The Other Boleyn Girl: A Novel Review

I've read "The Other Boleyn Girl" a couple of months ago. Author Philippa Gregory has obviously put a lot of time into researching the details of this book. This book is over 700 pages long and covers several years. 

Ms. Gregory no doubt has taken some liberties with certain details of what may have actually happened during this time when King Henry VIII ruled England, no doubt about that. But she has done so in such a smooth way, that many of the details of this story "could" have been as she has said. Ms. Gregory did not change large events Rather she "improvised" on smaller events and made them all come together. 

This is the story of Queen Anne Boleyn and her lesser known sister, Mary Boleyn.

What is interesting about this "story" is the relationship between the two sisters and their brother, George Boleyn, as well.  The Boleyn family is seen, in this book as conniving, always with one goal in mind: that goal was to be as powerful and influential as King Henry VIII himself. King Henry VIII actually was married to his first wife, Queen Katherine of Aragon for more than 20 years. During the last several of those years though, he had been carrying on first with Mary Boleyn and later with Anne Boleyn.

The story is told through the eyes of pretty Mary Boleyn, the less famous of the two sisters. Their lives are part of the daily intrigue of the court life, with all of the gossip, flirting that went on to keep the King amused.

It is Anne's ambition and her quick temper that get her into trouble. Where Anne is ready to condemn anyone who gets in her way of becoming queen, Mary (The Other Boleyn Girl) is quite content for a simpler life away from the Court.

The writing style of this book is quite smooth. The amount of detail in the book is amazing too. Ms. Gregory has a gift for making the reader feel as if they are seeing life as it was in 1535. 

All in all, I enjoyed this book, The Other Boleyn Girl tremendously. If you enjoy reading about the Tudors, you'll enjoy this book as much as I did.