thecoloursinme's Full Review: Philippa Gregory - The Other Boleyn Girl
The Other Boleyn Girl surprised me. As a former cashier at a popular nation-wide bookstore, I had an idea of the popularity of Philippa Gregory before this popular book became a movie. It is rich in historic and cultural detail (especially the latter,the former being used mainly as a backdrop - any history buff can tell that many liberties were taken, but hey, it's fiction).
We begin in the spring of 1521, where within the first page or so the reader (at least this one) receives the first surprise: our main character is only 13 years old. Wow. Mary Boleyn is witnessing the execution of her uncle, who (according to our storyteller) is expected to be pardoned by the king at any moment. He's not, and his head goes tumbling with one clean stroke. Hmmm.
This brings me to my first complaint about the book. Despite being in first person, there seems to be little emotion from a young girl who has just watched her uncle get killed. True, from the way the story is written, it wouldn't seem that the two were close. Perhaps I should modify what I've said...it is quite possible that the character reacted to the death of her uncle, but if she did, our storyteller chose not to talk about about it. This sort of "glazing" over the emotions of prominent characters is a reoccurring role in the book. As a reader I feel more connected to a character that shows emotions.
That said, I still immensely enjoyed the book. Perhaps it is because I am partial to Tudor England and Renaissance history. I do believe this book would be a snore-fest for many.
Let us continue with a brief (but no spoilers) synopsis of the book.
It's about the politics of courtly life and the games that families are forced to play in order that they may get to the top. The Boleyns first begin to use their younger daughter Mary as a pawn in their effort to the thrown. Though if you ask me, it shouldn't be that hard because the family in question already has the power and prestige to have two daughter ladies-in-waiting (the highest privileged personal assistant to the queen, essentially...many times of noble birth themselves). It gets a bit confusing, because Mary, despite being married, is made to put her marriage on hold while she pursues the king. Mary catches the king's eye, and suddenly (no exaggeration here) she is falling in love with him. Mary cannot seem to keep the attention of the King long enough, because soon enough her sister Anne is brought into the picture. Before we know it, it's become a book about extreme sibling rivalry.
Going back to my chief complaint about the book, Mary encounters many life changing events in this book. On the grand scale, we never hear about her reaction to these things, and that disappointed me.
Despite my complaints, I still felt intrigued enough to turn the pages. I love the style the author writes. You can almost imagine that she herself is part of this courtly life, given the way she fashions her sentences.
Two sisters competing for the greatest prize: the love of a king. When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye...More at HotBookSale
Gregory s first installment of her New York Times bestselling series ow the basis is n feature film from Sony Pictures, starring Eric Bana, Scarlett J...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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