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Loading... The Boleyn Inheritanceby Philippa Gregory
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. 4 out 5 stars (  )leb62 | Jul 9, 2009 |   This book is the latest in Philippa Gregory's series, and focuses on the lives of Henry's fourth and fifth wives Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard, and George Boleyn's widow, Jane, who has served all his wives so far. This is done more in a diary format - the POV changes between the three characters in (usually) 3-4 page long thoughts and telling of events. This can be confusing at first, and it took me a while to get into the story. This covers the period of Anne's entrance into England, to Katherine Howard and Jane Boleyn's execution. These two Queens are the ones least known about, and Philippa chose to look at those two to try and give a new perspective on them, and perhaps change people's opinions of them both. I thought it was incredibly interesting to read, and enlightening. I just wish more of it could have been based in facts (though obviously, lack of records made that impossible). It's also interesting to see how Henry changes - from the sweet but slightly selfish and hedonistic boy portrayed in 'the Constant Princess' to the tyrant in this book, who can declare a marriage void and give his ex-wife the title of sister, and have no one call it madness. Overall I would definitely recommend this one, I really enjoyed it and liked the change in writing style. Again, not quite as good as 'The Other Boleyn Girl' but still a very enjoyable book. ( )lecari | Jul 9, 2009 | 1  Yet another book about the Tudors. But with a twist. This book is told from the first person perspective, by three different women (Jane Rochford, Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard). The widely different characters of the books make it an interesting read. Having read a lot of Tudor books, I knew the story already. I thought it was interesting how plausible and logical Philippa Gregory made the events appear when seen from the perspective of three women involved. I do think Lady Rochford was portrayed a bit too normal and sweet though. She must have been either a b**** or insane, or both. But I guess her actions must have seemed sensible to herself, and this being 'her' story I guess it's not too strange that her part in the events seemed a bit more normal than I would have liked. I loved the naive and shallow character of Katherine and the sensible character of Anne of Cleves. This book is one of the few I've read that makes Anne of Cleves seem like a real and interesting person instead of a caricature, the smelly woman from Germany. I've read explanations of how sauerkraut can have that effect on women. Even if that were so, Henry VIII is hardly one to talk with his festering leg!! But if you can't get it up, blame it on the wife, right? That part of the story was very plausible as well: the anxiety of Henry desperately wanting an heir, the way the women handled his impotence, the way he tried to recover some of his lost youth by chasing after a young girl. The story made Henry seem human; both mad and tragic at the same time. Highly recommended. ( )yhoitink | Jul 6, 2009 | 1 The narration of this novel was interesting. Gregory took three women and tried to create distinct voices for each woman and use them to relay the action around them to the reader. At times this approach to narration worked and other times it was hard to see the difference between the characters. They all have their quirks which is the defining marker of their voice. Towards the end of the book each time we read Katherine she would begin her chapter by listing the things she had, which would help to identify the character (without the chapter heading of course) but there were times when the voice of Anne and Katherine is not that different (early on when they both found themselves in love). The subject matter of the book is very interesting and what drew me to the book in the first place. Gregory really made me feel for the characters. There were times in the novel when I actually felt bad for Lady Rochford. Although it was not quite as riveting as The “Other Boleyn Girl” it is worth the read. (  )amandazen | Jul 2, 2009 | I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was gripping - a true page turner. I would have inhaled it if I had the time to sit down and read it in big chunks - but as it was - over and over I picked it up reading bits when I could squeeze them in. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this novel given how underwhelmed I was by The Other Boleyn Girl. I had low expectations for this one - especially given the lack of buzz surrounding it. When I got to the author's note at the end of the book - I realized why I might have liked it so much better - in the note she talk's about the lack of documentation around some of the main characters in this novel. I think that gave her greater freedom to fictionalize and also - since I was a history major and know some of this stuff - gave me more freedom to enjoy the stories free from all the history I read in college. On a stylistic note, I am a huge fan of her rotating point of view in this story - but even more so of her consistently very short chapters (a few pages at most). For me, this device made it a really easy book to pick up in my short widows of free time. So to sum up - I thought it was great - my heart actually pounded a few times while I was reading it - and although I may be in the minority - I thought it was a much superior novel to the one that preceded it. (  )alanna1122 | Jun 5, 2009 | 1 0.506 seconds to build listing  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0743272501, Hardcover)She runs from her tiny country, her hateful mother, and her abusive brother to a throne whose last three occupants are dead. King Henry VIII, her new husband, instantly dislikes her. Without friends, family, or even an understanding of the language being spoken around her, she must literally save her neck in a court ruled by a deadly game of politics and the terror of an unpredictable and vengeful king. Her Boleyn Inheritance: accusations and false witnesses. She catches the king's eye within moments of arriving at court, setting in motion the dreadful machine of politics, intrigue, and treason that she does not understand. She only knows that she is beautiful, that men desire her, that she is young and in love -- but not with the diseased old man who made her queen, beds her night after night, and killed her cousin Anne. Her Boleyn Inheritance: the threat of the axe. She is the Boleyn girl whose testimony sent her husband and sister-in-law to their deaths. She is the trusted friend of two threatened queens, the perfectly loyal spy for her uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, and a canny survivor in the murderous court of a most dangerous king. Throughout Europe, her name is a byword for malice, jealousy, and twisted lust. Her Boleyn Inheritance: a fortune and a title, in exchange for her soul. The Boleyn Inheritance is a novel drawn tight as a lute string about a court ruled by the gallows and three women whose positions brought them wealth, admiration, and power as well as deceit, betrayal, and terror. Once again, Philippa Gregory has brought a vanished world to life -- the whisper of a silk skirt on a stone stair, the yellow glow of candlelight illuminating a hastily written note, the murmurs of the crowd gathering on Tower Green below the newly built scaffold. In The Boleyn Inheritance Gregory is at her intelligent and page-turning best. (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:18 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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