the other boleyn girl
Two sisters competing for the greatest prize: the love of a king When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of Henry VIII. Dazzled by the king, Mary falls in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as unofficial queen. However, she soon realizes just how much she is a pawn in her familys ambitious plots as the kings interest begins to wane and she is forced to step aside for her best friend and rival: her sister, Anne. Then Mary knows that she must defy her family and her king, and take her fate into her own hands.
A rich and compelling tale of love, sex, ambition, and intrigue, The Other Boleyn Girl introduces a woman of extraordinary determination and desire who lived at the heart of the most exciting and glamorous court in Europe and survived by following her own heart.
A rich and compelling tale of love, sex, ambition, and intrigue, The Other Boleyn Girl introduces a woman of extraordinary determination and desire who lived at the heart of the most exciting and glamorous court in Europe and survived by following her own heart.
this is fiction.
it is basically a political thriller at its best which includes betrayal, intrigue and passion and ambition.
told from the narrative of a child. it is also accurate enough (but not too accurate) to lend color and depth behind the actual historical events.
the realization that these peoples entire lives revolved around position. it seems to be the only real reason to have children, on the hopes that they will somehow award the family with it.
but there is always someone who emerges with a heart.
in this case it was mary.
only fourteen and probably the only one who really loved king henry, the man, as opposed to the King. only to discover that she is just a pawn inserted there by a family that cares more for position than for her.
sometimes it appears as though there is no real loyalty to family or love because without position, there is no chance.
mary boleyn’s family seems to care nothing for their children at times and only for the status that their daughters can afford them.
anne seems to have that same ambition.
mary, on the other hand, seems to be the only one who truly loved. and since I am a junkie for the romance side of this book,
i loved her.
she seemed to adore king henry and was heartbroken when his attention was diverted to anne.
these women seem to be cast in the role of having no power
and all the power at the same time.
mistresses of temptation used to rise in society. only to end up again with no power. it is kind of sad to realize that mary was only fourteen and was placed in the position of grown woman. but her determination and strength and ability to eventually see beyond her family obligations make her such a lovable and compelling woman. i loved how she followed her heart with william and survived in the wake of all that. i also loved george. i think he was funny and inspiring and i wish he could have followed his heart as well.
it seems as though it would have been much easier to be a commoner and able to follow your heart rather than have to fight tooth and nail to insure your family a position in the court.
whether any of this is accurate or not it certainly makes for a great story.
i enjoyed it very much.
i give it 4 stars
here is my review on goodreads
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa GregoryMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book so much! I love historical fiction and although it may not be extremely accurate, it was so interesting and for the second half of the book i could not put it down. I can't wait to read more in the series.
View all my reviews
4 comments:
I enjoyed the romance and history in this book. Mary was a great character and I loved how she overcame what was expected of her, to find true love and happiness for herself. I really liked that she grew to love and respect Queen Katherine. Because of that, I read the book Constant Princess. I give this book 4 stars.
Yes Dallys, I agree. No picnic. I am actually listening to "The Constant Princess" which is book 1 in the series. It's about Katherine and very interesting. I can't believe that Mary was only 14. It blows my mind.
You are right Cindy. I loved that she cared for Katherine. Mary seemed to be the most grown up of all of them.
It was an interesting book about power, loyalty, and love. I thought it was great how the author wrote it through Mary's eyes. I thought the relationship between the siblings was very intriguing. Reading it made me appreciate all that I have in life.
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