The Other Boleyn Girl
Summary from the back cover: When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of Henry VIII. Dazzled by the king, Mary falls in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as unofficial queen. However, she soon realizes just how much she is a pawn in her family’s ambitious plots as the king’s interest begins to wane and she is forced to step aside for her best friend and rival: her sister, Anne. Then Mary knows that she must defy her family and her king, and take her fate into her own hands.
A rich and compelling tale of love, sex, ambition, and intrigue, The other Boleyn Girl introduces a woman of extraordinary determination and desire who lived at the heart of the most exciting and glamorous court in Europe and survived by following her own heart. End of summary
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory is a powerful story about one familys’ ambitions. I enjoyed it so much that I am considering reading the sequals to the The Other Boleyn Girl. At first though, I was surprised at how long it took me get into the story. But once I was a few chapters into the book, I became absorbed into it and didn’t want to put the book down.
What I enjoyed most about reading The Other Boleyn Girl was the way Philippa Gregory told the story. In one paragraph you would read from a first person narrative. Then in the next you would find yourself right in the middle of the action. It kept the story captivating, fun and believable. The plot was just packed with non-stop ambition, lust and greed and was realistic to the times. The relationship of the Boleyn’ family was as dysfunctional as you can get and Mary was right in the middle of it all. Mary was forced to marry very young and finds herslef soon after her marriage as the prize to be conquered by the King. Setting aside her first marriage, Mary is forced to do the King’s bidding. Despite Mary being forced into this situation with the King, she soon finds herself in love with him. As naive as she is about the King, the malice of her family is dispicable. Mostly by the malice of her Uncle and sister. I find myself becoming so absorbed into the story that I want to shake Mary and tell her to grow a spine and tell her family to go to hell. What helps to round out the story so well is the incorportation of the few wonderful moments of happiness for Mary. However she finds herself torn between obtaining happiness for herself or conceding to the demands of her family. It is a constant struggle for her and you find yourself wanting her to choose happiness so much. Getting pulled into a story like this is awesome.
As I’m sure most of you are aware the movie The Other Boleyn Girl was in theaters February 29th. The cast was exceptional. Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson and Eric Bana starred in the movie. Scarlett Johansson plays the part of Mary, Natalie Portman plays the part of Anne, and Eric Bana plays the part of King Henry. Our book club got together on Sunday to watch the movie. As far as the movie is concermed I didn’t like it very much. The movie did not do justice for the book at all. There was so much detail left out of the movie that was in the book. With so much detail left out of the movie, I felt like the movie was rushed and left too many questions unanswered. I would definitely recommend the book without a doubt but I would not recommend the movie right now. I would say to at least wait until the movie comes out on DVD and rent it.
I would love to hear what you think. If you have some time, write what your thoughts are about the book. Looking forward to reading them!
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Comments
I’m glad I finished reading the book after seeing the movie. I was about half way through the book when our book club met to see the movie (I’m always behind). I have to say I enjoyed the movie at that moment because I found it entertaining. However, once I finished the book I was so disappointed in the movie. The book was so awesome, the sexual tension was captivating. What a great read!
By including rumors as if they really were facts, Philippa Gregory manages to make the story more real. I love that about her books. It’s always fun after you finish one to go read what was really true and what was just a rumor that she wove in.