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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Lovely period drama; Mary Boleyn's narrative voice was annoying at first but I just had to remind myself that she was a young teenage girl after all. As the intrigue develops the novel gains some depth and I found myself rather more interested in Anne's character.
from the moment i started reading it until the end, i was fascinated. i enjoy historical fiction. and i had just finished watching the first season of The Tudors before reading this. the book is very well-written with a lot of detail. i thought it was interesting that it was written from the perspective of Mary including her emotions and feelings. the reader feels what she feels and sees what she sees. after reading this book, i'm very curious what it was like to live in a time of Kings and Queens. with jousts, big hunting trips, dances, feasts, etc. and families strategically placing themselves so they are in the good graces of the King.
When I first read this book, shortly after it's original publication date, I loved it. I like her style of writing and she makes the characters come to life. It was the first book that really kick started my love of Tudor and Renaissance history, rather than just Elizabethan.
However, as I read more and more about the people and the time, I realized how terribly inaccurate this book is. Her portrayals of the people are all wrong, the dates and events are twisted at best, and some of the facts are just blatantly wrong. It's like reading a Tudor soap opera with vaguely familiar characters. She lists all sorts of sources in the back, but it seems as if she read all of the books she could and promptly forgot everything except the names and main points.
My fear is that people will read this as the truth of what happened, as I did originally. However, many people will not continue, as i did, to read on the subject, and this will become what they think is the true history. After all, that's why people read historical fiction. To get the history in a readable form.
I just re-read it for a book discussion at our library, and I think I may be the voice of dissension in the group. :)
I will admit that I am looking forward to the movie, as the clothes look spectacular!
However, as I read more and more about the people and the time, I realized how terribly inaccurate this book is. Her portrayals of the people are all wrong, the dates and events are twisted at best, and some of the facts are just blatantly wrong. It's like reading a Tudor soap opera with vaguely familiar characters. She lists all sorts of sources in the back, but it seems as if she read all of the books she could and promptly forgot everything except the names and main points.
My fear is that people will read this as the truth of what happened, as I did originally. However, many people will not continue, as i did, to read on the subject, and this will become what they think is the true history. After all, that's why people read historical fiction. To get the history in a readable form.
I just re-read it for a book discussion at our library, and I think I may be the voice of dissension in the group. :)
I will admit that I am looking forward to the movie, as the clothes look spectacular!
A very good reminder why historical fiction will probably ALWAYS be my favorite genre, I couldn't put it down!!
As I was reading this book, I could not stop thinking about it. All of the King and Queen drama, and the history was better than any textbook I have read on the history of the English royalty. I know that is it historical fiction, but it was very intriguing. The only downfall to this book, is that it is has some sexual parts that could have been left out.
Really really enjoyed this book - an interesting and new perspective on an already well-known story, which I think made it more interesting anyway. Great vacation read.
it was ok. i think i got bored at times bc i had already read a big, huge historical novel on the tudors about a year ago and i just watched the first couple seasons of the tudors on dvd, therefore, nothing was new or suprising.
I quite enjoyed the book and I am a bit surprised a the feminist comments/thoughts of Mary, and I do wonder if she did have them. I enjoy historical fiction to a point and this did not disappoint. Though Mary is not highly regarded by members of the Boleyn family, she was clearly bright enough to take care of herself well enough to come out on the other side of a relationship with the King.
I had high expectations for this book. Maybe that was my problem. But in the end... horrible horrible. I give this book no stars. Reading this was similar to pulling my own teeth... Ugh.
I really enjoyed this book, though it needs to be taken as a true work of fiction since some of the historical details aren't accurate. Very enjoyable though, especially if you're interested in English history.