Another Amazing Book by Philippa Gregory

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	• The Boleyn Inheritance Philippa Gregory Touchstone Books, 2007 - 544 pages average customer review:based on 169 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Another Amazing Book by Philippa Gregory

This is another fabulous book by Philippa Gregory. She is truly an outstanding historical fiction writer, much better than the current "romance" or historical fiction writers that are so popular with Oprah and other book clubs. This book is one of the best by Philippa Gregory; I couldn't put it down. Definitely a must read for anyone interested in the Tudor era or in a good story.

Very good and entertaining...

I thoroughly enjoyed this book as I had no knowledge of Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and very little on Jane Rochford. I was more familiar with Anne Boleyn and Katherine of Aragon. I was very interested to learn more about these 'lesser' known women in Tudor history.

I was very pleasantly suprised to find this book enjoyable. I couldn't put it down and ended up finishing it rather quickly. I savored the stories and how the lives of these women enterwined. As a result of this book, I started to look for others on these women so that I can find more information.

I found the writing to be wonderful and captivating. Im not sure how much of the book was fact, but my knowledge level of these women has risen and I was entertained in the process.

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Rashomon for the Tudor Set

This novel is written from the viewpoint of three very different women - the naive yet quick-witted Anne of Cleves, the calculating Jane Boleyn and the greedy and childish Catherine Howard. They take turns by each chapter telling their view of events as they occur over a fairly brief period of time. Anne is set aside by the King in favor of Catherine, and it's the best thing that could have happened to her. She's the only one of the King's wives to survive a parting in a fairly benign (compared to the others) way.

Catherine ignores her revulsion in order to be the new Queen, all so that she can get pretty new dresses and jewels. She is completely and idiotically heedless of the dangers that await her in this vicious court and, even more stupidly, seeks comfort in the arms of a man within her new husband's household.

Finally, Jane Boleyn, the woman who pretends to be the friend of all the queens and really is only a friend to herself. She is only the marionette of the duke, the uncle of both Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, but she has plenty of evil all on her own, and was, based on her behaviour, quite possibly insane. I knew nothing of what happened with these three ladies so every page brought a new surprise, and the writing is so evocative of the period and illustrates emotion in such a compelling fashion that I was loath to set the book down until I had finished it.

Philippa Gregory's books gets knocked for being historically inaccurate, and that's a fair complaint. However, they provide an excellent introduction to the period and, once interested, a reader can continue into non-fiction discussions of the times about which she writes by seeking out the volumes listed at the end of each novel. I know that I will be doing exactly that.

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I enjoyed it...

I like all of her books. I just didn't like this one as much as The Constant Princess.

A Facinating Continuation

I really enjoyed this sequel to The Other Boleyn Girl.

Philippa Gregory tells the story of what happens in Henry VIII's court after the beheading of Anne Boleyn. She offers the reader insights from the perspectives of three very different women; Jane Boleyn, Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard. And they tell their stories in continuous and sometimes overlapping narrative, which I really enjoyed.

These three women are very different, telling this story with all of their perspectives adds another dimension and makes it more interesting.

Jane Boleyn is the sister-in-law of the executed Anne Boleyn. She testified against her own husband and sister-in-law and helped send them to their death. She repeatedly tells us how in love she was with her husband. She is indebted to her uncle who is very powerful and ambitious.

Anne of Cleves is composed, graceful and smart. She is unfortunately chosen to become Henry VIII's fourth wife. Through her eyes the position of women in the world is examined.

Katherine Howard is an immature and flirtatious fifteen year old girl who thinks mostly of herself. She is spellbound by the jewels and dresses and wealth of the king and gives little thought of what has happened to his queens.

I was once again frightened by King Henry VIII's rein of tyranny and all that was considered treason. I'd be interested in reading a good non-fiction book about him and his madness. Can anyone recommend one?

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reviews: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, page 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

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