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The Other Boleyn Girl | 
 enlarge | Author: Philippa Gregory
Publisher: Pocket Star
Category: Book
List Price: CDN$ 10.99
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Rating:  253 reviews
Sales Rank: 210
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Edition: 1
Pages: 752
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 1416556532
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9781416556534
ASIN: 1416556532
Publication Date: September 25, 2007
Availability: Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days
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From Amazon.co.uk
Everyone knows the fate of Anne Boleyn, but not many know the story of her rise to majesty and the part played by her rival and sister, Mary, who was Henry's mistress and mother to two of his bastard children before the dazzling older Boleyn girl even caught his eye. Philippa Gregory, whose own role as the Queen of historical romance grows more secure with each new novel, has surpassed her self with this epic tale of lust, jealousy and betrayal. The Other Boleyn Girl charts the lives of both Boleyns--each in their turn "the other Boleyn Girl"--and their fiercely ambitious, conniving family who used the girls as pawns to advance their own positions at the court of Henry VIII. At 13, Mary is little more than a child when she is presented to Henry, ordered by her scheming family to serve her King and country by opening her legs whenever commanded, or doing anything else the great monarch desires. And while his loins are satisfied, life at court is sweet for the unofficial Queen and her pushy coterie. Inevitably though, the King's eyes soon begin to wander and Mary is overlooked, helpless to do anything but aid her family's plot to advance their fortunes, replace her with Anne and give Henry the greatest gift of all: a son and heir. So good a job has Ms Gregory done at portraying the Boleyns and Howards as selfish, scheming, treacherous manipulators however, that it becomes increasingly hard to feel empathy for any of them. While Mary is merely hapless, Anne is the most ruthless of them all, so that instead of feeling cheated by knowing the outcome of her story, it only serves to help digest her unpalatable rise. Such a gruesome destiny was never more deserved. Ms Gregory has worked hard at researching her historical references. Daily life at court is described in fascinating detail--from the relentless leisure pursuits, masques and banquets laid on for the easily bored King to the complex hierarchies and machinations of the courtiers. However, the fall of Queen Katherine of Aragon and her only child, the Princess Mary, and the politics of the competing European courts and the break with Rome are seen only as a backdrop to the bawdy goings-on of the Boleyns and their fateful race for the crown. --Carey Green
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| Customer Reviews: Read 248 more reviews...
 Seamless Blend of Fact and Fiction May 31, 2008
Toni Osborne (Montreal, Canada)
King Henry V11 is accustomed to garnering flattery from young women in his court when he notices Mary Boleyn Carey, lady in waiting to his wife Queen Katherine. Mary becomes the king's mistress and bears his illegitimate children Catherine and Henry. Her joy is cut short when she discovers that she is a pawn in the dynastic plots of her family. While pregnant her sister Anne seduces the King with the aim of overthrowing Queen Katherine, becoming Queen and bearing his legal heirs. Mary realizes she must defy her family and her King and take her fate into her own hands.
George, their brother, is a popular member of the royal court and with family pressure he helps Anne to maintain a favoured position in the King's eyes. The family becomes one of the essential elements surrounding the eventual dissolution of the marriage to Katherine changing the history of England for ever. This eventually led to the demise of Anne and George.
This novel is a seamless blend of fact and fiction pulling together an incredible amount of history, political and socio-economic information. It is evident the author did immense research to put together this moment in history with just enough details to keep the story flowing smoothly making it interesting and entertaining. Anne's exhaustive pursuit of King Henry is wonderfully depicted; the description is so vivid you actually feel her determination and her desire for power at any cost. The novel recaptures the past in a non conventional way; Ms Gregory dealt with a lot of creativity describing the feelings, the motivations of her characters, some of events undoubtedly fictional in a manner quite plausible. It is an incredibly compelling, deep and fascinating novel....
Amazing! March 17, 2008
K. Gauthier (Bracebridge, ON, CA)
This is the first book by Pilippa Gregory that I have read. To be quite honest the book first intrigued because of the movie that was to be released. But after only a few pages into the book I was hooked! This book is now one of my favorites. I would deffinately recommend this book to anyone. It is a fantastic read.
 Scandolous, Delicous, and Totally Enjoyable....Even with the Flaws February 23, 2008
Blanche Coday (The World)
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book is wonderful. I suppose my review is to build up on a bunch that has already been said, but I'll continue anyways. And oh, beware of spoilers.
I can't tell you how much I praise Gregory in this one. The court was done perfectly, the characters were engaging, and even though I already knew quite a bit about Henry VIII's queens and their fates, I wasn't bored at all. In fact, I've been hanging onto every word that the author has wrote.
In this one, I feel that Gregory really brought the court/Tudor times alive. I can see everything happening, it was like a movie in my head. Despite her not very much description, I can imagine how everyone would be like, where they were standing, how everyone was dressed like etc.
But then there are some flaws, like any book. However, you should be able to look past most of them.
