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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
The Boleyn Inheritance gets five stars, partly for being well-paced, interesting and educational, and partly for getting me out of my reading slump, which has seen me dnf or put on hold four books. Maybe if I hadn't been so desperate to throw myself into a book I would have given it four stars instead - but this is the situation we are in, and I am so thankful that I'm reading again. Gregory's writing is so easy to follow, and she brings the characters to life in a way that makes it impossible to not be engaged. I'm desperate to know what happens next and have just bought the rest of the books in the series (and am now ignoring my bank balance). Definitely worth a read if you like historical fiction, or are interested in getting into the genre.
[One thing I am upset about is that Gregory has changed the series. Namely, instead of having two separate book series (this one, The Tudor Court series, and another, The Cousins War Series) she has combined the two into one, calling it the Plantagenet and Tudor Novels. I know its her right as it is her intellectual property, but as a reader who has been making her way through the Tudor novels and preparing to start the Plantagenet novels, it's really confusing, as suddenly everything has been renamed and it is really hard to find out which books were originally in the Tudor series. To me it would have made more sense to do a Terry Pratchett, and combine all the books into one series whilst also keeping them in their original, separate series. This isn't a complaint that will affect my opinion of the book, but I did struggle to find what books were next.]
[One thing I am upset about is that Gregory has changed the series. Namely, instead of having two separate book series (this one, The Tudor Court series, and another, The Cousins War Series) she has combined the two into one, calling it the Plantagenet and Tudor Novels. I know its her right as it is her intellectual property, but as a reader who has been making her way through the Tudor novels and preparing to start the Plantagenet novels, it's really confusing, as suddenly everything has been renamed and it is really hard to find out which books were originally in the Tudor series. To me it would have made more sense to do a Terry Pratchett, and combine all the books into one series whilst also keeping them in their original, separate series. This isn't a complaint that will affect my opinion of the book, but I did struggle to find what books were next.]
Her books are always good bodice rippers...a good vacation read.
This makes me miss Katherine of Aragon's story, and even Anne Boleyn a little. Katherine Howard was just silly.
The problem I had with this book was how in the head Gregory was all of the time. This was mostly in Jane's chapters, but I realized that nothing really happens in this book, characters just have thoughts. Lots and lots of thoughts. When something does happen, we are told but not really shown. "They danced." There, just like that. I haven't read a Philippa Gregory book in a while but I don't recall The Other Boleyn Girl being so flat, and Wideacre was certainly more colourful than this.
The problem I had with this book was how in the head Gregory was all of the time. This was mostly in Jane's chapters, but I realized that nothing really happens in this book, characters just have thoughts. Lots and lots of thoughts. When something does happen, we are told but not really shown. "They danced." There, just like that. I haven't read a Philippa Gregory book in a while but I don't recall The Other Boleyn Girl being so flat, and Wideacre was certainly more colourful than this.
A quick read, not terribly substantive (and falls into the category "Books Gregory Whipped Off Quickly to Ride the Other Boleyn Girl Popularity Wave"), although I found the Lady Rochford section interesting as she is a shadowy character in history.
I really like this series about the Tudors. It's very interesting.
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This has been a great book in the Tudor and Plantagenet series, and I really liked how the narrative was split between three characters, rather than just one. The events also take place over a period of 2-3 years, which is a short time span compared to the other books in the series, so it feels more fast-paced. Jane Boleyn was a fascinating character, particularly as she’s painted as practically evil in The Other Boleyn Girl. I felt more sorry for her than anything in this book, as like most of the female characters, her fate is at the whim of the men. Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard are probably the least well-known wives, but their stories and characters were compelling. In history, Anne has been labelled as ugly, but as only one of two wives who survived Henry, surely she is intelligent. I also could not believe how young Katherine was, being sentenced to death at only 16. It really is so shocking how vile and cruel Henry was as a king. Can’t wait to read the next one!
I actually felt emotion for the characters! I felt all their pain, and sadness, and love! Good read.
Although not as compelling as The Other Boleyn Girl, it is still a good story and follows Henry's next three wives (Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard).
http://jennsbookblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-boleyn-inheritance-by-philippa.html
This book was absolutely fantastic I cannot recommend it enough. Have learned so much about the wives of henry and about the tyrant himself. Am now going to look further into the history. Thanks philippa!!