Monday, April 12, 2010

The other Boleyn girl by Philippa Gregory


An exquisite book and one of the best historical fiction I have read thus far. The book tells the story of Anne Boleyn rose from a simple courtier to Queen of England, mainly told from the viewpoint of her sister Mary Boleyn. The scheming and endless scandals of the English court during King Henry VIII's reign is magnificently told. The book not only paints a vivid picture of life during the 16th century but enthralls the reader with brilliant charecterizations of all notable players in that slice of history.

Henry VIII: A selfish king who would later claim divine right to the keys of heaven itself
Anne Boleyn: A beauty driven by pure raw ambition
Mary Boleyn: The other Boleyn girl, a pawn in the ambitious power struggle of her family
Catherine of Aragon: Princess of Spain and Queen of England, a queen ursurped

Even though I knew the ending, and have read the story told from a different perspective (The 6th wife by Jean Plaidy ) , I really couldn't put it down. A definite must read for fans of the genre and for newbies.

Rating: 4.5/5

3 comments:

Melancholic Fool said...

but it is full of history inaccuracies...

Hidayah Ismawi said...

Melancholic fool: with historical fiction, I don't really care ..hehe..usually it's just loosely based on actual ppl or events.. it just dramatizes and makes history more intereseting.. AFTERWARDS .. we can find out which was right and which was just the author's imagination :)- but it was a really good read

Syura: Ha! Nak pinjam lah tu .. hehe.. anytime.. am sure my other book crazy friends will be calling soon too..

Ummu Auni said...

macam best..nak pinjam boleh?

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