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The Other Boleyn Girl Book

Everyone knows the fate of Anne Boleyn, but not many know the story of her rise to majesty and the part played by her rival and sister, Mary, who was Henry's mistress and mother to two of his bastard children before the dazzling older Boleyn girl even caught his eye. Philippa Gregory, whose own role as the Queen of historical romance grows more secure with each new novel, has surpassed her self with this epic tale of lust, jealousy and betrayal. The Other Boleyn Girl charts the lives of both Boleyns--each in their turn "the other Boleyn Girl"--and their fiercely ambitious, conniving family who used the girls as pawns to advance their own positions at the court of Henry VIII. At 13, Mary is little more than a child when she is presented to Henry, ordered by her scheming family to serve her King and country by opening her legs whenever commanded, or doing anything else the great monarch desires. And while his loins are satisfied, life at court is sweet for the unofficial Queen and her pushy coterie. Inevitably though, the King's eyes soon begin to wander and Mary is overlooked, helpless to do anything but aid her family's plot to advance their fortunes, replace her with Anne and give Henry the greatest gift of all: a son and heir. So good a job has Ms Gregory done at portraying the Boleyns and Howards as selfish, scheming, treacherous manipulators however, that it becomes increasingly hard to feel empathy for any of them. While Mary is merely hapless, Anne is the most ruthless of them all, so that instead of feeling cheated by knowing the outcome of her story, it only serves to help digest her unpalatable rise. Such a gruesome destiny was never more deserved. Ms Gregory has worked hard at researching her historical references. Daily life at court is described in fascinating detail--from the relentless leisure pursuits, masques and banquets laid on for the easily bored King to the complex hierarchies and machinations of the courtiers. However, the fall of Queen Katherine of Aragon and her only child, the Princess Mary, and the politics of the competing European courts and the break with Rome are seen only as a backdrop to the bawdy goings-on of the Boleyns and their fateful race for the crown. --Carey Green Read More

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  • Donna Stephens25 August 2009

    This book is truly gripping, making history come to life. The story is well told and interesting at every point.

    Philippa is a brilliant author, and a well research novel. the other Boleyn girls is a excellent story, with highly believable dialogue and interesting adaptation on a previously told story - I look forward to reading her latest novel.

  • Amazon

    Fabulous historical novel set in the court of King Henry VIII. Mary Boleyn attracts the attention of the young king and becomes his mistress; when he tires of her, she sets out to school her sister, Anne, as a replacement.

  • Foyles

    The acclaimed international bestseller of the Tudor court, during the years of Henry VIII's pursuit of Anne Boleyn - and the revolutionary sequence of events that followed. This chance for us Howards comes once in a century... 1521. Henry VIII rules over a fashionable court alive with pageant and celebration, the lack of a son his only threat. When young Mary Boleyn arrives at court, she becomes his new mistress, an unwitting pawn in the ambitions of the powerful Boleyn and Howard families. As Henry's interest begins to wane, the Boleyns scheme to put forward Mary's sister, Anne. Yet Anne Boleyn, newly returned from the French court, won't agree to be Henry's mistress - only his wife.Pitting the king's desperation for an heir against the advice of his powerful advisors, Wolsey and Cromwell, what follows will change the course of a country's history.A master of period biographical fiction Philippa Gregory is one of the most popular novelists writing today. Her novels range across historical periods from the early 1400’s to the Twentieth Century but she is best known for her portrayals of the women around the Tudor court of Henry VIII, most famously Anne Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl.

  • Play

    Fabulous historical by No.1 bestseller Philippa Gregory the queen of Tudor novels. Set in the court of King Henry VIII Mary Boleyn attracts the attention of the young king and becomes his mistress; when he tires of her she sets out to school her sister Anne as a replacement. Politics and passion are inextricably bound together in this compelling drama. The Boleyn family is keen to rise through the ranks of society and what better way to attract the attention of the most powerful in the land than to place their most beautiful young woman at court? But Mary becomes the king's mistress at a time of change. He needs his personal pleasures but he also needs an heir. The unthinkable happens and the course of English history is irrevocably changed. For the women at the heart of the storm they have only one weapon; and when it's no longer enough to be the mistress Mary must groom her younger sister in the ways of the king. What happens next is common knowledge - but here it is told in a way we've never heard it before with all of Philippa Gregory's characteristic perceptiveness backed by meticulous research and superb storytelling skills.

  • BookDepository

    The Other Boleyn Girl : Paperback : HarperCollins Publishers : 9780006514008 : : 07 May 2002 : The acclaimed international bestseller of the Tudor court, during the years of Henry VIII's pursuit of Anne Boleyn - and the revolutionary sequence of events that followed.

  • 0006514006
  • 9780006514008
  • Philippa Gregory
  • 1 May 2007
  • HarperCollins
  • Paperback (Book)
  • 544
  • (Reissue)
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