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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
I don't normally read historical fiction but this book fascinated me. I hadn't known about Mary Boleyn and so that aspect of the story was interesting in itself, but the way this book portrays these historical figures and their motivations is fascinating. It makes me wonder if this is really how people we have heard so much about - such as Anne Boleyn - really were as they are portrayed here and I'd really like to think that they were.
A well written and thought provoking book that delves into the court politics of the time with an enthralling narrative.
A well written and thought provoking book that delves into the court politics of the time with an enthralling narrative.
This was a very engaging read. I kept thinking about the characters even when I wasn't listening to this book, and I think that is the mark of a great novel.
I loved the narrator on this audiobook!
I loved the narrator on this audiobook!
19 CDs, 1 month later, phew this book is over. And I enjoyed it. And I only found myself thinking in a British accent after being in the car a couple of times. Drama drama drama. If you're looking for reality-show-level-drama (think Kardashians...or especially Toddlers in Tiaras) in the Tudor court, this book is for you. It was interesting though- I feel like Gregory thought that the plot of the book would be limited by having it narrated in first person. So thank goodness that Mary was able to slip an ear into every single meaningful conversation! Thank goodness that if she wasn't there to hear something, someone she was close to was able to be there! It got a little unbelievable at times that she could be all-knowing of the drama and yet so naive at times. But that's why she was the bouncing blonde ninny while her sister was the conniving one. And she lost her head for it. Womp womp.
This book is what started my addiction to historical stories.
I loved the writing. I have no clue how historically accurate it is, but from what I've found, most has been pretty close.
I loved the writing. I have no clue how historically accurate it is, but from what I've found, most has been pretty close.
It's a LOOOOOONG story. I think when we study history, it is easy to forget how long a year is when one is in or falling out of love. The games, the jealousies, the harsh competitions -- they could not have played out clearly in 250 pages of summarized prose. The movie does it no justice. Even "The Tudors" cannot capture the fullness of how so many of these women were affected by the whims of men, most especially their king. How different the world might have been, but for the ambitions of one woman, one family.
But even Mary could not draw from me any sympathy or pity for Anne. Nor could she make me love, adore, or even respect Henry (especially in the early pages and chapters when he felt tediously like my ex).
This is a well-crafted narrative, and well worth the read, but I found almost nothing worth an underline, and certainly nothing to warrant a second reading. Still, the time period fascinates me so deeply, I know I will read the rest of the series, and SOON.
Four stars, but read [b:The Constant Princess|16181|The Constant Princess|Philippa Gregory|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166719849s/16181.jpg|1745738] first and be prepared to want more, more, more of the series as soon as possible.
But even Mary could not draw from me any sympathy or pity for Anne. Nor could she make me love, adore, or even respect Henry (especially in the early pages and chapters when he felt tediously like my ex).
This is a well-crafted narrative, and well worth the read, but I found almost nothing worth an underline, and certainly nothing to warrant a second reading. Still, the time period fascinates me so deeply, I know I will read the rest of the series, and SOON.
Four stars, but read [b:The Constant Princess|16181|The Constant Princess|Philippa Gregory|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166719849s/16181.jpg|1745738] first and be prepared to want more, more, more of the series as soon as possible.
fast-paced
Mary Boleyn is only a young girl when King Henry VIII takes an interest in her. She's flattered, eager, and completely in love. But as time passes by, she has to step aside for her much more capable sister. Anne is everything Mary is not. She's sharp-tongued, ambitious, and knows exactly how to play the game to get what she wants and get her family up the ranks. But soon Mary realizes that her family's greed will stop at nothing, and that she must somehow stop being their pawn if she wants to survive.
I'm surprised at myself for the rating I'm giving this book. I expected to like it much, much more than I did. But let's look at the good first:
1) Great writing. Philippa Gregory is an amazing writer. I loved how it was written in such an elegant, old-fashioned hand. It was a fresh change from the usual young adult books I read, filled with teen-language and countless pop culture references. This book was set in a much, much older time frame, and the writing complimented that perfectly.
2) Historical accuracy. It is impossible to deny the amount of research and work Gregory put into this book. I would NEVER be able to do such a thing. This is why I'm best left making up my own fantasy worlds when it comes to writing a story. She did something incredibly difficult: took real characters from the past and brought them back to life based on research and her own imagination. I admire historical fiction for this reason, after all, how are you to know (really KNOW) what that person was thinking all those years ago? You don't. But it's your job as the writer to pretend like you do and then convince the rest of the literate world that you do. Impressive to say the least.
However, there were things that bothered me about the book:
1) I know that this is the 15th century we're talking about, but the age difference between King Henry and Mary drove me kind of crazy. :/ I know this was the norm back then, but even THEN it bothered me. A lot. Thankfully, the book moved fast enough that she grew up (sort of) quickly. But it made me cringe through a lot of the beginning.
2) And now, to contradict my previous statement, the book moved at a snail's pace. The entire book is about 650 pages and it took me an eternity to finish. Books generally take me a long time anyway, what with college and all, but this took me even longer because there were a LOT of times when I just didn't care anymore. I wanted something to HAPPEN. And then I realized that things WERE happening, it just wasn't a normal story with an adventure and climax and etc. It was an adventure, but in an entirely realistic sense, and the climax was something I was already well aware of- Anne's beheading.
3) Court life is exhausting. It really is. After awhile it all got to be the same thing over and over again. There's some sort of scandal, someone's marrying someone else, they then proceed to have multiple affairs, everyone gets pregnant at one time or another and waits for a son, and then they get convicted of treason (surprise surprise) and then it's off with their heads! Maybe I'm just not appreciating the rich history in all this? I don't know. I did love parts of it but the whooooole thing was just... so LONG and so dragged out and by the time I was done with it I thought, "Phew!"
