Tudor Court (3) - The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
The third part of the Tudor Court series: The Other Boleyn girl (In French: Deux soeurs pour un roi, in German Die Schwester der Königin) I read it in English where it contained 664 pages and was published 2001.
The king's love of women is an open secret at the Tudor's court. As is his pride and his incapability to face defeat and rejection – of any kind. When Henry's eye falls on the beautiful Mary Boleyn, her family decides to throw her at him, no matter the cost: Mary has to hold the king's favour. Even if the fourteen years old girl might have other plans. But bearing the king and his children is not the end of it: Henry's easily distracted, but his favour must lie with the Howards, even if Mary is in child bed. That's when Mary's beautiful and unscrupulous sister, Anne, starts to take a very different role than the one as Mary's attendant. As time passes, Mary has to see the price of power, of beauty and of joy, what her family really is and that there's something waiting for all of them, something no one could have imagined...
This is such a fascinating way of telling the story! Seriously. Okay, let's start with the characters.
The whole book is written in Mary's PoV. She's sweet, a little naïve and loyal till death. She hates the fact that she hurts Catherine of Aragon, she does everything in her power to warn her of her family's intrigue. She even names her daughter after her. Additionally, she loved Henry, but also sees him for what he is: A proud fool who can be easily manipulated. He himself loves her for her uncomplexity: She doesn't ask for favours, but thinks herself unworthy of his gifts. This helps his ego – as if his ego needed any help. Additionally, Mary is courageous, but also herself easily manipulated. She'd do anything for her children.
However, the most interesting is her relationship towards her sister, Anne. This was extremely shocking for me to read. The two of them are so fixed on being better than the other. They basically hate each other (which isn't too hard to understand with Anne, since she's not the sweetest person) and Anne can not really enjoy her triumph if she doesn't have Mary at her side, who watches it. Anne does everything in her power to make Mary's life to hell.
As you can see, Anne's a... well, a very hateful person. She's also fixed on what she wants and does anything in her power to get it. As you can see with Henry VIII. But the price she pays in order to keep his favour is way too high. She creates her own hell while working for her dream. What she has to do in order to keep him, what anyone has to do to keep his attention, is so sick. Seriously, that man was twisted. The rise and fall of Anne is interesting, it's well described. Especially because her rise and fall were her own doing, even resulted from one another. She was the ruin of Catherine of Aragon, she showed the king that he could do whatever he wanted – and that made it possible for him to do the undoable: Kill an anointed queen. What she did to England, to the society, and how they reacted is very, very well described. Well now. Of course, there are other characters and plot lines in this book than the two sisters around the king.
Anne's and Mary's brother George, for example. I like him and I was really sorry for his end – and even more sorry for his marriage. God, that wife's a mean of torture. Still, it's kind of twisted that he hangs around every night to get one of his sisters into the king's bed and picks her up in the morning. And the whole time he knew that the king's favour is neither a safety net, nor anything that could bring any real power. But what's even more twisted is, what he has to do in order to make Anne stay in favour after the wedding. Good God, good God. I'm so sorry for him. If this part is true, than there really are no words for Anne Boleyn.
Whom I'm also sorry for is Mary's husband. I do not exactly like him, but it must be so hard to be married to a person and then to see how she is in love with another and bears his children, while everyone else knows that she's actually married. Her second husband, however, is really great. I like that one. He's down to earth, funny, knows what he wants, caring, courageous and loyal. Mary could have done way worse – and she's happy with him and with her life.
Her daughter, however... I really respect Catherine for pulling that one off. And I felt with Mary. Seeing you daughter there? Good God, I so don't envy her for that experience.
So. As you can see, we have many colourful characters with whom you can identify. They are realistic in their choices and feelings – you share their sorrow and their happiness. Especially Anne is explained very well, how she came into the place she's now, how much it cost her and how she clings to power even while facing death. Even though I really do not like her, her strength is something I respect. The way this story is presented makes this book great. Even though you know how it ends, it stays really tense, especially because you do not know the protagonist's ending and you kind of fall in love with her. Additionally, the tragic story is loosened up by the fact, that the main character is not power crazy, but instead gets out of the palace as often as possible. And meets William.
In brief:
So, all in all I give a star for content and ideas, for style, characters and an extra for the rise and fall and the twisted relationships in this book.
Prequel:
(Three Sisters, Three Queens)
Sequel: