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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
i REALLY enjoyed this book.
the characters felt incredibly real, and i felt like i was beside them the whole time
it dragged a bit in the middle, but other than that i adored this
the characters felt incredibly real, and i felt like i was beside them the whole time
it dragged a bit in the middle, but other than that i adored this
I listened to the abridged audio version of this. Basically I got the jist. Making Anne Boleyn the villain was an....interesting take on things. I didn't love it to be honest.
It’s too long and I just don’t care. I may try again later.
3.5 stars. There’s nothing really wrong with this book, I just found myself bored by the pacing. Not because it’s slow, but kind of the opposite: because I didn’t get to linger in scenes or as much description as I might have enjoyed. This just wasn’t the writing style for me, but lots of others enjoy it.
dark
emotional
sad
I found myself wishing I read this before I saw the movie. Obviously, there's just a lot more to the book, and the book is a lot more scandalicious, which I like. Although I very much enjoyed it, this is a one-time-read book for me, but I also find myself wanting to read Gregory's other works.
2023 Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book about divorce
Read this many years ago and loved it. It holds up - still loved it. I should read more Philippa Gregory.
Read this many years ago and loved it. It holds up - still loved it. I should read more Philippa Gregory.
Much of the world’s history is told through the male perspective, wars of men, exploration by men, policies passed by men, discoveries made by men. There is no shortage of men doing and achieving great things because men also kept historical records. King Henry VIII is one of the most well known British monarchs. Though admittedly, not for the best of reasons. King Henry VIII is known for his lust of women, he had six wives, and infidelity, again he had six wives. One of the things he is well known for is beheading two of his six wives. His other legacy begins when he separates from Katherine of Aragon. To separate from her he broke from the Rome and the Catholic church. The byproduct of this is the English Reformation. His name is known, but what of his mistresses and wives? Did they fear they would end up divorced or beheaded? Philippa Gregory is not content with vicariously receiving these women’s accounts. Therefore Gregory researches and recreates a record of one of King Henry VIII’s mistresses, Mary Boleyn. The Other Boleyn Girl is a dramatized account of the affair between the two Boleyn sisters and the King. Gregory chooses Mary as her protagonist to elevate her from being a singular footnote in history. Gregory demonstrates in The Other Boleyn Girl how women used their sex appeal and gossip as a source of resistance to influence and gain power.
The Other Boleyn Girl is a work of historical fiction, therefore, it is prudent to separate fact from fiction. The novel begins in the Spring of 1521 with Mary Boleyn, age 13, attending an execution with her father, brother, and husband. The Duke of Buckinghamshire, Mary’s uncle, is being executed for treason in speaking out against the king, “he was supposed to have said that the king had no son and heir now, could get no son and heir, and that he would likely die without a song to succeed him to the throne” (Other Boleyn Girl, 9). Mary disbelievingly watches as her uncle is beheaded. The Boleyn family perceives the vulnerability and desperation felt by the King to produce a male heir and hatch a plan for Mary to become his mistress and give the King what he desires most. Mary and her husband follow their families decided to have Mary pursue the King. Mary is successful, yet realizes what is at stake. Once Mary is publically seen as the King’s mistress should not return to her husband- her financial safety. Audaciously Mary states that were she to lose her husband and Henry, “[she] could bare that...I realized that I don’t need the court and the green and the king...I liked riding out and looking at the farmland. I liked talking to the farmers and watching their crops and seeing how things grow” (Other Boleyn Girl, 72). Mary does not have to worry because the King does accept her.
