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The other Boleyn girl (Book)

The other Boleyn girl
Title:The other Boleyn girl
Author:Gregory, Philippa
Publisher:2001
Brief description: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 a beautiful young woman at court? But then the course of English history is irrevocably changed.
ISBN:0743269837, 0002259842, 0007130910
Subjects:Anne Boleyn - Queen, consort of Henry VIII, King of England - 1507-1536 - Fiction
Historical fiction
Permalink:Permalink to this item
Description (full):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 knowedge - 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.
Author info:Philippa Gregory is an established writer and broadcaster whose works include historical novels, contemporary suspense and short stories. She holds a PhD in eighteenth-century literature from the University of Edinburgh.
Nielsen review:Praise for EARTHLY JOYS 'When it comes to writers of historical fiction, Philippa Gregory is in the very top league' Daily Mail 'Brilliantly true to the period I was entranced' Lisa Jardine, Times Praise for VIRGIN EARTH 'A gripping story' Mail on Sunday 'Exciting and fascinating' Sunday Telegraph
Kirkus review:Historically based, page-turning story of Mary Boleyn, sister of the infamous Anne, decapitated by Henry VIII: here, as much a tale of love and lust as it is a saga about an ambitious family who used their kin as negotiable assets. Rich with period detail, the story is told by Mary, the younger sister, who is married off at 13 to William Carey, a courtier at Henry's court. Mary serves Queen Katherine, mother of the future Queen Mary, and begins her tale when her sister Anne, stylish and beautiful, returns from France to join Mary at court. The sisters' ambitious parents and their uncle, the future Duke of Norfolk, are determined to acquire power and influence, as well as titles and estates, from the king, even if it means that Mary must become his mistress. Their son George is made to work on his sisters' behalf and to live a life not of his choosing (he's homosexual and loves a fellow courtier). Mary bears the king a son, but Anne soon after uses all her wiles to make Henry divorce the Queen and marry her. The Boleyns, more ruthlessly functional than dysfunctional, continue to plot and push to achieve their ends. Mary recounts the king's wish for a male heir; his break with the Pope; Anne's skillful if criminal plotting that leads to the divorce and her marriage to Henry; the birth of the future Queen Elizabeth; and Anne's desperate attempts to bear a son. Meanwhile, she herself, widowed after her first husband dies from the plague, finds love with Sir William Stafford-the only strand of the story with possibilities for future happiness. Absorbing tale of a Renaissance family determined to climb as high as they can, whatever the cost. (Kirkus Reviews)
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