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The Other Boleyn Girl
Great book. Couldn't put it down. The first chapter took me a moment to remind myself that thankfully we are living in different times.
The Other Boleyn Girl
I couldn't hardly put this book down as was the case with all of Philippa Gregory's books. I can't get enough and am dreading when I'm done with the last one!I hope the film plays here in America, I would love to see it!Mary Ann Hebert Wichita Kansas
The Other Boleyn Girl
A Historical Fiction novel can be expected to draw a certain critic, almost immediately, which is the person that tells you the book is not historical and is not fact, but merely a well-dressed Harlequin Romance novel. Here's the situation:Very little is actually known about what happened during Henry VIII's reign; it was then treason to speak against the King and also the world had not quite developed it's achival talents in 1536. What Ms. Gregory's novel does is study a wealth of research by other authors and spins a possible story from what little we know of this point in history. There is fiction sprinkled in to fill the gaps of course - otherwise you have non-fiction. That's the "fiction" part of Historical Fiction.We don't even know for sure if Mary was the elder or younger sister to Anne. Historians disagree on that fact and put her birth anywhere from 1500-1507. This book chooses a position that she is a year younger than Anne.What has been documented in history is followed closely here. Dates and times, locations, etc. The rest is a enjoyable, plausable story.The book was a great read and was easy to follow. I prefered "The Queen's Fool" to this one however, perhaps because it was my first of Phillipa Gregory's.
The Other Boleyn Girl
Fast-paced, dramatic, and with an entriguing look into the culture of the court of King Henry VIII, this book is a great read. The apparent factual inaccuracies noted by other readers takes something away from it, as I think it shows a lack of respect for the history. However the story is fascinating and most of the characters wonderfully textured (I don't agree with some that they were one-dimensional: Henry was a powerful goof, George lovably ambitious & loyal and Anne was my favourite of all; so powerful and sarcastic! She was more of a heroine than Mary for me. I wanted to be her lady in waiting!). You won't want to put this novel down. Like Henry, the Boleyns snared me too! 4 stars.
The Other Boleyn Girl
I have heard a lot of people grumble about the inaccuracies in this book, but you have to remember when you read it - it it FICTION. The book follows the life of Mary Boleyn, older sister and consort to King Henry VIII. The events in this book are accurate, but the book is told from the viewpoint of Mary herself and nobody can be certain how she really felt about her lot in life as a pawn in her families quest for power. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading additional novels by Ms. Gregory.
The Other Boleyn Girl
My friend at work had read this book and loved it so I read it even though I didn't like Queens Fool. I'm real glad I did because this book was absolutely wonderful! I've always been interested in history but I find historical fictions hard to read because they are either too overloaded with facts or are so completely modernized that you almost forget that you are reading a historical fiction. This novel is a fast and easy read.