While Mary is pregnant the Boleyn family positions Anne pursue the King, worried that the King would grow tired of Mary. Mary gives birth to a girl naming it after Katherine of Aragon, the King’s wife. Mary and the King have another baby together, this time a boy, but by this point, the King has chosen to court Anne over Mary. By this time King Henry has left the Catholic church and divorces Katherine. The King marries Anne. Anne has a child, Elizabeth, but is unsuccessful in producing a male heir. In her desperation, she adopts Mary’s son as her own and also has an affair with her brother in hopes she will be able to produce a son. The resulting child is deformed and rumors spread at court. Anne and her brother are put to death, as a result, leaving Jane Seymour to assume the position of queen. It is amazing that a story this dramatic is mostly true. Gregory heavily relies on historical records to anchor her story. Mary did have two children though it is unclear if they were Henry’s. Mary also was married to William Carey and then to William Stafford. The latter of which resulted in her banishment from court. Gregory did not have to completely reinvent history to showcase the influence and power of these women. They truly were key players at court.
What Gregory does show in her novel is how these women operated and were able to manipulate spaces and people to their advantage. The women of the court are smart and astute. Girls learn the way of court and carefully craft their personas to fit in, “Madge was only a young girl but she had grown up quickly at court. She knew that her chances of a good marriage depended on the careful balance of catching a man’s desire without letting a shadow fall on her reputation” (Other Boleyn Girl, 483). While social climbing might be an ambition placed upon a woman in the court, she has freedom and control within how well she plays the part of the lady. Mary wanted a quiet life and was able to achieve that goal through her a secret marriage to someone of lower status, William Stafford. This marriage allowed her the ability to leave the court and live the life she wanted. Mary used her sex appeal to first win favor with the King and when she decided she had enough of court she made the decision to pursue someone who would offer a way out. Gossip is another tactic used by the more marginalized group at court. Gossip is used as a tactic to separate Anne and the King. It is the gossip that Anne was a witch and adulterer that sent her to the Tower. George Boleyn is also a victim of gossip. Through gossip, it is revealed that George is a homosexual, ”[the King] won’t find out. I know you heard of it but that...was gossiping” (Other Boleyn Girl, 484). In this way, Gregory demonstrates how people in more marginalized spaces find avenues to exert small amounts of agency over situations.
The actual relation between the Boleyn family and Henry VIII is filled with plotting and scheming to get ahead socially. Dr. Clark, researcher of gender politics in the Tudor period at the University of London, wrote in an article that, “when [history is] broadened to include the wives, sisters, daughters, and ladies-in-waiting of the protagonists, the story becomes more nuanced. We begin to understand the impact of the divorce, not only on the courtiers’ own marriages but on their families.” (Clark). After King Henry VIII’s death, Britain would fall into the war as siblings fought sibling and Catholics fought Protestants. The women in Henry VIII’s court were influenced and impacted this moment in history by. Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl gives a voice to these women who would otherwise be considered, “anything more than counters to play into the marriage game” (Other Boleyn Girl, 645). Women discreetly exerted their agency in The Other Boleyn Girl by using their sexual appeal and gossip as a source of resistance. Gregory uses historical events to create strong feminist characters within a time period where women had little to now agency which makes for a refreshing take on a well known moment in history.
The Other Boleyn Girl is a work of historical fiction, therefore, it is prudent to separate fact from fiction. The novel begins in the Spring of 1521 with Mary Boleyn, age 13, attending an execution with her father, brother, and husband. The Duke of Buckinghamshire, Mary’s uncle, is being executed for treason in speaking out against the king, “he was supposed to have said that the king had no son and heir now, could get no son and heir, and that he would likely die without a song to succeed him to the throne” (Other Boleyn Girl, 9). Mary disbelievingly watches as her uncle is beheaded. The Boleyn family perceives the vulnerability and desperation felt by the King to produce a male heir and hatch a plan for Mary to become his mistress and give the King what he desires most. Mary and her husband follow their families decided to have Mary pursue the King. Mary is successful, yet realizes what is at stake. Once Mary is publically seen as the King’s mistress should not return to her husband- her financial safety. Audaciously Mary states that were she to lose her husband and Henry, “[she] could bare that...I realized that I don’t need the court and the green and the king...I liked riding out and looking at the farmland. I liked talking to the farmers and watching their crops and seeing how things grow” (Other Boleyn Girl, 72). Mary does not have to worry because the King does accept her.
