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A review by arthuriana
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
2.0
I don't know what to feel about this book.
On one hand, it's a good read--not disappointing, but not great either. It was good, nothing more and nothing less. On the other hand, it ignores historical fact so much that my eyes just kind of glazed over for some parts of the book. I do understand that, yes, this is fiction, but to ignore even the most basic facts such as birth order (modern historians now contest that Mary is the eldest child) and Mary's reputation in France (the French king called Mary Boleyn as the 'English Mare'--take of that what you will) is just plain unprofessional.
More than that, the blurb is especially misleading. Two sisters competing for the love if a king? Sure, for only about half of the book. I had expected a romance to develop between Mary and Henry VIII. What I got was something so underdeveloped that it was hardly a romance.
The characters, too, are rather weak. Anne is portrayed as nothing more than that evil older sister that you love to hate in movies (or, alternatively, in books). The king is portrayed as nothing more than a lustful man, which, personally I find hard to believe. He's a bloody king, for God's sake! Do you honestly expect me to believe that all he did was chase women's petticoats all throughout his reign?
Though, I'll be honest, this book is not without its good sides. George is the first thing that comes to mind, and so does the growth of Mary (though, perhaps, not Mary herself). I think those two were done rather well and were the only things that kept me plowing through the whole thing.
Still, I am far too irritated about the plethora of historical inaccuracies within this book. Gregory's portrayal of Anne is incredibly biased--which is interesting considering that when one feels as if Gregory is trying to make a feminist remark with the whole Mary following her heart kind of thing, one is simply left baffled as to her portrayal of Anne Boleyn, one of the most powerful women in history.
I know, I know. This is a novel, and I would have gladly taken it as such and gave this a three-star rating if not for the utter presumption in the Q&A thing found at the book. Especially the whole George sleeping with Anne thing. I don't know whether to laugh or cry at her statement of George being the 'obvious' choice. Forgive me, but how the hell is George, her brother, the obvious choice?
Oh, silly me, incest was obviously all the rage back then.
I also find it quite presumptious that the reading group guide thing ask the reader how the author creates sexual tension. I wouldn't know, seeing as I saw no sexual tension at all.
Perhaps I'm a little too harsh. After all, I started with very high expectations, knowing that this book has received high praise far and wide. Maybe it's because I just set the bar too high, but this book just didn't sit well with me overall.
On one hand, it's a good read--not disappointing, but not great either. It was good, nothing more and nothing less. On the other hand, it ignores historical fact so much that my eyes just kind of glazed over for some parts of the book. I do understand that, yes, this is fiction, but to ignore even the most basic facts such as birth order (modern historians now contest that Mary is the eldest child) and Mary's reputation in France (the French king called Mary Boleyn as the 'English Mare'--take of that what you will) is just plain unprofessional.
More than that, the blurb is especially misleading. Two sisters competing for the love if a king? Sure, for only about half of the book. I had expected a romance to develop between Mary and Henry VIII. What I got was something so underdeveloped that it was hardly a romance.
The characters, too, are rather weak. Anne is portrayed as nothing more than that evil older sister that you love to hate in movies (or, alternatively, in books). The king is portrayed as nothing more than a lustful man, which, personally I find hard to believe. He's a bloody king, for God's sake! Do you honestly expect me to believe that all he did was chase women's petticoats all throughout his reign?
Though, I'll be honest, this book is not without its good sides. George is the first thing that comes to mind, and so does the growth of Mary (though, perhaps, not Mary herself). I think those two were done rather well and were the only things that kept me plowing through the whole thing.
Still, I am far too irritated about the plethora of historical inaccuracies within this book. Gregory's portrayal of Anne is incredibly biased--which is interesting considering that when one feels as if Gregory is trying to make a feminist remark with the whole Mary following her heart kind of thing, one is simply left baffled as to her portrayal of Anne Boleyn, one of the most powerful women in history.
I know, I know. This is a novel, and I would have gladly taken it as such and gave this a three-star rating if not for the utter presumption in the Q&A thing found at the book. Especially the whole George sleeping with Anne thing. I don't know whether to laugh or cry at her statement of George being the 'obvious' choice. Forgive me, but how the hell is George, her brother, the obvious choice?
Oh, silly me, incest was obviously all the rage back then.
I also find it quite presumptious that the reading group guide thing ask the reader how the author creates sexual tension. I wouldn't know, seeing as I saw no sexual tension at all.
Perhaps I'm a little too harsh. After all, I started with very high expectations, knowing that this book has received high praise far and wide. Maybe it's because I just set the bar too high, but this book just didn't sit well with me overall.