Fiction - Romance About the Author : Philippa Gregory Prolific British novelist who writes mainly in the historical fiction genre. Her doctorate was in 18th century literature and she taught courses at several universities. Often appears on TV and radio quiz shows as the resident history "expert". Lives in the north of England with her husband and two children. | Submitted by: SemperEaden
Comments: As a Tudor enthusiast for many years, I opened The Other Boleyn Girl very tentatively. Author Philippa Gregory is enjoying the title of the queen of royal fiction right now, but any Tudor scholar will tell you that she often takes the most outrageous sources and claims of history to write her books. TOBG is no different; Anne seems all ruthlessness and ambition, Mary is too innocent, and I'm sorry, but i cannot believe that Anne and her brother had sex. However, if you can look past the glaring historical inaccuracies (and if you know the time period and get easily annoyed at writer's license with history, don't take this advice; you will go mad), TOBG is a fast-paced read. | Submitted by: SixQueensofHenryVIII Comments: I don't know why everyone is so touchy about this book. Yes it is inaccurate but it's just a novel. If anyone is dumb enough to believe it is truth, that is their problem, not yours. Regardless, I found it a highly enjoyable story. The characters are a little two dimensional, Anne is all bad and Mary is all good, but their motivated and have ambitions. The pacing is fast and the writing style good and fun to read. I whizzed through it. Definetely the best of Gregory's books. I'd give it an 8/10. |
Submitted by:antoinette2
Comments: I hated this book. It was historical drivel and bears no resemblance to accurate history. The thing that bothers me about these kinds of books is that they cater to the romantic and uninformed, then they start to be quoted as historical fact. There are better bodice-rippers out there. This is shallow and yes, it did make me a bit mad. |
Submitted by: queen_elizabeth_1533
Comments: I think this book would have been more entertaining if I hadn't known the characters and their back stories already. I couldn't get into it because the inaccuracies really bugged me. If you don't know the story, you might really like it, but be warned if you're a fan of Anne Boleyn; you won't be pleased. |
Submitted by:HistoryWitch
Comments:This is definitely not my favorite and Anne is not the heroine but I found it worthwhile. I especially liked the scenes between Mary and Katherine. Mary's loyalty to the Queen pitted against family ambition and her own desire. As for the level of historical realism I didn't think it was too bad. What is great about this book is that it re-ignited a better class of historical fiction publications. I'm afraid bodice-ripping to a degree is expected by most people. I'll always love this genre: I read it at an early age and seduced me into the world of non-fiction. |
Submitted by:Clumsyxheart
Comments: The portrayal of Anne was very disappointing to me. Considering the fact Gregory portrayed Katherine of Aragon so well in the Constant Princess. She portrayed Anne being a cold heartless *****. When Anne in reality was far from it. And not to mention she failed to mention that Innocent Mary also bedded King Francis. I don't recommend this read unless you truly despise Anne Boleyn which I doubt anyone on here does.
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Submitted by: Tudorprincess
Comments: Fast paced and a good read IF you don't mind the numerous historical inaccuracies and can grit your teeth through the negative portrayal of Anne Boleyn. It is well written but has made Mary too innocent and Anne too much of a *****, regardless of what people's opinions of them are. |
Submitted by:Oragami
Comments: Before i read this book, i didn't know there was a Mary Boleyn. It's a good book in my opinion, although some of the 'facts' in the book conflict with things I have read in other sources, making me unsure of which is true or not.
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Submitted by: Yddib
Comments: I found this book good for a fantasy read. If I didnt know any better I would rave over it. |
Submitted by: Maggie-AnneB.
Comments: This book is very well written. Gregory's best written book in my opinion. But if your reading this book expecting it to be full of truths. It is not. From the ages of the characters, straight down to the incest, this book is lie after lie. Mary Boleyn wasn't an innocent. She was a sexual woman, who did find happiness and left the court. This is a well written book, but it's basically a burn book against Anne Boleyn. I recommend it, because it will stimulate your Tudor mind! | Submitted by: Lady-Demiya
Comments: I read this book when I knew little of Tudor times, so I enjoyed it. But even though this is very out of historical text, I didn't believe a lot of it. I mean, Anne committing incest? Who would take THAT seriously?
As I said in a review of another Philippa Gregory book, as long as you don't take her writings seriously and personal, then this book is enjoyable. But I got to say, the movie portrayal sucks beyond belief, and it represents the book poorly. It is such a shame.
I would advise reading it, though take caution for those who are very serious historians.
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Submitted by LouiseTopp
I thought this book was very good and painted what life was like from a personal point of view. It also gives an insight into what Mary was like and how she liked nature, she would have loved the Hampton Court Flower Show. | |