The Other Boleyn Girl (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels Book 1) by Philippa Gregory (Epub)

Description

When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of the handsome and charming Henry VIII. Dazzled by the king, Mary falls in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as unofficial queen. However, she soon realizes just how much she is a pawn in her family’s ambitious plots as the king’s interest begins to wane, and soon she is forced to step aside for her best friend and rival: her sister, Anne. With her own destiny suddenly unknown, Mary realizes that she must defy her family and take fate into her own hands.

With more than one million copies in print and adapted for the big screen, The Other Boleyn Girl is a riveting historical drama. It brings to light a woman of extraordinary determination and desire who lived at the heart of the most exciting and glamorous court in Europe, and survived a treacherous political landscape by following her heart.

User’s Reviews

Review “You want a real page-turner, but you don’t want to tarnish your reputation for literary taste. The Other Boleyn Girl is your kind of…book.” — Janice Numura, Newsday

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ If you are looking for a fascinating, intriguing story this is the book for you. However, if you are a Tudor fan who insists on accuracy, you may not like this book. “The Other Boleyn Girl” is narrated by Mary Boleyn, the sister of the famous Anne. The two girls, one sweet and blonde and the other dark and ruthless, are used as pawns by their family to gain favor with the king-and thus gain prestige and wealth for the Boleyns. Mary, who is married, is forced to leave her husband when her family pushes her into King Henry’s bed. She becomes the king’s mistress, but truly loves him. Later in the story Anne ruthlessly destroys the life of the gracious, pious Queen Catherine in order to gain the throne-and uses witchcraft, poison, and incest to further her aims. Ms Gregory uses actual dates and happenings to build her story, and fills them in with speculation and fictitious events. This is not a book for you if you are a stickler for facts-but it is a fast-paced, gripping novel that makes the reader want to keep going to see what’s next. I especially liked the book’s glimpse into the Tudor court. Most people today have no idea of what it means to have your entire life revolve around the whim of someone who could either make you very fortunate-or put you to death. Courtiers were not just beautiful people who lounged around all day. They had to accompany the ruler EVERYWHERE, even if that meant dinners that went on past midnight, and then getting up for Mass or hunting at dawn. They had to gauge the king’s every mood and adjust accordingly. A great job? I will leave that up to the reader.

⭐ The Other Boleyn Girl far exceeded my expectations, having seen the film of the same name, I wondered what to expect from the book. I was not disappointed. Far superior to the film. We know the work is a novel loosely based on some facts but nevertheless an entertaining read for all that. Highly recommended to lovers of Tudor history novels particularly the reign of Henry VIII.

⭐ Filled with charts that I like and really dislike and that brings me to the point of not sure how I feel about this book. I have always had an win Anne Boleyn but I never pictured her being this ugly as far as characteristics go. There is no way to feel sympathetic towards a character portrayed as being this deviant and immoral. I really don’t know whether to recommend or not. Perhaps historical fiction is not my cup of tea

⭐ I can hardly put down these Plantagenet/Tudor novels! Ive blazed through 3 of them in a row and am having to force myself to read something else so that I can save some for later! Some of her books overlap the same time with the same characters but you get a completely different sense of story by reading it in a different characters point of view…SO GOOD!