1) Mary's age and rather...inexperience in this book. I have nothing with Mary Boleyn as the younger sister, but it was rather weird to see someone who was such an innocent girl, while she was really a total whore. (excuse me...) Also, I don't think that she was really that dazzled by Henry, since that seemed too soap opera-ish. Even if she was a fool in some areas (politics), I feel that Mary should have at least been somewhat knowledageable in bed. Well...it's Gregory's choice.
2) The relationships sometimes are given too much attention, or too little. It was too bad that the older Boleyns/Howards weren't featured that often, their ambition was something to read about. And Mary/whoever she happened to be in love with at that time, we get it. You love him! You don't need to keep hammering that in my face. Especially in the end, when were devoted to William/Mary. Too soap opera-ish and perfect for my taste.
3) Not enough of Anne. I know that this is about Mary, but then she is suppose to be focusing on Anne as well. I didn't really get enough of this fasinating woman until the last third of the book. I'm sure that there's more than a shrew in Anne, and Gregory, unfortunately, decided to omit that. Maybe they think having a bitch as your older sister is more appealing to readers...What do you think?
4) This one is defending Gregory. People have been complaining that she put incest in this book. Well, did it ever say there was any incest? Did the author actually say that Anne commited murder/incest etc.? No...everything was merely hinted. Yes, Anne and George shared a close relationship as siblings, but it was ultimately the reader that decides if she had really commit incest. Same with murder.
Still, despite the many historical faults, I still loved this book. It's just wonderful, and you'll probably be losing a lot of sleep. Good luck!
(for anyone that was wondering, I read mine during vacations. Thank God!)
The Passion, Power and Poison of Courtly Politics October 20, 2007
Ian Gordon Malcomson (Smithers, Canada)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Gregory has written a very graphic and intriguing tale about the life and times of courtly politics during the reign of Henry VIII. Her rendition of these very hair-raising times tracks the rising fortunes of the Boleyn family as it connugles its way into the grace and favor of Henry's, a lustful, vengeful and wiley Tutor dynast. What makes the book a compelling read is that there are two Boleyn girls contending for Henry's affections, both brought to his attention by greedy and grasping relatives who are seizing the opportunity to grab power and shape their own dynasty. In this battle of wills between the Boleyns, Wolesly,and Norfolk, Gregory does a superb job in welding the elements of sexual dalliance - a constant theme of Tutor times - and political subterfuge in the spirit of Machiavelli. Anne, the oldest of the two sisters, is determined to use her French charm and wit to 'steal' Henry from Mary, her younger sister and mistress to the king, and become the Queen of England in her stead. What Anne doesn't understand in all her wheeling and dealing is that while her efforts might succeed, she will invariably make a lot of enemies along the way, and may very well end up alienating her newly acquired husband's affections because of her inability to produce the all-critical male heir. Unlike Mary, Henry's concubine of three years, Anne does not want to settle for just being the King's whore. She has other more grandiose plans that entail going for everything. It is this driven and obsessive personality of hers that will spell her eventual downfall. Into this steemy mess of courtly intrigue and subversion, throw the seedy and strange life of the brother, George, who also has designs on becoming an important magnate in the kingdom. As this tragi-comedy plays out on a number of fronts - Rome, London,Spain, Paris - the reader might be advised to have a scorecard handy just to keep a running total of who's in and who's out of favour. Since there is very little scholarly material out there on the life of the Boleyn family outside the court, Gregory's attempt at reconstructing their daily lifes at their country estate of Hever makes for some very interesting reading. Overall, a great story to match the efforts of Margaret George.
Couldn't Put It Down! August 5, 2007
Cori (Canada)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory instantly became one of my favourite books of all time. The writing is captivating, brilliant and descriptive and makes you feel like you are there along with all of the characters! Several times I actually found myself unwilling to put the book down because I didn`t want to miss anything!
The novel tells the story of the two Boleyn girls, Anne and Mary. The story begins with Anne returning from the French court. Within 10 pages you are so incredibly immersed in the story, as the intelligent writing provokes realistic images of a family in this time. The story continues through the triumphs and trials of the Boleyn family, as all three Boleyn children are forced to give up their loves and live their lives as the pawns of their family. It follows the rise of Mary as the beloved mistress and mother to the kings children, but as her influence wanes it is a new Boleyn girl in the kings eye, Anne. We then watch the tumultuous relationship between Anne and King Henry VIII and Anne's rise and eventual fall.
One of the things I loved best about this novel, was that it really examines a sisters relationship in a way that most people can relate to. In addition to this, not until the conclusion of the novel did I realize how well named it was. The Other Boleyn Girl is commonly thought of as Mary, the lesser known Boleyn girl. However what the author tries to depict is how they were both at one point "The Other Boleyn Girl" and it was a title they shared throughout their whole lives.
This is a truly incredible novel, with a lot of factual historical material. While it is true that some things are stretched or ideas are expressed that are unknowable (such as the relationship between Anne and George) that is what you get with historical fiction. I think that she wrote it beautifully and the witty and intelligent dialogue keeps you captivated from the prologue straight through the epilogue! It is a book I have read many many times, and a must have for anyone - even someone who knows nothing about historical fiction! 5 Stars, without a doubt.
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