Latest reviews about The Other Boleyn Girl: A Novel

trixi says "Watch out! Phillipa Gregory is addicting!" about The Other Boleyn Girl: A Novel

trixi — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:07:54 GMT

The Other Boleyn Girl was the first bok that I read in the Tudor series by Phillipa Gregory. Her writing is amazing. The characters are brought to life and I loved learning so much detail about court life. Her details were so vivid. Its a smooth read but difficult to put down and I began reading one after another. I still have to read The Queen's Fool, but nothing was getting done at my house and I needed to take a break. I'm looking forward to snow day so I can dive back in...Among the gossip, romance, and soap opera there is a real tale of the values of the day and the lives that were lived and one can see the connection through history of how we arrived where we did.

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bbgirl127 says "700+ pages no probelm" about The Other Boleyn Girl: A Novel

bbgirl127 — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:12:20 GMT

The other Boylyn Girl by Philipa Gregory is an outstanding book. She has many in the series and they are all equally great

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gaelkm says "The Other Boleyn Girl - Terrific book!" about The Other Boleyn Girl: A Novel

gaelkm — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:41:39 GMT

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...

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mom2acat says "A historical novel that really comes alive." about The Other Boleyn Girl: A Novel

mom2acat — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:15:47 GMT

This historical novel is a fictionalized account of Anne Boleyn, the 2nd wife of Henry VIII, told from the point of view of her younger sister Mary. It is based on real people and real events. Even though I know it's not a completely accurate history of the time, it's a very fascinating read of what might have been going through the minds of these people, and what may have happened to lead up to these major events in history.

Mary, the younger and lesser known of the Boleyn sisters, is married by the age of 13 to a man chosen by her ambitious family, and also has no say in the matter when her family pushes for her to be a mistress to the king when she is barely 14 years old. After bearing two children by the king, he begins to lose interest in Mary, and that is when her sister Anne sets her sights on the king; but she does not merely wish to be just another mistress, her ambition is to be queen. Her parents, uncle and her brother George all work together to make this happen, and Mary is...

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applesos87 says "Absolutely incredible. One of my all-time favorites." about The Other Boleyn Girl: A Novel

applesos87 — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 02:45:04 GMT

Such an incredible book. You really get into the characters and begin to feel for all of them, even when you don't want to. It's also such an interesting point of view because it is seen through the eyes of an outsider; one who wasnt in the spotlight, but helped to make everything happen. To read about such a fascinating part of history and have it come alive is amazing, but to see it from a different point of view makes it all the better. The romance involved is obviously the center of the story, and includes portrayals of unrequited love (which we are all too familiar with), the lack of power for women, manipulation, and passion. ...

eatingcookies says "Don't miss out on The Other Boleyn sister..." about The Other Boleyn Girl: A Novel

eatingcookies — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 07:18:52 GMT

The Other Boleyn Girl takes place in King Henrty the Eigth's England, a lush landscape of gowns and cold drafty castles, mystery and intrigue, gossip and plotting. My mother bought this book for me as a Christmas gift when it was new in paperback, and I'm so glad she did. This started me down the path of tracking down all of Phillipa Gregory's books, well, as many as I could find.

First of all, Philippa Gregory takes words and winds them around her little finger. I'm not sure just how she does it, but she takes complete control of the English language, in my opinion.

I believe that she has also done her research. I believe there are a great many citations proving just this at the end of each of her historical novels. This shows dedication to detail, and you can read this in her books; it's very obvious.

Now historical fiction isn't always what it's cracked up to be; I have picked up a great many books in this genre and slapped them down; they sometimes just don't measure up to a......

mskittie says "Better than the movie. The Other Boleyn Girl is a good read" about The Other Boleyn Girl: A Novel

mskittie — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 20:27:30 GMT

The Other Boleyn Girl is a wonderful novel. The Author does a great job of sticking to the historical facts and filling in the unknown details with sensible and realistic situations. I have always been a fan of this time in history and Philippa Gregory has spent a great deal of time researching and bringing to life the extraordinary events of the English Tudor period. I am excited to read some of her other books.