⭐ I’m going to be upfront with readers of this review, I am not a very smart girl. So many of you giving negative reviews really know your Tudors’ History. Everything I know about the Tudors stems from *cringe* the television show (love it), Wikipedia, and various other websites around the internet.But even I, with my very limited knowledge of Tudors History, was seriously annoyed with the mistakes in the book – especially when you consider how self serving they were to the picture perfect main character. I have never seen ANY historian claim (even on Wiki dang it!) that Mary was the younger of the sisters. If I remember right she was actually likely the eldest of the living Boelyn children. This makes sense considering that Mary was the first presented at court and the first married. As another reviewer said her being the youngest adds nothing to the storyline so why not just get it right? I think PG was trying to make Mary as innocent as possible and being just a young teenager made her more likeable to the reader perhaps. However pretty much everything I’ve read about Mary agrees on the fact that she had some miles on her (classy terminology FTW) when she arrived to the English court. I think the fact that she married someone who was generally deemed below Boelyn level is proof that this is true. It’s pointed out how great the Boelyn/ Howard family a million times in this book and someone as pretty as Mary was said to be would have probably fetched a husband from an even better family…unless she had a bad reputation.In PG’s mind sisters are apparently polar opposites. Since Mary is blonde, sweet, and shy, Anne is dark, vile, and loud. I have to say this author really does not seem to like Miss Anne Boelyn very much. This Anne is nasty to everyone, clever but somehow incredibly stupid at the same time, thinks negatively of everyone around her, and even tries to seduce her gay brother several times (what the heck?) in the book. Also, pretty much every thing that Anne was accused of, things that most historians agree are probably false and made up so she could be executed without much argument, are true in this novel. If a person only read this book and never anyhting else about Anne Boelyn they would not have a very good image of her, when in reality Anne was said to have done lots of nice things in her short reign as Queen of England.As I said before, I am not very smart. I do not usually pick up on misogynistic language and themes – even obvious ones (Snow White anybody?)- but in this book you’re practically slapped across the face with it. Mary is quiet, shy, conventionally beautiful, listens to her male handlers (for the most part) and gives into the King’s sexual desires as soon as he asks. She is rewarded with beautiful children, a loving husband, and a nice quiet life in the country (because being a farmer’s wife in the 16th century was easy as churning butter I guess). Anne, on the other hand, is mean, agressive, sexual (while withholding herself from the king so as not to be another used and disgraced woman), and most of all DARES to think of herself as equal to or (le gasp!) better than the men in her life. No, these behaviors would have NOT been acceptable in Tudor England from a woman, but this book was written in the 21st century by a female author, no less. A little perspective please?So yes, go ahead and tell me that maybe I’m just too dumb to understand this novel, but I think i’ll stick with other adaptions that don’t take such a negative veiw of poor Anne.

⭐ This well-known author of historical fiction has outdone herself with this rich and absorbing tale of the notorious Boleyn sisters, Anne and Mary. The Tudor court, with all its pomp and intrigue, is seen through the eyes of the beautiful Mary Boleyn, who at the age of fourteen arrives at court and becomes lady-in-waiting to Katherine of Aragon, Queen of England and wife to King Henry VIII. Although already married to courtier William Carey, Mary captures the heart of King Henry VIII, whose roving eyes land on this innocent young miss.In the eyes of the grasping and greedy Boleyn family, Mary is but the fatted calf through whom their ambitions, they believe, will become realized. So, they offer her up as a sacrifice to their ruthless ambition. Forced to separate from her husband in order to become the King’s mistress, Mary betrays the Queen and becomes mistress to the King, all at the behest of her family. Every step of her affair is choreographed from the wings by her family, with the adept aid of her sly and clever sister, Anne, in the role of chief manipulator.Mary struggles with her own code of honor and personal morality, which is often in conflict with what is mandated by her family. Still, despite her best intentions, Mary disappoints them, as her nature is not the kind that takes well to intrigue and manipulation, as she has sincere feelings of affection for the King, as well as for the Queen. After bearing the King two children, however, she is set aside by a formidable rival, her own sister, Anne, in whom the Boleyn family now place their hopes and ambitions.This is, first and foremost, the story of Mary Boleyn, a woman who has generally been reduced to a footnote in history. It is notable, however, that she was the only Boleyn sibling to survive the purges of the Tudor court and who, ultimately, married for love in an age when this was not the norm among those of her class. It is also the story of Anne Boleyn, her rise and fall, as seen through the eyes of her sister, Mary, with whom Anne was to have a lifelong rivalry.To a lesser degree, it is also the story of their brother, George, a more remote, though no less interesting, personage. His interjection into the story is necessary, as the author attempts to address the issue of incest that arose at the trial of George and Anne Boleyn. She gives quite an interesting perspective on the issue, weaving it, part and parcel, into the story in an effort to explain his downfall, as well his betrayal by his own wife.Told against the magnificent backdrop of the Tudor Court in all its splendor and majesty, the author weaves a complex tale of greed, ambition, sex, and political machination, as well as unparalleled intrigue, in sixteenth century England. Filled with well-fleshed characters taken right out of the annals of history, the story is one that is sure to delight all those with a love for well-written historical fiction. In particular, fans of beloved author, Jean Plaidy, will enjoy this book.

