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Title: The Other Boleyn GirlAuthor: Philippa Gregory
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: 10/10
# pages: 625
Date read: January, 2009
Summary: Mary Boleyn catches the eye of Henry VIII when she is a girl of just fourteen. But her joy is cut short when she discovers that she is a pawn in her family's plots. When the capricious king's interest wanes, Mary is ordered to pass on her knowledge of how to please him to her friend and rival: her sister, Anne.
Anne soon becomes irresistible to Henry, and Mary must resign herself to being the other Boleyn girl. But beyond the court is a man who dares to challenge the power of her family to offer Mary a life of freedom and passion. If only she has the courage to break away - before the Boleyn enemies turn on the Boleyn girls...
Review: I hardly know what to write about this book - it's absolutely fascinating and deeply disturbing at the same time. Girls were used as pawns to further the family ambition, sisters were rivals, and kings were tyrants. Anybody who's looking for a happy book should stay far away from this one where treachery, selfishness and adultery runs abundant, but for somebody interested in historical fiction it's a fascinating book and very difficult to put down.
I hated what Anne did to Mary, but even more what their parents and uncle did to both of them. No wonder their morals were so skewed with role models that could see no further than their own ambition.
An amazing book, but very uncomfortable to read - a good account of how power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
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