Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #369 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-07
• Binding: Paperback
• 544 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
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 Ms Gregory has worked hard at researching her historical references.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

You Magazine
The very believable dialogue and detail take you all the way into the claustrophobic privy chambers of the royal palaces.

Synopsis
Fabulous historical novel set in the court of King Henry VIII. Mary Boleyn attracts the attention of the young king and becomes his mistress; when he tires of her, she sets out to school her sister, Anne, as a replacement. Politics and passion are inextricably bound together in this compelling drama. The Boleyn family is keen to rise through the ranks of society, and what better way to attract the attention of the most powerful in the land than to place their most beautiful young woman at court? But Mary becomes the king's mistress at a time of change. He needs his personal pleasures, but he also needs an heir. The unthinkable happens and the course of English history is irrevocably changed. For the women at the heart of the storm, they have only one weapon; and when it's no longer enough to be the mistress, Mary must groom her younger sister in the ways of the king. What happens next is common knowledge -- but here it is told in a way we've never heard it before, with all of Philippa Gregory's characteristic perceptiveness, backed by meticulous research and superb storytelling skills.

Customer Reviews

compelling and a joy to read!
Reading some of the reviews here that are quick to slander Gregory's work for it's inaccuracy, I couldn't help but stand up for a novel that I have been obsessed with for the last few days. Obviously there is going to be events in the book that are embellished or created out of thin air - that's the point of fiction, to entertain and create a compelling story. If people want an accurate historical background on the tudors then read non-fiction. And to suggest that she is awful for filling people's minds with a rubbish version of our history is to suggest that reader's are not clever enough to realise the difference between fact and fiction. Gregory never promised historical accuracy and the fictive 'what could have happened' story is so packed with twists and dramas, I can't wait to read my next Gregory novel. My only criticsm lies, not in the twisting of the truth but that in parts the action is quite slow but then after recently seeing the film I was dissapointed in some of the detail missed out!

If, like me, you loved learning about the tudors in history class and love a good dramatic novel then read this book now!!

Excellent Read
This is the first book I've read by Philippa Gregory, and it won't be the last. :-)

A lovely historical novel set in the time of King Henry VIII, at the time he's married to Queen Katherine of Aragon. His second wife was Anne Boleyn but her sister Mary who was her rival, the king's mistress and gave birth to two of his children. Mary was the first Boleyn girl to catch his eye, but when Henry lost interest her family ordered her to tell all her secrets to her sister Anne.

Philippa Gregory has an excellent talent for capturing your interest right from the start, she did an excellent job of showing how the two families, (the Boleyns and Howards), for what they truly were, selfish, scheming treacherous manipulators. The most ruthless one of all was Anne Boleyn.

The author has worked extremely hard at both researching and making sure life at court was as detailed as possible for the reader. With ever turn of the page she pulls you more and more into the story.

I found myself having a hard time putting this novel down, not only was it interesting and enjoyable, it was a compulsive read, the best novel I read for a while.

The novel is worth every penny, it's one I will read again, and a novel I highly recommend to anyone that loves to read, whether you're male or female it's one you'll enjoy. :-)

I've also bought the sequel, so I'm looking forward to reading that.

OK but...
I started to read the book with the hope of it possibly being the best book i will ever have read.

But, around half way through I found it strayed from the truth a lot.
Also sadly, I felt it repeated and over used descriptions, and drew out the time between Katherine and Anne's reign, to the point where it became boring.

I feel that Gregory was very biased towards Mary, but then again, Mary is at the heart of the book. Also, Mary is made out to be so simple and pure, but in actual fact she had already been a mistress to other Kings before Henry.

And Anne's "adoption" (I don't wish to expose the events in the book) made me want to put the book down and walk away, I felt this was the strongest fiction in the book.

Overall, Gregory's writting was good, and I liked the fact that she envolved dates so that it was easier to keep up with the story.
I feel the book was an O.K read, but, if you are looking for a book that will give you the facts of Anne's reign and downfall, sadly, I do not feel this is the book for you.