Take a photo of a barcode or cover
daybreak1012 's review for:
The Boleyn Inheritance
by Philippa Gregory
I think if I were describe this book in a single word, it would be tedious. There is so much repetition. Sometimes within the same sentence.
Once again, I can tell this is one of the earliest published books in the series. Gregory's voice still seems muddled. I read the books before this (published more recently but chronologically earlier), books that told the same story from multiple perspectives, and they still maintained a uniqueness of character voice and view of the events. This book had three narrators, but they all sounded virtually the same, which meant that the chapters repeated themselves to the point that I thought I'd go as mad as Jane and Katherine by the end. I guess if there is one thing I can say was done well, it was Jane's downward spiral into utter insanity. I'm not sure she was ever pretending.
The Howards/Boleyns, if they were only a fraction as evil as Gregory imagines them to be, were as deranged as Henry VIII, himself, at least. They literally make my skin crawl. I did find Anne of Cleves to be a somewhat likable and sympathetic player in the life of Henry. What a bum deal she got...or did she? Ha. Who can say?
Of the five remaining books in the series, two are quite recently published (this brings me hopeful anticipation!), two are older than this one (this brings me some trepidation), and one could go either way, since it was published in 2008 (two years after this one and a year before one I really enjoyed). Regardless, I will finish the series. I didn't get ten books in to stop before seeing it through.
Once again, I can tell this is one of the earliest published books in the series. Gregory's voice still seems muddled. I read the books before this (published more recently but chronologically earlier), books that told the same story from multiple perspectives, and they still maintained a uniqueness of character voice and view of the events. This book had three narrators, but they all sounded virtually the same, which meant that the chapters repeated themselves to the point that I thought I'd go as mad as Jane and Katherine by the end. I guess if there is one thing I can say was done well, it was Jane's downward spiral into utter insanity. I'm not sure she was ever pretending.
The Howards/Boleyns, if they were only a fraction as evil as Gregory imagines them to be, were as deranged as Henry VIII, himself, at least. They literally make my skin crawl. I did find Anne of Cleves to be a somewhat likable and sympathetic player in the life of Henry. What a bum deal she got...or did she? Ha. Who can say?
Of the five remaining books in the series, two are quite recently published (this brings me hopeful anticipation!), two are older than this one (this brings me some trepidation), and one could go either way, since it was published in 2008 (two years after this one and a year before one I really enjoyed). Regardless, I will finish the series. I didn't get ten books in to stop before seeing it through.