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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
As a student, the only thing I really remember about Henry VIII was that he beheaded his wives for not giving him sons, more specifically, he beheaded Anne Boleyn for not giving him a son. Through Philippa Gregory's novels, I have learned more about his wives and what a madman he was. The Boleyn Inheritance tells the story of his fourth and fifth wives, Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard and their advisor, Jane Rochford Boleyn. I appreciated how Gregory flipped between their voices and stories with each chapter. And, I appreciate how Gregory brings humanity to these characters and tries to understand the motivation behind some of the crazy things these people did in the name of power.
These books are a guilty pleasure. They're really fun to read, but I worry there's not a lot of redeeming value. I mean, they seem well-researched and they're adequately written, it's just that they're a little light. But I do feel that the author does her research, which gives them some weight, and she does explore historical possibilities. This one focuses on Henry's wives Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard (the ugly one and the stupid one, according to her). However, she explored them both beyond these stereotypes, and came up with very fascinating portraits. A quick read, and light, but, as I said, very fun.
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not nearly as good as The Other Boleyn Girl but I guess it's hard to beat that story. I continue to enjoy Gregory's guilty pleasure style. Good summer reading.
I enjoyed this as much as the other books I've read of hers - - maybe even a little more as I had heard of the people in this book and not the previous series I had read (her newest).
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another good book by Philippa Gregory but I didn't enjoy it as much as The Other Boleyn Girl. I felt more detached from the characters. I don't know if I liked that each of the three main characters narrates her own story. I still plan to read the other books in the series when I can get a hold of them.