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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
This was quite an interesting read. I loved how she mixed facts with fiction. Can't wait to read the others in the series.
After I hated it, I absolutely LOVED it. Thus 4 stars. To preface, I had just finished a sad book, and within the first 75 pages, this one appeared to be following suit. I fell in love with Mary, the 14 year old wife who was told to set aside her husband and be Henry VIII's muse. Ok. I got into the splendor and the merriment. Yet it soon became evident that Mary's Boleyn/Howard family had other ideas which royally set me off. I slammed the cover and decided I really didn't need to know anything more about the Tudors. For two weeks, the novel on my end table taunted me. I finish what I start. I am ever so glad I did. Mostly historically accurate, this saga taught me so much about the Monarchy in the sixteenth century. I was able to grasp why Anne Boleyn is still referred to as a major character in Monarchy change even today. The book was such a page turner, and I read into the wee hours for days and night on end until the conclusion. I supplemented my understanding by reading the somewhat more accurate history with articles online along the way.
I wish I’d just watched the movie, because then I would have gotten the story in 2 hours instead of however long it took me to read this bloated text. Yes, it’s full of detail about Tudor England and life in the court of Henry VIII, but the book could have been half the length and still as rich and evocative.
Back on form Ms Gregory!
After reading the dismal "The Other Queen" this book completely reinstated my love of Philippa Gregory.
This book is about, as the title would suggest, Anne Boleyn and her family. Now we all know what happened to Anne Boleyn; it's a 500 year old spoiler and they teach it in British primary schools. And it is because of this that I was not expecting to become emotionally invested in the story because, after all, I knew what was gonna happen right? Particularly as a history student, I knew the exact date of when some of the events in this book were going to happen, so why would I be compelled to read?
The answer, is that this book wasn't just a chronology leading up to Anne's unfortunate end. This book told the STORY behind it, and yes much of this book is fiction, and the specifics can neither be confirmed nor denied because we simply don't know, HOWEVER it made for incredibly entertaining reading, and the elements of the book that I knew to be true really helped to root it down to earth.
Even though this book has a sizeable amount of fiction in it, the characters were all real. They all actually lived 500 years ago, and even though we don't know to what extent "The Other Boleyn Girl" truly reflects their personalities, we still care about the characters that Gregory has written, to the extent where in the Author's Note at the end in which Gregory says when the real Mary Boleyn died, I actually cared. I was actually sad that she died. And I think that says a lot about this book.
After reading the dismal "The Other Queen" this book completely reinstated my love of Philippa Gregory.
This book is about, as the title would suggest, Anne Boleyn and her family. Now we all know what happened to Anne Boleyn; it's a 500 year old spoiler and they teach it in British primary schools. And it is because of this that I was not expecting to become emotionally invested in the story because, after all, I knew what was gonna happen right? Particularly as a history student, I knew the exact date of when some of the events in this book were going to happen, so why would I be compelled to read?
The answer, is that this book wasn't just a chronology leading up to Anne's unfortunate end. This book told the STORY behind it, and yes much of this book is fiction, and the specifics can neither be confirmed nor denied because we simply don't know, HOWEVER it made for incredibly entertaining reading, and the elements of the book that I knew to be true really helped to root it down to earth.
Even though this book has a sizeable amount of fiction in it, the characters were all real. They all actually lived 500 years ago, and even though we don't know to what extent "The Other Boleyn Girl" truly reflects their personalities, we still care about the characters that Gregory has written, to the extent where in the Author's Note at the end in which Gregory says when the real Mary Boleyn died, I actually cared. I was actually sad that she died. And I think that says a lot about this book.
In 16th century England, the recently married Mary Boleyn is encouraged to have an affair with the notorious King Henry VIII in order to improve the power of her family. When she gets pregnant, the king turns his attention to her sister Anne. Learning to play by the rules of the king's court, Anne conspires with her brother to produce a male heir.
This is one of the most exciting books I have ever read. I could hardly put it down. I also loved the historical aspect of the story. A very good read.
This is one of the most exciting books I have ever read. I could hardly put it down. I also loved the historical aspect of the story. A very good read.
Interesting perspective on history. I read this like it was a historical fiction and really enjoyed learning about the culture and behavior of the time. But it wasn't a page turner. At the end I kept thinking, "when is she going to become Queen, so she can finally be beheaded."
Five stars for Vanessa Kirby's narration, 3 stars for the writing/story.
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I would have given it 3 1/2 if it let me.
Overall I enjoyed it. The story was interesting and I found myself wanting to know what would happen to Mary, and George (I didn't know what had happened to George historically). Anne, of course, was a bit of give-away. My main complaint about the book was that it was about twice as long as it needed to be and was often repetative. I know women had no rights in early 16th century England, but I didn't need to be told every other page.
Once I started reading this novel I wanted to find out more about the historical Mary Boleyn, but I restrained myself until I had it finished. Which is good, because it kind of broke the spell once I read a little bit about what actually happened. Still, the skeleton facts are true and the author crafts an engaging story around them. Historical Fiction's just a little bit hard to swallow, because on the one hand you want to believe in the world that's been created but you also feel lied to when you realize it didn't happen that way and the author is just putting words in the mouths of "characters" that really existed. If I were Anne Boleyn's descendant, I might be a bit pissed.
Overall I enjoyed it. The story was interesting and I found myself wanting to know what would happen to Mary, and George (I didn't know what had happened to George historically). Anne, of course, was a bit of give-away. My main complaint about the book was that it was about twice as long as it needed to be and was often repetative. I know women had no rights in early 16th century England, but I didn't need to be told every other page.
Once I started reading this novel I wanted to find out more about the historical Mary Boleyn, but I restrained myself until I had it finished. Which is good, because it kind of broke the spell once I read a little bit about what actually happened. Still, the skeleton facts are true and the author crafts an engaging story around them. Historical Fiction's just a little bit hard to swallow, because on the one hand you want to believe in the world that's been created but you also feel lied to when you realize it didn't happen that way and the author is just putting words in the mouths of "characters" that really existed. If I were Anne Boleyn's descendant, I might be a bit pissed.