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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 Ms Gregory has worked hard at researching her historical references.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 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
I COULD HEAR A ROLL OF MUFFLED DRUMS. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Seamless Blend of Fact and Fiction,
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This review is from: The Other Boleyn Girl (Mass Market Paperback)
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....
5.0 out of 5 stars
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN...,
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This review is from: The Other Boleyn Girl (Paperback)
This well-known author of historical fiction has outdone herself with this rich and absorbing tale of the notorious Boleyn sisters, Anne and Mary. The Tudor court, with all its pomp and intrigue, is seen through the eyes of the beautiful Mary Boleyn, who at the age of fourteen arrives at court and becomes lady-in-waiting to Katherine of Aragon, Queen of England and wife to King Henry VIII. Although already married to courtier William Carey, Mary captures the heart of King Henry VIII, whose roving eyes land on this innocent young miss.In the eyes of the grasping and greedy Boleyn family, Mary is but the fatted calf through whom their ambitions, they believe, will become realized. So, they offer her up as a sacrifice to their ruthless ambition. Forced to separate from her husband in order to become the King's mistress, Mary betrays the Queen and becomes mistress to the King, all at the behest of her family. Every step of her affair is choreographed from the wings by her family, with the adept aid of her sly and clever sister, Anne, in the role of chief manipulator. Mary struggles with her own code of honor and personal morality, which is often in conflict with what is mandated by her family. Still, despite her best intentions, Mary disappoints them, as her nature is not the kind that takes well to intrigue and manipulation, as she has sincere feelings of affection for the King, as well as for the Queen. After bearing the King two children, however, she is set aside by a formidable rival, her own sister, Anne, in whom the Boleyn family now place their hopes and ambitions. This is, first and foremost, the story of Mary Boleyn, a woman who has generally been reduced to a footnote in history. It is notable, however, that she was the only Boleyn sibling to survive the purges of the Tudor court and who, ultimately, married for love in an age when this was not the norm among those of her class. It is also the story of Anne Boleyn, her rise and fall, as seen through the eyes of her sister, Mary, with whom Anne was to have a lifelong rivalry. To a lesser degree, it is also the story of their brother, George, a more remote, though no less interesting, personage. His interjection into the story is necessary, as the author attempts to address the issue of incest that arose at the trial of George and Anne Boleyn. She gives quite an interesting perspective on the issue, weaving it, part and parcel, into the story in an effort to explain his downfall, as well his betrayal by his own wife. Told against the magnificent backdrop of the Tudor Court in all its splendor and majesty, the author weaves a complex tale of greed, ambition, sex, and political machination, as well as unparalleled intrigue, in sixteenth century England. Filled with well-fleshed characters taken right out of the annals of history, the story is one that is sure to delight all those with a love for well-written historical fiction. In particular, fans of beloved author, Jean Plaidy, will enjoy this book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
an enthralling tale from a new perspective,
By
This review is from: The Other Boleyn Girl (Paperback)
I absolutely loved this book. I've read much Allison Weir and Margaret George, and while they are great, this book reads much more like a novel. There is a Q&A with the author in the back which explains how much is historically accurate (and from what sources) and how much is fiction. There are also discussion questions to use if you are reading the book for a report or book club. This book primarily focuses on Mary Boleyn. I don't think there is quite as much available material on Mary as on Ann and it was great to have one possibility of her viewpoint of this terrible and exciting time in England's history.I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction as well as newcomers to the genre. If you haven't learned to love historical fiction yet, you will with this book. I am just waiting for more from Gregory to satisfy my appetite.
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