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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An enjoyable book about two of the wives of Henry VIII. This book switches between three perspectives from chapter to chapter: Jane Rochford, Katherine Howard, and Anne of Cleves. It begins with the journey of Queen Anne from Germany to England as Henry's wife following the previously executed Anne Boleyn. Then it moves into the divorce of those two and the marriage of Henry to Katherine. Lady Rochford acts as an advisor and maid for both of these women while always keeping an eye out for herself. Philippa focuses on many dangers that women faced in these times, with Katherine suffering for her naivety and youth, Jane suffering for the decisions she made while guided by a man, and Anne suffering for her independent nature. I appreciate these choices in characterization because it allows the wives of Henry VIII to be human. I feel that oftentimes, history only depicts them as a minor part of the story, completely ignoring that each women had their own life. We know that Henry VIII was a wicked, mad, and cruel man who killed almost every wife he took, but I had no concept of how many people outside of the castle suffered at his hand.
My favorite part of this novel was the characterization of Katherine Howard. History likes to paint her as a wicked adulteress, with no consideration for her situation. Queen Katherine was only 16 when she was executed, for loving a man before she knew the king, and for loving a man while satisfying the king. Reading her internal monologue, I truly felt for her and grieved the childhood that she never got to experience. I also appreciate the relationship that her and Anne of Cleves formed. Instead of warring, they worked together, and Anne acted as Katherine's mentor when she needed it.
I don't feel like this book was life-changing, but I do appreciate it and recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially life in a royal court. I also think that the social commentary is too obvious and almost exaggerated, making it feel as though the author is beating the reader over the head with her goal. If you read this book and really enjoy it or find it entertaining, I would recommend watching "Reign" on Netflix. It has a very similar premise and execution (excuse my pun). Good book, fun to read, but doesn't have much deeper than that.
My favorite part of this novel was the characterization of Katherine Howard. History likes to paint her as a wicked adulteress, with no consideration for her situation. Queen Katherine was only 16 when she was executed, for loving a man before she knew the king, and for loving a man while satisfying the king. Reading her internal monologue, I truly felt for her and grieved the childhood that she never got to experience. I also appreciate the relationship that her and Anne of Cleves formed. Instead of warring, they worked together, and Anne acted as Katherine's mentor when she needed it.
I don't feel like this book was life-changing, but I do appreciate it and recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially life in a royal court. I also think that the social commentary is too obvious and almost exaggerated, making it feel as though the author is beating the reader over the head with her goal. If you read this book and really enjoy it or find it entertaining, I would recommend watching "Reign" on Netflix. It has a very similar premise and execution (excuse my pun). Good book, fun to read, but doesn't have much deeper than that.
Full review to come, because I cannot gather all my thoughts at the moment.
Sequel to the Other Boleyn Girl, was a good and quick read. The multiple first person accounts did not detract from the story.
What a guilty pleasure of mine... Like most of Gregory's other novels, this is pretty trashy brain candy overall, but it was so much fun for me that I didn't mind at all. I was skeptical about a "sequel" to The Other Boleyn Girl at first--I assumed this would be about Mary Boleyn again, and so I put off reading this for years because I just didn't have an interest in reading more about her. When I found out it was actually about two of Henry VIII's queens and Jane Boleyn, the sister-in-law of Anne and Mary I was a whole lot more interested.
The three perspectives works perfectly for me in this novel, unlike in The Other Queen which I had just read before this. While I think she nailed the different voices for the characters in The Other Queen better than she did in here (There were times when they seemed a bit muddled, Kitty was easy to pick out but occasionally if I stopped mid-chapter I'd have to flip back and check to see who I was reading), I think the longer chapters in here worked much better for the three narrators than the itty-bitty chapters that plagued The Other Queen.
My favorite part of this was getting into Jane Boleyn's head, actually. Gregory's interpretation on why she betrayed her husband and sister-in-law. She was a pretty fascinating narrator--I enjoyed Anne, and Kitty was a twit but interesting enough, whereas Jane was just a very interesting look into a pretty mentally ill individual ("batshit crazy" comes to mind).
An incredibly entertaining read. Definitely not scholarly or great literature, but it was a great break for my brain!
The three perspectives works perfectly for me in this novel, unlike in The Other Queen which I had just read before this. While I think she nailed the different voices for the characters in The Other Queen better than she did in here (There were times when they seemed a bit muddled, Kitty was easy to pick out but occasionally if I stopped mid-chapter I'd have to flip back and check to see who I was reading), I think the longer chapters in here worked much better for the three narrators than the itty-bitty chapters that plagued The Other Queen.
My favorite part of this was getting into Jane Boleyn's head, actually. Gregory's interpretation on why she betrayed her husband and sister-in-law. She was a pretty fascinating narrator--I enjoyed Anne, and Kitty was a twit but interesting enough, whereas Jane was just a very interesting look into a pretty mentally ill individual ("batshit crazy" comes to mind).
An incredibly entertaining read. Definitely not scholarly or great literature, but it was a great break for my brain!
sad
tense
slow-paced
Another satisfying read from Phillipa, this time told from three different womens' perspectives. This is probably one of my top Phillipa picks, even though the ending was sad.
I read this waiting for Harry Potter to come out...and was really disappointed. I loved The Other Boleyn Girl and The Queen's Fool, but I didn't enjoy it. Maybe it was because there were 3 narrators instead of 1?
Do not let the romance-novel-esque covers fool you! Gregory is an eloquent and captivating storyteller! If you love Tudor history, this is a great read. She brings womanhood in the 16th century to life!