While Mary is pregnant the Boleyn family positions Anne pursue the King, worried that the King would grow tired of Mary. Mary gives birth to a girl naming it after Katherine of Aragon, the King’s wife. Mary and the King have another baby together, this time a boy, but by this point, the King has chosen to court Anne over Mary. By this time King Henry has left the Catholic church and divorces Katherine. The King marries Anne. Anne has a child, Elizabeth, but is unsuccessful in producing a male heir. In her desperation, she adopts Mary’s son as her own and also has an affair with her brother in hopes she will be able to produce a son. The resulting child is deformed and rumors spread at court. Anne and her brother are put to death, as a result, leaving Jane Seymour to assume the position of queen. It is amazing that a story this dramatic is mostly true. Gregory heavily relies on historical records to anchor her story. Mary did have two children though it is unclear if they were Henry’s. Mary also was married to William Carey and then to William Stafford. The latter of which resulted in her banishment from court. Gregory did not have to completely reinvent history to showcase the influence and power of these women. They truly were key players at court.
What Gregory does show in her novel is how these women operated and were able to manipulate spaces and people to their advantage. The women of the court are smart and astute. Girls learn the way of court and carefully craft their personas to fit in, “Madge was only a young girl but she had grown up quickly at court. She knew that her chances of a good marriage depended on the careful balance of catching a man’s desire without letting a shadow fall on her reputation” (Other Boleyn Girl, 483). While social climbing might be an ambition placed upon a woman in the court, she has freedom and control within how well she plays the part of the lady. Mary wanted a quiet life and was able to achieve that goal through her a secret marriage to someone of lower status, William Stafford. This marriage allowed her the ability to leave the court and live the life she wanted. Mary used her sex appeal to first win favor with the King and when she decided she had enough of court she made the decision to pursue someone who would offer a way out. Gossip is another tactic used by the more marginalized group at court. Gossip is used as a tactic to separate Anne and the King. It is the gossip that Anne was a witch and adulterer that sent her to the Tower. George Boleyn is also a victim of gossip. Through gossip, it is revealed that George is a homosexual, ”[the King] won’t find out. I know you heard of it but that...was gossiping” (Other Boleyn Girl, 484). In this way, Gregory demonstrates how people in more marginalized spaces find avenues to exert small amounts of agency over situations.
The actual relation between the Boleyn family and Henry VIII is filled with plotting and scheming to get ahead socially. Dr. Clark, researcher of gender politics in the Tudor period at the University of London, wrote in an article that, “when [history is] broadened to include the wives, sisters, daughters, and ladies-in-waiting of the protagonists, the story becomes more nuanced. We begin to understand the impact of the divorce, not only on the courtiers’ own marriages but on their families.” (Clark). After King Henry VIII’s death, Britain would fall into the war as siblings fought sibling and Catholics fought Protestants. The women in Henry VIII’s court were influenced and impacted this moment in history by. Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl gives a voice to these women who would otherwise be considered, “anything more than counters to play into the marriage game” (Other Boleyn Girl, 645). Women discreetly exerted their agency in The Other Boleyn Girl by using their sexual appeal and gossip as a source of resistance. Gregory uses historical events to create strong feminist characters within a time period where women had little to now agency which makes for a refreshing take on a well known moment in history.
I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. Now I am totally hooked on Philippa Gregory.
Not great, just a kind of historical thriller/bodice-ripper. It attempts to humanize the characters - Mary Boleyn in particular - by having the main character speak in the first person. This is a risky device that often falls flat if not carried forth by a master-writer. It is difficult - nay, presumptuous! - to attempt to "know" what was going on in the minds of people of another place and another time. I felt too much of a late-twentieth century perspective and mind-set coming through.