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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
The Other Boleyn Girl RATING: 1.5 stars.
Bit fat "meh". No regard for historical accuracy and the characters were pretty flat. The book was boring and the dialogue was basic and forced. Did not like.The idea was not bad, but the book did drag on and on a lot more than it needed to. This was supposedly the story of Mary Boleyn, but actually it was just another version of Anne Boleyn's story.Anne Boleyn is portrayed in a very unrealistic way, the dislike for this historical figure is quite obvious. She has absolutely no redeeming qualities.
As for Mary she is too meek and a bit dumb. This historical period is rich in social and religious change but none of that is shown in the book. It's all about court intrigue, except court intrigue was about power and here it's only about throwing women at the King for money and land. I just thought it was too soap-opera-ish.
Bit fat "meh". No regard for historical accuracy and the characters were pretty flat. The book was boring and the dialogue was basic and forced. Did not like.The idea was not bad, but the book did drag on and on a lot more than it needed to. This was supposedly the story of Mary Boleyn, but actually it was just another version of Anne Boleyn's story.Anne Boleyn is portrayed in a very unrealistic way, the dislike for this historical figure is quite obvious. She has absolutely no redeeming qualities.
As for Mary she is too meek and a bit dumb. This historical period is rich in social and religious change but none of that is shown in the book. It's all about court intrigue, except court intrigue was about power and here it's only about throwing women at the King for money and land. I just thought it was too soap-opera-ish.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really enjoyed this book. This was my first Philippa Gregory book and I would definitely read more. The story takes you to the times of Henry VIII and the women that were his wives. It is a historical fiction and a great read. Definitely a soap opera for the time period. It really gave me perspective as to how things were run in that time period.
This book is garbage. The historical inaccuracies are nothing compared to the sexism.
I read this for my reading challenge category "Popular author you've avoided"
This book was way too long, needed better editing. The author definitely took a lot of creative license with a very well known history (ie Mary was not at court when Anne was queen).
This book was way too long, needed better editing. The author definitely took a lot of creative license with a very well known history (ie Mary was not at court when Anne was queen).
Pretty astoundingly inaccurate, both in fact and setting, and the prose is decent at best and often juvenile. I stopped reading it several times due to the wince factor before reading beyond the first few chapters. But in the end it's a fun and surprisingly engaging read. Great for airplanes and bad weather and sick days when you don't want to tax yourself too much.
This is a very entertaining look at court life in the Tudor dynasty.
Amazing book and of course it is much better than the movie! I read every single book in the Tudors "series" and I couldn't put any of them down. All of the historical facts are sound and it gives such a great insight to the important women of Tudor history. I have read multiple books about King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and the Tudors but so far Philippa Gregory writes the best.
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was well outside my typical reading comfort zone and my first time reading a) Philippa Gregory and b) a Tudor-era historical fiction. I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did. I was hooked into the court politics quite quickly and weirdly invested in the characters. Gregory can sure write some characters! I grew to loathe some while rooting for others. I didn't even realize until the author's note that these characters actually existed, but Gregory sure brought them to life. The ending was a stitch rushed, but that's a very minor quibble in a 660 page book I thoroughly enjoyed.
The device of telling the story from Mary Boleyn's (the less famous sister of Queen Anne Boleyn) viewpoint was genius as it gave you someone sympathetic to follow through all the intrigue and adultery and court politics. Mary's love for her children makes her easier to manipulate, but it also makes her easier to identify with. This isn't the type of book I'd normally pick up, but I ended up really enjoying it.