Title: The Other Boleyn Girl
Author: Philippa Gregory
We all know about Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry the Eighth. This is the story of Mary Boleyn, Anne's younger sister, whose family sent her to the king's bed when she was fourteen and who bore him two children before he started his relationship with Anne.
I know, I'm surprised that I haven't read this book yet either. I've been on the waiting list at the library for, like, forever, and I also have a friend who has been trying to get me to borrow it, but I've never gotten around to making it over to her house. So when I ran out of books on the fourth day of our trip, I found myself standing in Marshall's bookstore with four kids (and my mom) waiting for me in the car and not much time to browse. I was excited to see this one on the shelf. It's a consuming book. It's more than 700 pages, but I read it in three or four days. I can't say that it's exactly a fast-reading book, or a surprising book (we all know that Anne lost her head when she failed to produce a male heir). In fact, I really wanted the book to move faster at some points (I think it should have been about 200 pages shorter). And the history, while interesting, was not nearly as interesting as the rivalry between the two sisters and the way the family used both girls (especially Mary, since Anne seemed more a willing victim) on their way up. But the whole time I was reading, I kept wondering where they thought they'd be once they got to the top and why it was so important to them to get there. There's definitely a feminist twist to the way Mary's character is presented. After Henry is done with her, she wants to stay in the country, get a little cottage, and raise her children, but because she is a woman and not allowed to earn money (although her relationship with the king gained the men in her family many financial advantages) she must remain at court, apart from her children. Writing this made me remember that I need to check wikipedia to see if Anne was really as cold and calculating as she was portrayed in the novel. I've heard the movie isn't very good, but now I want to see it just so I can say "the book was so much better."
2 comments:
The book is historical fiction, but there is a lot of truth to it. Mary was only serving in the court at Anne's request. Mary was also banish from court (the very last time) at Anne request. Mary had married Will Staford, a guy of modest means, and her family didn't approve of it, so they had her banish from court, and Anne, as well as the rest of the family turn their back on her. Mary did have her say. In a letter to Cromwell, she once said "that she rather break bread with a guy who loved her, than have all the crowns in the world...will that not exactly what she said, but it's close. It was a clear shot at Anne. In the letter Mary indicated that Anne married Henry for the crown,and that Henry and Anne really didn't love one another.
Here a list of some great books about Anne Boleyn:
Anne Boleyn-by Marie Louise Bruce
Anne Boleyn-by Carolly Erickson
The Challenge of Anne Boleyn by Hester W. Chapman
Anne Boleyn
by Eric William Ives
Anne Boleyn: A Chapter of English History, 1527-1536 by by Paul Friedmann .
Friedmann 's book is one of my favorites, next to Marie Louise Bruce's book on Anne. You can preview Friedmann's book online.
http://books.google.com/books?id=hEADAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Anne+Boleyn&ei=qQp7SMLwOqfSigG7j5DEAg
thank you so much! I'll have to check them out. I read Antonia Fraser's book about the wives of Henry VIII years ago, and I guess I had either skimmed through or forgotten the details about AB.
Post a Comment