The Other Boleyn Girl

I was an avid Philippa Gregory reader in my teens, and I think the books that have an impact during your formative years really stay with you.

It was the first novel that really made me aware of historical fiction, and opened my eyes to the idea that historical events (and people) didn't need to exist purely in factual accounts – their worlds could be opened up through fiction too. I took in far more through novels like this than I did through textbooks.

And, of course, the Boleyn sisters are such wonderful characters, and Philippa Gregory's storytelling so masterful,… show more.

In this novelized version of what happened to Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, her sister Mary narrates the story.

As Henry’s mistress, Mary gives birth to a girl and then a boy. Yet when Anne joins Mary at court she obscures her sister and eventually becomes Henry’s mistress. Henry is so smitten with her that he establishes the Church of England and gets a divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Anne gives birth to Elizabeth I but Henry is hellbent on a son.

Although Anne asks him to bring her sister Mary back to court,… show more.

You always remember your first. This was the book that started my fascination with the pressures of being a queen, it also started my fascination with the Tudor monarchy. We all know the tragic story of Anne Boleyn but to have it told from the perspective of her sister was so refreshing. 

This book, for me, is where my interest in history really began. To say I loved history at school would be a lie; it was often drab, political, and really quite dry (sorry teachers). But there were always snippets of history lessons that grabbed my attention – the Vikings, the Great Fire of London, and of course Henry VIII and his six wives. Which of us doesn’t leave school aware that there was a king who had six wives and beheaded two of them, even if we can’t remember which two! The Tudors was the one thing that did grab… show more.

Much about Mary Boleyn’s life is unknown. She had a brief time in the spotlight when she was a mistress of Henry VIII but she has been eclipsed by her sister Anne who played the courtship game for much higher stakes: the crown of a queen consort. Anne is a controversial Tudor figure who inspires both love and scorn. Mary was relegated to her sister’s shadow in life and in history.  

Both the book and the movie have been criticized for Gregory’s lack of historical accuracy but they are works of historical fiction. And it’s hard to deny the sheer… show more.

Sigh. No list of compelling Tudor fiction can be complete without Philippa Gregory, whose books are a guilty pleasure for many of us. They generally have a great concept and moments where the writing sings (when she’s “on”, she’s really “on”), though they are a little like junk food: you know they're not really good for you, but you eat them anyway. I found this one the best of the bunch.

Court life under the reign of Henry VIII comes to vivid, excruciating life in this novel following Mary Boleyn, a young girl used by her cunning family to seduce the king. But, as history reveals, such a quest can quickly turn deadly. A sibling rivalry plays out on pages that cannot be turned quickly enough while gowns and jewelry are used to catch the eye of the king and stay on top…and to keep one’s head. 

I loved this book when I first read it and I love it still. It takes a part of history we think we know well – Anne Boleyn’s stormy relationship with Henry VIII – and shows us another side of it. It does this by going into the story sideways, via Anne’s sister Mary, who was, it turns out, a fascinating woman in her own right, and also by taking a nugget of fact and turning it into a key part of the fiction. In real life, Anne’s brother George was dragged into her trial and accused of adultery with… show more.

Ok this is a massive bestseller by now, but how lucky was Philippa Gregory to give Mary-Rose Tudor her long-overdue moment in the limelight? It made her career as an author. The other Boleyn girl had been always there, yet hid in plain sight, overshadowed by her fascinating and more forthcoming sister. It’s the same for my erstwhile debut, so it inspired me to keep going. An artist needs a voice and a brand, only focus brings success. Gregory does a great job in accentuating both Anne’s and Mary-Rose’s character and how their hands were forced in a Court steaming… show more.