And all of that kind of did it in for me, and so my rating is two stars overall. BUT a movie based on the book WAS made and I saw the trailer and it looked great! :D I thought Scarlett Johansson nailed the part of Mary, but I couldn't quite picture Natalie Portman as Anne. I hear it was a good movie though.
Also, to be fair, I think I might have cared more for this book if the history was closer to home. I would've absolutely devoured it if it had dealt with George Washington or Abraham Lincoln (my two favorite people from history) or really any American figure, but knowing very little about the Boleyns to start with, it was hard to truly feel for the characters of the story. It also got a little annoying hearing about how useless and powerless women were during that era.
I mean sheesh. <_<
But go check it out if you're into this particular period of history, the writing will definitely not disappoint anyone. :)
I'm surprised at myself for the rating I'm giving this book. I expected to like it much, much more than I did. But let's look at the good first:
1) Great writing. Philippa Gregory is an amazing writer. I loved how it was written in such an elegant, old-fashioned hand. It was a fresh change from the usual young adult books I read, filled with teen-language and countless pop culture references. This book was set in a much, much older time frame, and the writing complimented that perfectly.
2) Historical accuracy. It is impossible to deny the amount of research and work Gregory put into this book. I would NEVER be able to do such a thing. This is why I'm best left making up my own fantasy worlds when it comes to writing a story. She did something incredibly difficult: took real characters from the past and brought them back to life based on research and her own imagination. I admire historical fiction for this reason, after all, how are you to know (really KNOW) what that person was thinking all those years ago? You don't. But it's your job as the writer to pretend like you do and then convince the rest of the literate world that you do. Impressive to say the least.
However, there were things that bothered me about the book:
1) I know that this is the 15th century we're talking about, but the age difference between King Henry and Mary drove me kind of crazy. :/ I know this was the norm back then, but even THEN it bothered me. A lot. Thankfully, the book moved fast enough that she grew up (sort of) quickly. But it made me cringe through a lot of the beginning.
2) And now, to contradict my previous statement, the book moved at a snail's pace. The entire book is about 650 pages and it took me an eternity to finish. Books generally take me a long time anyway, what with college and all, but this took me even longer because there were a LOT of times when I just didn't care anymore. I wanted something to HAPPEN. And then I realized that things WERE happening, it just wasn't a normal story with an adventure and climax and etc. It was an adventure, but in an entirely realistic sense, and the climax was something I was already well aware of- Anne's beheading.
3) Court life is exhausting. It really is. After awhile it all got to be the same thing over and over again. There's some sort of scandal, someone's marrying someone else, they then proceed to have multiple affairs, everyone gets pregnant at one time or another and waits for a son, and then they get convicted of treason (surprise surprise) and then it's off with their heads! Maybe I'm just not appreciating the rich history in all this? I don't know. I did love parts of it but the whooooole thing was just... so LONG and so dragged out and by the time I was done with it I thought, "Phew!"
And all of that kind of did it in for me, and so my rating is two stars overall. BUT a movie based on the book WAS made and I saw the trailer and it looked great! :D I thought Scarlett Johansson nailed the part of Mary, but I couldn't quite picture Natalie Portman as Anne. I hear it was a good movie though.
Also, to be fair, I think I might have cared more for this book if the history was closer to home. I would've absolutely devoured it if it had dealt with George Washington or Abraham Lincoln (my two favorite people from history) or really any American figure, but knowing very little about the Boleyns to start with, it was hard to truly feel for the characters of the story. It also got a little annoying hearing about how useless and powerless women were during that era.
I mean sheesh. <_<
But go check it out if you're into this particular period of history, the writing will definitely not disappoint anyone. :)
adventurous
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A historical fiction following the sister of Anne Boleyn — Mary, who was mistress to King Henry VIII while he was married to his first wife Catherine. Mary Boleyn was married off at 14 to William Carey, but then catches the eye of King Henry. Her family, hoping to gain favor with the king, encourages the affair. Henry desperately wants a male heir, and his aging wife Katherine has been unable to produce one, so Mary eagerly offers to help. Of course, any children she does have are not legitimate, and she is stuck.
Not knowing the history well, I found it a little hard to follow at times. I took the story as a historical fiction, and took no part for granted (and was actually surprised afterwards how much was based in fact). Of course, there are historical liberties taken with the text, but I was only entertained, not bothered. However, the narrative is very well grounded in a sense of time and place, with lots of descriptions of 16th century life from what they did to what they ate.
The story is incredibly engaging — I found myself intrigued by the basic plot points: King Henry VIII beds young Mary Boleyn, then her sister Anne; Anne becomes queen and then is beheaded. The path that leads to these events is long and complicated, and I eagerly anticipated watching history unfold. I did find it dragged on at points, but overall a compelling read.
Not knowing the history well, I found it a little hard to follow at times. I took the story as a historical fiction, and took no part for granted (and was actually surprised afterwards how much was based in fact). Of course, there are historical liberties taken with the text, but I was only entertained, not bothered. However, the narrative is very well grounded in a sense of time and place, with lots of descriptions of 16th century life from what they did to what they ate.
The story is incredibly engaging — I found myself intrigued by the basic plot points: King Henry VIII beds young Mary Boleyn, then her sister Anne; Anne becomes queen and then is beheaded. The path that leads to these events is long and complicated, and I eagerly anticipated watching history unfold. I did find it dragged on at points, but overall a compelling read.