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cchil007 says "An inside look at the intrigue of Court life" about The Other Boleyn Girl: A Novel

cchil007 — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:08:05 GMT

I was a bit skeptical about reading this book as it isn't the typical book I pick off the shelves, but as usualy the movie trailer intrigued me and I wanted to make sure i read the book before the movie came out. I am very glad i picked this up. Though some of the love triangles can be disturbing it was facinating to see what court life was like during Henry the 8th's rule. It was also an interesting look at the role of women during this time period. Though thier political impact was in ways great it was limited to thier ability to seduce and persuade men using thier womanly wiles. The way that men, in this case the father of the Boleyn girls, used the women as pawns in thier games was at times disturbing; however it was also interesting to see how the women tried to make thier way in the world with the social constraints thier sex put on them. The author does a good job of writing compelling flawed characters that you can both dislike and sympathize with (not an easy task)...

dmarie1517 says "Great Book..fascinating read....wanted more" about The Other Boleyn Girl: A Novel

dmarie1517 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 02:29:10 GMT

I first saw The Other Boleyn Girl on a Girl's Night Out movie night with two of my closest friends. I had seen the book on the shelves of my local bookstore, but had never bothered to pick it up. However, upon seeing the movie, I realized that I wanted to know more.

I quickly headed to Amazon and ordered the book...along with two others, The Boleyn Inheritance and The Virgin's Lover...all by Philippa Gregory.

I adore Philippa Gregory's take on the Tudors and old English royalty in general. She tells such a vivid story and wraps you in the world of the Boleyns and the harsh reality that befell Anne.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who has a love for reading.

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kalexias says "The Other Boleyn Girl - I couldn't put it down!" about The Other Boleyn Girl: A Novel

kalexias — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 21:29:59 GMT

I chose to read this novel after seeing trailers for the movie of the same name. I also enjoyed the first season of The Tudors and knew the book would appeal to me.

We all know the tale of Anne Boleyn, but by telling it again through the eyes of her sister and rival, Mary, the story takes on a whole new level of drama. Anne is ten times the temptress and all the more power-driven in this light, which makes for an unforgettable read.

In the author's notes, Philippa Gregory does explain how little is actually known about Mary Boleyn except for the rough details of her relationship with the king, her marriages and the lives of her children. It is with this and the known facts of Anne Boleyn and other family members that she creates this work of fiction based on history. It is so well done that one can actually believe that this was how life was for Mary Boleyn.

Bravo! I will be reading other novels by this author!

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alkhansa says "The Other Boleyn Girl : Want to be the Sister of the Queen ?" about The Other Boleyn Girl: A Novel

alkhansa — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:45:47 GMT

What I love about this book :
- I adore Mary Boleyn point of view in this book. And I can really connect with the sisterly jealousy and competition.
- I can't get enough of Mary and her second husband William. They are so meant for each other.
- The plot is flowing and I really can't put down the book until I finished it. Recorded time, I finished it in about 3 hours :-)
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pattiburns says "The Other Boleyn Girl" about The Other Boleyn Girl: A Novel

pattiburns — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:39:44 GMT

I loved this book! Could hardly put it down once I began reading. I also enjoyed A Respectable Trade by Philippa Gregory....

renodsgnr says "A page turner that you won't want to miss" about The Other Boleyn Girl: A Novel

renodsgnr — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:18:59 GMT

I am only about half way through the book but I would definately recommend it! It has a great balance of love, hate, betrayal, and insight into how people lived long ago.
Although there is history contained in the novel, I am not sure how much of it there actually is.??? It might seem intimidating to some because of its 600+ pages but don't be scared off by that.
The only thing I have questions about is the language used throughout the book......the majority of it is more of a "contemporary" dialogue....not something that you would encounter back in those days....

LoveisJoy says "The Tudors are Tedious, But It Does Get Better" about The Other Boleyn Girl: A Novel

LoveisJoy — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:46:17 GMT

I think that I have been spoiled by Showtime's miniseries, The Tudors, because I found this book to be a bit dull in comparison. The Other Boleyn Girl, by author Philippa Gregory is a take on the reign of King Henry VIII as told from the perspective of Mary Boleyn. I did appreciate seeing the events unfold from her point of view, but ultimately, the story proved less than compelling.

My biggest gripe with this book is that the reader is beaten over the head with the theme that a woman's life was not her own to make life decisions. The main characters, George, Anne, and Mary Boleyn appear to have some form of this conversation throughout the first half of the book. Then Mary and her Uncle Howard have a different version of the conversation several more times. It got to the point that I was rolling my eyes each time the author compares Mary to a brood mare, or as a prize won at gambling, a pawn, or whatever metaphor du jour the author fancied to repeat the same point. Okay, we...

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jessibelle2216 says "edge of your seat page turner" about The Other Boleyn Girl: A Novel

jessibelle2216 — Sat, 03 May 2008 02:37:05 GMT

I loved this book...could not put it down. Although it may not be historically correct, it still met its goal by being entertaining. I read this book in 6 days, I dedicated time just to read it because it was interesting. ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhh I love it!

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