.....
Review: Like many others who have read this book, I've been fascinated by the Tudor era and have read quite a lot about it. I enjoyed the idea of a story written from the perspective of the sister and it was interesting up to a point, but then....
Anne Boleyn is portrayed as such a hideous harridan that it's almost unbelievable that Henry VIII would have put up with her. Philippa Gregory has also taken every single accusation and rumor thrown at Anne during her trial (when her enemies were hell bent on character assassination) and uses them all as fact. (brief spoiler), When Anne essentially gives birth to Rosemary's Baby/Eraserhead I actually laughed out loud.
A good attempt, but ultimately this book disappointed me.
Rating:
Summary: Great period chick lit
Review: Totally exciting read from beginning to end
Rating:
Summary: an enthralling tale from a new perspective
Review: I absolutely loved this book. I've read much Allison Weir and Margaret George, and while they are great, this book reads much more like a novel. There is a Q&A with the author in the back which explains how much is historically accurate (and from what sources) and how much is fiction. There are also discussion questions to use if you are reading the book for a report or book club. This book primarily focuses on Mary Boleyn. I don't think there is quite as much available material on Mary as on Ann and it was great to have one possibility of her viewpoint of this terrible and exciting time in England's history. I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction as well as newcomers to the genre. If you haven't learned to love historical fiction yet, you will with this book. I am just waiting for more from Gregory to satisfy my appetite.
Rating: 
Summary: Read this one it is great!!
Review: I read a lot and was looking for something a little different when I picked this up at the bookstore. I do not usually read historical fiction. But I thought I should try something different and I am so glad I did. This book is well written and the characters are developed very well. I began to identify with the Characters and became very involved in the story. It is true that historically it may not be the most acurate but to those who are so critical of that let me remind you this is FICTION. YOu may want to try something nonficiton or biographical if you are looking for straight history.
This book is a big book and may seem intimidating but it is not, I found it to be an easy read and I found myself up late at night trying to finish it. When I did finish it I was sorry it was over but so glad I had read it. I am now a huge Philippa Gregory fan and have already started another Of her books "Wildacre".
Rating:
Summary: What more can I say?
Review: Everything I feel about this book has already been said. It is slow moving and riddled with historical inaccuracies. I can forgive the boring writing style, because it is not my type of book. The incorrect facts, however, are harder to ignore. There are very few facts known about Mary Bolyen it shouldn't be too hard to keep them straight. That being said, if the story interests you, read it merely as a work of fiction. Then, get some Alison Weir for the history.
Rating:
Summary: The best book I've read in a long time!
Review: This is a wonderful book revealing the way of life in England in the Middle Ages. The little known Mary Boleyn telling the story of her family and her sister Anne as queen of England gives insite previously unknown. This is actually as romance novel, but it gives a real feel for the subordination of women during the time of Henry VIII. It made me want to learn more about Henry's other wives. A great quick read even though it's over 600 pages. I couldn't put it down!
| 
