Ratings88
Average rating3.8
The daughters of a ruthlessly ambitious family, Mary and Anne Boleyn are sent to the court of Henry VIII to attract the attention of the king, who first takes Mary as his mistress, in which role she bears him an illegitimate son, and then Anne as his wife. Reprint. 250,000 first printing. (A Columbia Pictures film, written by Peter Morgan, directed by Justin Chadwick, releasing Fall 2007, starring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, and others) (Historical Fiction)
Series
15 primary booksThe Plantagenet and Tudor Novels is a 15-book series with 15 primary works first released in 2001 with contributions by Philippa Gregory.
Series
8 primary booksThe Tudor Court is a 8-book series with 8 primary works first released in 2001 with contributions by Philippa Gregory.
Reviews with the most likes.
I enjoyed this way more than The Queen's Fool, the only other Philippa Gregory I've read. Mary Boleyn felt like a fully fleshed character in a way that the other book's narrator never did. I still wasn't impressed though; I feel like there are plenty of other treatments of the era and people that are better done however.
I suspect I will not be picking up any more of Ms. Gregory's book; there are too many awesome authors in the world for me to not be picky.
What can I say...weakness for historical fiction. Anyway, this one was certainly a page-turner. But, apparently Gregory's interpretations of the confirmable history of Anne Boleyn are occasionally a little wild, and I figured that out (thanks, Wikipedia!) after feeling like some of the plot twists were just flat out implausible. However, adultery, incest, homosexuality–you want it, this book has it.
An intriguing and interesting glimpse into the infamous love affair between Henry and Anne Boleyn. And yes, I know it's a work of fiction, but with writing and characters as believable as these, who really cares. Enjoy the ride.
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