Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - The Other Boleyn Girl

Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

6 reviews

devynrj's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I don’t think this book needed to be 600+ pages.
I absolutely despised it at first, and eventually got comfortable with it to finish it and even liked it a bit overall. However, it has plenty of flaws, in my opinion and it’s hard to put my finger on why exactly I came to enjoy it.

I think I liked the constant tension of the pregnancies, gender and viability, and whether or not certain people would ascend or descend kept me hooked.

Admittedly I am not a fan of romance, so this probably wasn’t the book for me in the first place but I want to broaden my horizons and at least attempt to read some more romance focused novels and actual romance isn’t as strong of a point in this as it may seem.
I think a lot of it read like fan fiction I read in middle school (which I acknowledge, it is fan fiction in a way). I found most all of the characters to be pretty unlikeable, including Mary, which made it hard to root for anyone. It did give me more of an interest in the actual facts of the Boleyn’s which is nice.

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tourmaline1703's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

What an innovative reimagining of the Tudor court. I was totally immersed by the drama, the conflict and the romance. Having studied Henry VIII last year, it was really interesting to focus more on the inner workings of the court and to expand on my knowledge. Despite this being the ninth book in a series (which I didn't realise when I picked it up), you don't need any prior knowledge and things are explained as relationships change and crumble, whether that be within families, countries or lovers.
Philippa Gregory writes beautifully and perfectly encapsulated the personalities of every character with their dialogue and mannerisms. You could really feel the emotions of Mary, our narrator, as her life changes. Slight warning that some of the descriptions of childbirth can be quite graphic and disturbing at times, but it does add to the story and is necessary for the final chapter.
Whilst there are some quieter moments in the plot, it all builds and builds, ending on a large event. I think the way the plot quickens and slows reflects the coming and going of the Tudor court well. At times, I wasn't fully paying attention yet could still follow what was going on as the writing can be quite descriptive at times when discussing who is in the room, where they are riding etc, but this reflects the flowery language used at the time.
My relationship and thoughts on the novel's characters is quite complex but I would say the best way I can describe it is I empathise with them and understand their need to protect each other. Of course, these are fictionalised versions of historical figures so the way they are presented differs slightly from who they were but I think it is interesting to flesh out their relationships and emotions. I was uncomfortable at times with the way they acted and it is hard to understand some of the logic behind their actions as they are undoubtedly flawed. However, it is undeniably interesting to read.

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