Customer Reviews
Sensational! - By: Mrs. J. A. Guy, 28 Dec 2008 
This is the first of PG's books I have read, & I can safely say I was blown away, & will be reading a lot more soon!
Everytime I picked up this book I was transported to the Tudor Court, to the sixteenth centuryin the reign of King Henry VIII, I became a "fly-on-the-wall" courtier, & loved every minute of it. It was probably the fastest I have ever read a novel, & I don't even like to read books quickly, I like to relish each page, which I did with this book too, of course, but each page was far more anticipating that usual! Mary's tale is very gripping & you become involvedin the drama of the court, the lusty, dangerous drama which makes that era so spectacular.
I especially loved the way the characters are so easily imaginable, it felt as if a highly enjoyable film was rollingin my head as I read each chapter. I really really loved it!
I asked for the rest of the Tudor Court novels for Christmas & can't wait to read them.
A definite must-readin my opinion!
Historical Soap Opera - By: Nicola Jarvis, 28 Nov 2008 
As a big fan of historical fiction, & also a big fan of Tudor history, particularly Anne Boleyn, I was quite excited to pick up this novel that focused on the forgotten tale of Mary Boleyn. It makes a good, light read, as long as it is not taken seriously. It is enjoyable for perhaps a reader that is ignorant of the tale of Anne Boleyn, but if they are unfamiliar, they are going to go away with a very dark picture of Henry VIII's most famous wife.
The research surrounding the everyday lives of the courtiers is thorough & convincing, as are the details of the buildings, landscape & costumes. The main problem with this novel is that Gregory is clutching at straws to come up with a story for Mary & fleshing her out as a character, & as such, sacrifices Anne's character as a two-dimensional super bitch. Mary is characterised as her opposite, but is problematically modernised for the modern reader. Many of Mary's reactions to situations are completely out of context. Gregory would have done a better job to have made her a woman of her time & made us understand herin her own contemporary society, that way; we would have truly been drawn into their world.
The depiction of Anne is awful to put it mildly. It makes her out to be guilty of the worst crimes, & that her fate was deserved. She is made out to be a truly selfish person, concentrating only on herself, & that any charm that she had was not her natural personality, but a complete act. I know this is fiction, but I think an author has a responsibility when writing about someone who was a real person. This is a clear insult to her memory. Anne spent much of her time studying theology, as a patron to the arts & to religious figures she had sympathy for, & did endless work for the poor. Of course nobody is perfect, but at least add gray to the palette, not complete black or white. And Gregory has taken almost every single exciting rumour & scandal that have since proved false by historians & fitted it into her plot to make a wild Eastender's episode.
The film adaptation of this novel, starring Natalie Portman as Anne Boleyn & Scarlett Johansson as her sister Mary, should be avoided.
Despite the terrible representation of both Anne & Mary (she is a little too perfect) I wouldn't call this novel anti-feminist or misogynistic as many critics have been branding this novel (though Gregory does seem to have something against ambition, though she depicts it as a destructive force for both men & women). The problem with feminist critics is that they focus too much on the representation of just women & not the men, but it seems very clear to me that the men do no betterin this novel.
If you know you would not take this novel too seriously, then I think it would be enjoyable for you. It is an easy accessible read, & has a lot to offer on every day Tudor life, & it may pull youin to do some of your own researchin non-fiction books. Just as long as you do not go away thinking that this story has any truthin it besides from the obvious. On a side note I have also seen the film, & will briefly say that while this book may be worth some of your time, the film most certainly is not.
what a read! - By: R. Brown, 24 Nov 2008 This is the first of philippa gregory's books that i have read & thought it was wonderful. Towards the end i could not put this book down & found it a very interesting read.
Dangerous stuff - By: J. Styles, 11 Nov 2008 
"The other Boleyn girl" as a franchise has been terrifically successful, spawning two films & some heated debate along the way. But for numerous reasons, it should be approached with caution by the reader.
Personally, I agree with other reviewsin that I don't mind some historical innaccuraciesin my fiction, despite having a history degree, as long as it's made clear that fiction is all it is. And I did enjoy some parts of the book. I like the claustrophobic description of court lifein the tudor period, & the intensity of the relationship between the sisters. And yes, some bits are quite sexy. None of it would pass as a plausible description of human relationships, but never mind- the point of romantic fiction is, after all, idealisation & escapism.
Unfortunately, Gregory over-reaches herself, & seems to claimin the "Q&A" sectionin the back of the book that her flights of imagination have some substancein historical truth. Anyone who reads the book should know before hand that they don't. I'm not going into specifics, since others have before me, but pretty much all that stands up to even cursory investigationin the book are the names. What I & a lot of other people would worry about is that many people won't even bother with cursory investigation, & will accept the sexed-up, wildly sensationalist version of eventsin the book as truth. Some people will say it doesn't matter, but our history explains our society. It is important we have a realistic idea of it.
Interestingly, I also find that the writing ability of Gregory varies inversely with her ambition. So when writing about something she knows about, she as female rivalries & insecurities, she is really quite entertaining. But as the book progresses, her perspective widens & she looses her grip. I've found this with other Gregory books as well; they start off intensely personal & emotive, but somewhere toward the end they disintegrate into hysteria & witchcraft. Really, for better historical & romantic fiction with a female perspective, read Joanne Harris.
I also have to say that I find Gregory's grasp of sexual politics quite insulting. Mary, the "heroine" of the book, is niaeve, passive & guliable. Gregory attempts to compensate for this later by depicting Mary as socially & sexually liberated, & ends up giving us as soppy, misty-eyed a depiction of domestic life as has ever existed. Meanwhile, Anne is lambasted as cold, calculating and, most unforgiveablyin Gregory's eyes, ambitious. Her execution is portrayed as a just reward for daring to have her own opinions & agenda & interfearingin men's business.
Apparently the author claims elsewhere to be a "radical, feminist historian." Well, she's wrong on all counts. Her outlook is retrogressive, she's a hack journalist playing with history because she knows it will sell books, & she has all the feminist integrity of a pussycat doll (remeber that video where they dance aroundin underwear claiming "I don't need a man"?).
As I said before, I did enjoy some parts of the book. It makes perfect holiday reading, as it doesn't make too many demands on you. I just don't think anyone should fool themselves that what they're reading is at all historical or intellectual. It's the literary equivalent of a rom-com, with just as many gaffs & plot holes, but with rather better costumes. It will entertain, but it won't improve you any.
brilliant - By: Mr. Alan Bird And Bird, 26 Oct 2008 this is the first book by this author that I have ever read, & it is absolutely brilliant. It is historically accurate, & brings to life the sordid life of the tudor court,under Henry Englands most nortorious ruler. I have since watched the film, based on the book, which cannot hold a candle to this book. Do yourself a favour forget the film & just read the book, you will not be able to put it down. This book is a real page turner.
