Slight inaccuracies, but on the whole well-researched

books:


	• The Last Boleyn: A Novel Karen Harper Three Rivers Press, 2006 - 592 pages average customer review:based on 12 reviews view larger image
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I LOVED this book!!

I spent many late nights turning pages because I couldn't put this book down. However, I must qualify something: I am a historical romance lover and this book reads almost like one. To be sure, there is plenty of History in this book, but its context is so integral to the story that I hardly noticed it (I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not).
Although I am in my mid 40's and loved this book mainly because of the interesting way the history was presented, I think this would be a good way for young women to be introduced to this period of history. It's a far cry from a stuffy text book, that's for sure.
Note: while there necessarily is sexual content in this book, Ms. Harper does a wonderful job of giving just enough details to give the idea, but not so much as to shock (that's not to say that some of the scenes aren't steamy- trust me they are). Nevertheless, the easily offended should probably not be reading anything about Henry VIII. In addition, parent's might want to use discretion before letting their children read it. I would recommend the soap opera litmus test for this book: if you are offended or won't let your child watch the sex scenes of a soap opera, then this probably isn't the book for you.
As far as the history goes, I am not an expert in this (nor any other) period of history. Some people dispute the accuracy of a few details of this book, but it seems to me that Ms. Harper gets much more right than she does wrong.

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A Tudor soap opera

Always love anything portraying the soap opera that was the Tudor dynasty. A little bit of a slow start, but picks up nicely and then I had trouble putting it down. Was confused at first at the spelling of Boleyn as Bullen throughout the vast majority of the novel and knew there had to be an explanation, but it didn't come until very close to the end; would have been nice to see a reference to it sooner. I have already read THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL by Philippa Gregory (one of my favorite books ever and also about Mary Boleyn), but enjoyed this version as well. If memory serves me; however, I believe that the Gregory version portrayed a different outcome in Mary Boleyn's life after being cast aside by King Henry-which is right? This version got a little too romantic for me at times, but nonetheless, enjoyable. I do recommend reading this.

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Slight inaccuracies, but on the whole well-researched

Having read both this and The Other Boleyn Girl, I find this to be the more accurate of the two. Mary Boleyn was the eldest of all three Boleyn siblings, born somewhere around 1499, Anne 1501, and George 1503. Anne was the sibling sent to study in the Netherlands, but this was not known until recently. Mary was actually sent home at the age of 20 in disgrace after sleeping around Francois's court in France (where she was his mistress), became Henry's mistress, and married Will Carey when she was about 21. The affair with Henry (which wass initiated after she married Will Carey) lasted two years at the most. Her eldest child was the son named Henry, not Catherine as in The Other Boleyn Girl. His paternity is questioned, but he is generally accepted to be Will Carey's son, and was born about two years after Mary and Henry parted ways. Mary's daughter, Catherine, is indisputably Carey's child, born five years after their affair ended. Some dates are slightly inaccurate, as Mary was pregnant with Catherine when Will died of the sweat. There is no evidence Mary had an affair with William Stafford while she was still married to Will Carey, and there is no record of Andrew, only a son who died at the age of ten. Philippa Gregory's version of their child, Anne, is rumored to have been real, but there is no real evidence of her existence. Other slight inaccuracies include the color of Mary Tudor's hair, Catherine of Aragon's title after the separation, the length Mary was Henry's mistress, etc. Also, Mary was older than William Stafford, by somewhere around 14 years. On the whole, however, Harper's facts are more accurate, which makes the book more enjoyable than Gregory's.

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The Last Boleyn

This book was an enjoyable addition to the growing list of books on this topic. It explored the life and times of the Tudors with a decided slant on today's attitudes about the place of women in society. The totally unscrupulous and uncaring ambitions of Sir Thomas Boleyn seems to be the underlying cause of the reformation and it totally credible, based on historical fact. The fact that the reader was treated to a most satisfying exposure of this, however fictional the conversations may have been, added to the enjoyment of the book as well as giving a deeper understanding of how fragile life was in those times. The power of some individuals over others in those times makes us thankful today that this is no longer the way of life.

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Really liked it

This book was a pleasant surprise although as stated before there were a few historical discrepancies (not enough to annoy me personally, but enough to notice). I thought the interpersonal relationships she had with all the royals made the characters seem more real and fulfilled my visions of what they should be. I preferred this portrayal of Anne better than Gergorys' The Other Boleyn Girl which made her seem evil.

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She Survived Her Own Innocence, and the Treachery of Europe?s Royal Courts

Greed, lust for power, sex, lies, secret marriages, religious posturing, adultery, beheadings, international intrigue, jealousy, treachery, love, loyalty, and betrayal. The Last Boleyn tells the story of the rise and fall of the Boleyns, one of England?s most powerful families, through the eyes of the eldest daughter, Mary.

Although her sister, Anne, the queen; her brother, George, executed alongside Anne; and her father, Thomas, are most remembered by history, Mary was the Boleyn who set into motion the chain of events that brought about the family?s meteoric rise to power, as well as the one who managed to escape their equally remarkable fall. Sent away to France at an extraordinarily young age, Mary is quickly plunged into the dangerous world of court politics, where everything is beautiful but deceptive, and everyone she meets is watching and quietly manipulating the events and people around them. As she grows into a woman, Mary must navigate both the dangerous waters ruled by two kings and the powerful will of her own family in order to find a place for herself and the love she so deeply desires.

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