⭐ Could be your favorite historical fiction novel, if you like to learn about history, certain time periods in a way that’s entertaining.I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is written through the eyes of Mary Boleyn, Anne Boleyn’s sister, who is a courtier of the court. From this viewpoint, the reader is allowed to experience the “whole” Boleyn story. Starting with the relationship between King Henry and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. Through, the influence Anne Boleyn had over the court, politics, and eventually the Church of England.This book also introduces major historically influencial characters in this time period, and explains about the establishment of the Church of England and the seperation from the Roman Catholic church and why.There is a lot discussion about whether Mary was the elder Boleyn or the younger. Philippa Gregory depicts Mary as the younger Boleyn, which recent studies and theories believe is TRUE. The fact that Anne was sent abroad to study in the French court, while they settled on a suit for Mary, supports the claim that Mary was younger. Also, there is some historical information that the Boleyn’s were attempting to marry the eldest daughter, Anne to a suit that would have been beneficial to the Boleyn’s. During that time, Mary was married, while they negotiated Anne’s marriage. As history can prove, Anne did not marry in that “advantageous” suit, but later married Henry the VIII, as his 2nd wife. The first to be beheaded.Totally mesmorizing, engaging and spellbinding. This ranks as one of my favorite historical fictions. Very well written, and complete.

⭐ The only reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the length. It is a very long novel and I truly believe the same effect could have been achieved with less writing. It got boring in places where I felt like just skimming through a few pages and then picking it up later on in the next chapter. We read this as part of a local book club “assignment” and several of our members did not even make it through the entire book. I will say that it is pretty true to the historical time period and that makes it interesting to anyone who has a passion for historical fiction/fact.

⭐ I’ve read Philippa Gregory’s Cousin’s War series, and also the first in this series prior to reading this one. This one returned to the Cousins War style (completely one perspective, vs. in The Constant Princess); I prefer this format. But anyhow, this one really follows three siblings – two Boleyn sisters and their brother. If you’ve never read Philippa Gregory, I’d encourage you to jump right in – she pulls you into the era and weaves drama and charisma into these historical figures. If you’ve read some of her work, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed here. I still have more love for the Cousins War series over this Tudor Court series, but this book makes me want to continue on and read the next.

⭐ I’m going to do this review as I would for anyone that knows about The Tudor history. There will only be spoilers if you do not know about the history of the Tudors at all.SO!! This one is one that had me by my heart strings… I was pulled in so many different directions! I even sat and contemplated how to do a review because there was just so much in this.Firstly, the only negative that I have. This is quite a long book. For someone that has learned a great deal about The Tudors some of the passages seemed a bit tedious. For someone new to the story and to their grand way of life however, I think every word is probably needed! For me though, it was just a tad on the long side.Now to the positives! First, Philippa Gregory’s writing. Once again she dazzles with words in a way that few other authors can do. She has brought this court life alive and I can easily see and feel what she is talking about.I also really enjoyed that this wasn’t about all of the Tudors but mainly about Mary. As the narrator of the story we only know what Mary knows and what she feels. This leaves a lot open for interpretation when it comes to Anne and the rest of her family but we know exactly how Mary feels and I just loved that.I was surprised at just how conniving Anne really was. I mean at every point in her life she is working to better herself and her family but it was herself first and foremost. She is greedy and dishonest and it really showed. But still I feel for her even as I judge her. She went to high and could not see what she was doing to herself before it was way too late. In short: I think Philippa Gregory yet again wrote a masterpiece filled with charms and poison. It’s a fabulous yet such a sad read.4.5/5

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