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kamrynkoble 's review for:
The Boleyn Inheritance
by Philippa Gregory
I feel as if Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard are the lesser-known of all of Henry’s wives–they weren’t the great beloved queen like Catherine of Aragon, a scandalous and beheaded former mistress like Anne Boleyn, nor the last wife such as Katherine Parr, the only one to survive the infamous monarch as his wife. The first was set aside for seemingly petty reasons (you know, slack breasts and a paunchy stomach ruins marriages everywhere, of course), but the second fell from her reign in the footsteps of Anne Boleyn–an execution due to an alleged affair.
The Boleyn Inheritance fictionalizes the middle wives of Henry VIII, and the widow who is left behind after Anne Boleyn’s husband is executed. The story is told from three completely different women such as the first, Anne of Cleves who flees from her hateful brother only to be caught in a web of disagreement with her new husband; the second, Katherine Howard, who instantly catches his eye in courtand soon comes to learn that being queen is more than pretty dresses and servants; and Jane Rochford, the third woman, is coming to grips with what truly happened after she condemned her husband to death.
This novel did not keep me on my toes such as The Other Boleyn Girl. I wasn’t craving to read it in school. But then again, it has the cringe factor. In the, er, attempt to consummate the marriage between Anne of Cleves and Henry VIII, and then the bloody fantastic (excuse my pun) and pussy wound, both contribute to a rather interesting reading experience.
I really do have to hand it to Philippa Gregory, though. It takes quite a lot of nerve to tackle historical figures that are as controversial as the cast of characters in the Tudor series. Along with that, I have been reading quite a lot of nonfiction about the Tudor court and she seems to have done a marvelous job at making the already-scandalous era into one monstrously so–many gaps are bridged, creative choices are made, and history geeks are angry while readers gobble it up.
And oh, the controversial historical figures.
I could not stand Kitty Howard’s petty little narration, always self-obsessed and only worrying about male affection, clothes, and jewels. But then again, I can hardly blame Ms. Gregory for this. When you’re writing novels about real people, the liberties one can take are so few when it comes to characterization.
Many reviewers have issues with how Anne Boleyn is played as a power-hungry and ambitious little wanton (to use the word the series always does); however, I learned to adore her even more throughout the novels. It was interesting to hear characters “gossip” about her, as that is an undeniable part of the aftermath of a queen’s beheading, one that isn’t seen in nonfiction.
Out of the three narrators, Jane Seymour has to be my favorite. Gregory said in her author’s note that she did not believe Seymour to be wholly sane. I did not think this was played out to its full potential, but it was interesting nonetheless. Also, after hearing George and Anne’s relentless teasing and hatred of Jane, it was so fascinating to me to hear her thoughts about the pair she absolutely adored and craved affirmation from throughout the prequel. Her madness and beheading at the end seemed to come as a shock, even going into the story knowing about her death.
In conclusion, some aspects of The Boleyn Inheritance were hits, some were misses. My final rating was a 3.5 because it was still an enjoyable novel, despite some flaws that made it a bit difficult to read (okay, I’m talking to you, Kitty Howard).
The Boleyn Inheritance fictionalizes the middle wives of Henry VIII, and the widow who is left behind after Anne Boleyn’s husband is executed. The story is told from three completely different women such as the first, Anne of Cleves who flees from her hateful brother only to be caught in a web of disagreement with her new husband; the second, Katherine Howard, who instantly catches his eye in courtand soon comes to learn that being queen is more than pretty dresses and servants; and Jane Rochford, the third woman, is coming to grips with what truly happened after she condemned her husband to death.
This novel did not keep me on my toes such as The Other Boleyn Girl. I wasn’t craving to read it in school. But then again, it has the cringe factor. In the, er, attempt to consummate the marriage between Anne of Cleves and Henry VIII, and then the bloody fantastic (excuse my pun) and pussy wound, both contribute to a rather interesting reading experience.
I really do have to hand it to Philippa Gregory, though. It takes quite a lot of nerve to tackle historical figures that are as controversial as the cast of characters in the Tudor series. Along with that, I have been reading quite a lot of nonfiction about the Tudor court and she seems to have done a marvelous job at making the already-scandalous era into one monstrously so–many gaps are bridged, creative choices are made, and history geeks are angry while readers gobble it up.
And oh, the controversial historical figures.
I could not stand Kitty Howard’s petty little narration, always self-obsessed and only worrying about male affection, clothes, and jewels. But then again, I can hardly blame Ms. Gregory for this. When you’re writing novels about real people, the liberties one can take are so few when it comes to characterization.
Many reviewers have issues with how Anne Boleyn is played as a power-hungry and ambitious little wanton (to use the word the series always does); however, I learned to adore her even more throughout the novels. It was interesting to hear characters “gossip” about her, as that is an undeniable part of the aftermath of a queen’s beheading, one that isn’t seen in nonfiction.
Out of the three narrators, Jane Seymour has to be my favorite. Gregory said in her author’s note that she did not believe Seymour to be wholly sane. I did not think this was played out to its full potential, but it was interesting nonetheless. Also, after hearing George and Anne’s relentless teasing and hatred of Jane, it was so fascinating to me to hear her thoughts about the pair she absolutely adored and craved affirmation from throughout the prequel. Her madness and beheading at the end seemed to come as a shock, even going into the story knowing about her death.
In conclusion, some aspects of The Boleyn Inheritance were hits, some were misses. My final rating was a 3.5 because it was still an enjoyable novel, despite some flaws that made it a bit difficult to read (okay, I’m talking to you, Kitty Howard).