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Sara W's Reviews > The Other Boleyn Girl
The Other Boleyn Girl (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #9)
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I got through 25 pages of this book and had enough! I wrote down (literally - I had a pen and paper with me after the reading the first page or two) so many historical inaccuracies that I thought my head would explode. Then I checked out reviews on Amazon and realized the book would get much, much worse. As strictly a novel, this might be a great book, and I do hope to pick it up again with the mind-set that it is strictly fiction because I might be able to enjoy it then. But as a book dealing with Mary and Anne and George Boleyn, it is awful. Why did Philippa Gregory feel the need to use historical figures if she was just going to make up the story? I might have enjoyed this book if it was two fictional sisters! What's frustrating is that people think this book is historically accurate, and it doesn't come close. I was a history major, and I've read tons of non-fiction books about Anne and Henry and the Tudors, and I hate it when people quote this book as fact (which many, many people do)! By all means, if you want to read this book, do so, because it is wildly popular (a lot of my friends love it and I'm sorry if you hate this review), but PLEASE read a reputable non-fiction book about these people as well or at least a better researched novel about them!
**November 2010 Update - I've gotten through half this book and stand by what I wrote in 2008. I plan on finishing it, but at a later time.
**November 2010 Update - I've gotten through half this book and stand by what I wrote in 2008. I plan on finishing it, but at a later time.
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Reading Progress
September 17, 2007
– Shelved
February 24, 2008
– Shelved as:
i-own-these-books
Started Reading
July 30, 2008
– Shelved as:
fiction
July 30, 2008
–
Finished Reading
August 12, 2013
– Shelved as:
need-to-finish
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Sera
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rated it 1 star
Jul 30, 2008 11:28AM
Bravo, Sara! It's crap, and some people I know say, "well, it's historical fiction" so some of it's made up - what do you expect?" This book goes so far beyond that, and you are right that many readers think that most of it is real. Thank you so much for posting this review; I can't stand Gregory and will never read her again. She knows absolutely nothing about her subject matter.
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I spent a lot of time on that review trying to keep myself restrained! I just couldn't believe how hateful it was to Anne from what little I did read and how horrible it was going to get based on the reviews I read on Amazon. It's slanderous, mean-spirited and just terrible how Gregory portrayed Anne. Based on fact, I can understand how and why people do not like Anne Boleyn, but this book takes it to a level I've never imagined. It's crazy that Mary is the one in this novel saying "Oh, I can't be his mistress" - that's when I gave up! The real Mary had no problem sleeping around with the Kings of France and England and her reputation was well known. I don't understand why this book became so popular, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to finish it because it makes me furious.
Indeed - Francois I's nickname for Mary Boleyn was his "English mare." And it was a well-known nickname and reputation.
This is the reason I have never read this book. I have read about how historically inaccurate it is and can't believe it still gets rave reviews. If it is a fantastic story that is great as long as you don't make it about historical figures. Once you use real people in the story you owe it to them and the readers to be true to history.
I agree with the comments here, but I would like to say that many people who had no previous interest in historical fiction, the Tudors, or the Boleyn/Howard family might have been motivated to search out further reading, and in doing so, finding out for themselves the 'truth' about Anne, Mary etc. This happened to me! After reading a few Gregory books I was really inspired to learn more about the entire Tudor period, and I have discovered some brilliant writing, both fiction and non-fiction. I don't know if I would have discovered Wolf Hall had I not first encountered Gregory's Tudor fiction. I have just finished reading John Schofield's excellent Rise and Fall of Thomas Cromwell, and have a pile more books waiting to devour. I have had a long interest in history and historical scholarship but had not had much interest in the Tudors, and I have Gregory to thank for my current preoccupation/fixation. Ne t on the list is Elizabeth Norton's Bessie Blount (oh please let it live up to my expectations!) and Alison Weir's Mary Boleyn O what joy ahead of me - I hope!
I just want to know how it's Gregory's fault if some of her readers are too dense to know not to take historical FICTION novels as solid fact.
Yea, it’s fiction. Why would anyone take the details in this book as fact?
