Other Boleyn Girl, the by Philippa Gregory see more by Philippa Gregory Studio Simon & SchusterLabel Simon & Schuster

Closer Look List Price: £10.62 From: Simon & Schuster From: Simon & Schuster Salesrank: 574097 Released: 2002-06-17 You Save: £ (%)! Lowest New Price: Click Here  Pages: 672 Format: Paperback Customer Rating: Also Shop International: (Not all items available internationally)          Other Boleyn Girl, the Editorial 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 Ms Gregory has worked hard at researching her historical references.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 Customer Reviews: A bulky but throwaway read I had never read any of Phillipa Gregory's work before picking this up. I had seen the film and knew the rudiments of the story, though not enough to be irritated by any historical inaccuracy. I found the story engaging, but mostly because of the sensationalist elements. The writing is cliched and repetitive and the characters two-dimensional. I finished it without much satisfaction. There is a compulsive element to it that stems mostly from the soap-opera plot - cheap thrills and tacky drama, which admittedly are gripping. This is tripe, but reliably readable tripe - the kind of thing you might take on a beach holiday or to keep entertained on a plane journey. Not a life-enriching read and probably not in any way an accurate reflection of Tudor history, but good for a bit of escapism and for passing the time. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory Philippa Gregory does not disappoint. This is a great book, easy to read and very enjoyable. It's also an easy way to learn a bit of history about the Tudor court. I didn't know Anne Boleyn had a sister. Highly recommended. A fresh approach that intrigues Phillipa Gregory brings history alive with thought provoking insight that brings fresh light on a familiar story of the Boleyns. This is my favourite of her novels but all her works make interesting reads. Gripping... I can't really see how the people that gave this book a bad review hated it so much. It is a fiction book that is based on on real events and is subjective to the authors own well founded research. It does not claim to know that everything that she has written is the right and correct version of events, as I said, it is merely subjective. If you want fact, read from well informed historians like Starkey or Schama. As for the book, I found it extremely gripping until the bitter end. The character Mary although appearing slightly wet, dim and slow in stark contrast to her sister literally takes us through the rise and fall of the whole Boleyn family from beginning to end. As well as her rise to favour during the first half of the book we are also invited to view the yet more infamous story of Anne through her sisters eyes. Despite many of the other reviewers stating that there was no element of true personality or charm in the character of Anne, and that she was nothing more than a selfish, ambitious climber who showed little care in her sister but rivallry, maybe this is true, but there were parts in the novel that did show some depth into their level of sisterly relationship. Like the letter from George saying that even though she didnt show it, she missed her and wanted her back when she was away from court, and just the small gestures of intamacy they share, e.g. the really sentiment moment at the end when the three of them are sat huddling in front of the fire, the last time they would probably ever be together. That showed an element of depth to all the characters, including Georges supposed romps with the other men at court and the eyebrow raising incestual implied moments with Anne which made me gasp a good few times! It showed a good sense of the life at the Tudor court, and just how consuming and dangerous it can be. I felt sorry for Anne at the end, even though we werent there with her during her final days. As she said herself, her personality, her wit and temper was what made her, and if she couldn't be who the king married then she may as well have not been there. It wasnt her fault that she was born into a family that would treat her in such a way that would eventually doom her, so yeah, we can all believe what we like in any case. Overall, a gripping and enjoyable read, reccomended for all those interested in Tudor history. What a wonderful book! Firstly, be warned! This book is long. The writing is small and its over 500pages long. I can usually read a book in 3days, this took a week. But it was fantastic and very informative. Who cares if it was not 100% factually correct, I am not sure any historical books can when the world revolved around rumours. But it was very insightful. Gregory really knows how to bring the characters to life, how many time whilst reading this I felt myself attempting to talk in the humourous way her characters did, brilliant! 5 stars for me and I cant wait to read a book about the next generation of kings and queens (Edward and QE1). Related Categories: >> >>Books >>Subjects >>Biography >>Historical >>Britain >>General AAS