The other Boleyn girl

by Philippa Gregory

Phew! What a huge book(600+ pages)!

That said, I'd read 'The six wives of Henry VIII' by Alison Weir a long time ago. This book solely dwells on the time period in which Henry VIII broke away from the Church of England in order to be able to divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry Ann Boleyn. But its really about Mary Boleyn, Ann's younger sister who was in the Queen's entourage. She was the first pick to tempt Henry to have heirs, given that she was already married kinda put the spanner in the works for the Boleyn family in their path to fame and fortune. Ann Boleyn is a simpleton- not one to adapt well to her family's genetic trait of plotting and planning. Mary seems to have been an unsuccessful pawn, after which her bolder, aggressive sister Ann seems to have made progress, succeeding to become Queen. The entire process for Henry to be able to successfully get his marriage to Catherine annulled and be able to take another Queen was long drawn and laborious. Mary seems to have retired to a life of anonymity after Ann was beheaded along with her brother, George. End of story. The schemings, the machinations, the trickery, the treachery- yup the works that goes behind the scenes of any court.

Yup, kinda a long drawn affair, literally speaking. I'm not sure just this section of historical fiction warranted 600 pages of literature. At most points, I was close to egging the author to just move one and be done with it already! After all, who wants keep hearing about Henry's promiscuous ways and harem gossip in every 2 pages, incessantly?

This is the first book of Philippa Gregory that I read. I dont find her language distinctive and/or captivating. At best, it barely holds your interest and intrigue. Would I read more of her works? Hm perhaps I would if I didnt find anything else to read....which certainly seems to be the state of affairs right about now.