Saturday, June 12, 2010

Review #19: The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory

Synopsis (from amazon.com):
Sisterly rivalry is the basis of this fresh, wonderfully vivid retelling of the story of Anne Boleyn. Anne, her sister Mary and their brother George are all brought to the king's court at a young age, as players in their uncle's plans to advance the family's fortunes. Mary, the sweet, blond sister, wins King Henry VIII's favor when she is barely 14 and already married to one of his courtiers. Their affair lasts several years, and she gives Henry a daughter and a son. But her dark, clever, scheming sister, Anne, insinuates herself into Henry's graces, styling herself as his adviser and confidant. Soon she displaces Mary as his lover and begins her machinations to rid him of his wife, Katherine of Aragon. This is only the beginning of the intrigue that Gregory so handily chronicles, capturing beautifully the mingled hate and nearly incestuous love Anne, Mary and George ("kin and enemies all at once") feel for each other and the toll their family's ambition takes on them. Mary, the story's narrator, is the most sympathetic of the siblings, but even she is twisted by the demands of power and status; charming George, an able plotter, finally brings disaster on his own head by falling in love with a male courtier. Anne, most tormented of all, is ruthless in her drive to become queen, and then to give Henry a male heir.

Review:
This book is incredibly dense with story. I had a hard time getting through the first 200 pages because the story moved so slowly. The last half of the book was much more swift moving. What I did appreciate about this book was the way Phillipa Gregory was able to convey a woman's position in Tudor-Stewart England. And whatever you feel about Mary and Anne, Gregory makes it clear that they are very much the pawns of their family's ambition. It's an interesting read overall.

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