The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa GregoryMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
While I didn't plan on reading this, a friend gave it to me and now I'm very glad I did read it. Much more to it than I'd anticipated. The main characters are well developed and, most importantly to me, this novel made me want to find out the "real" story as history knows it. Whenever a novel or movie makes me want to find out more, that means I truly enjoyed the story. Philippa Gregory doesn't make her characters black and white, good and bad. They are a very human blend of gray and so feel real. It skims the politics of the time and is from one point of view so there is much more going on than is actually written about in the novel. The novel is about the characters, about human reasoning and how people lived and thought in a time when there truly was no justice, only ego and whim. Survival was never a given if you got in someone's way. Anyone who enjoys historical fiction and the Tudor time period should enjoy this novel. I recommend it.The Other Boleyn GirlPhilippa Gregory
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It sounds like an engaging read. I love it when I enjoy a book that I didn't even plan to read.
ReplyDeleteHi, Lisa. Thanks for finding me, so that I could find and follow you.
Cheers,
xoRobyn
Me too Robyn, Thanks for coming by. I too, am following you. I just wish I could indulge in chocolate the way you do!!!
DeleteI've heard of the book and would like to read it.
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa .. Philippa Gregory is very well respected in literary circles .. very knowledgeable and very well researched .. and she's recently been involved in some tv series ... but some historians disagree with her style .. but I expect most of it as accurate as it can be .. and I imagine is a very good read ... I'll get to them sometime (at some stage) ..
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it though .. cheers Hilary
Hi human, Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of well developed characters. A book that captures humans and their idiosyncracies in more than just one dimension is very good. I try to make the humans in my writing fairly realistic. Although one of my fictional characters named, Gary, I need to work on quite a bit.
Have a lovely weekend, dear human.
Pawsitive wishes,
Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar! :)
This is my favorite of hers (I've read a few). Almost every character is rather unlikeable in this, though I found that compelling. They were interesting. What I don't understand is the movie version which may as well have been a different story about the Tudors; it was kind of odd the choices they made from book to screenplay.
ReplyDeleteYou said everything that I thought about this book. I haven't seen the movie. Sounds as if that's just as well!
ReplyDelete