The Other Boleyn Girl

By: Philippa Gregory

Narrated by: Ruthie Henshall

The #1 New York Times bestseller from “the queen of royal fiction” (USA TODAY) and the author of Boleyn Traitor Philippa Gregory is a rich, compelling novel of love, sex, ambition, and intrigue surrounding the Tudor court of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and the infamous Boleyn family.

When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of the handsome and charming Henry VIII. Dazzled by the king, Mary falls in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as unofficial queen. However, she soon realizes just how much she is a pawn in her family’s ambitious plots as the king’s interest begins to wane, and soon she is forced to step aside for her best friend and rival: her sister, Anne. With her own destiny suddenly unknown, Mary realizes that she must defy her family and take fate into her own hands.

With more than one million copies in print and adapted for the big screen, The Other Boleyn Girl is a riveting historical drama. It brings to light a woman of extraordinary determination and desire who lived at the heart of the most exciting and glamorous court in Europe, and survived a treacherous political landscape by following her heart.©2001 Philippa Gregory Ltd; (P)2007 Simon and Schuster Inc.

Pretty good

I read this book straight through. The narrator was excellent and the imagery left much for the imagination.

The Other Boyelyn Girl

I was attracted to this book after seeing the movie... I was completely ignorant of the activities that occurred in this time period and felt that it was intriguing as well as informational. I also felt that it cleared up the movie a bit and made some of the relationships a bit clearer.... I would definitely recommend this book if the movie left you wanting more information on this story

a1

Now I am a big history buff, after I read this book. I don't buy the incest stuff either, though that is what (as I understand it) the hysterical witch hunt around Anne was suggesting. PG does extrapolate rather a lot from a little I think (she does the same again re Anne of Cleves' home life in The Boleyn Inheritance, which I thought was a rather better book and certainly gives an horrific insight into the paranoia at court in the latter days of Henry VIII's reign when he was a bloated monster, not at all the pretty boy of The Tudors).
I liked this at the time, and thought McElhone was great, though I did find the incest stuff a bit wince making (but had that reaction to reading it too.) Haven't seen the big screen version yet, but would be interested to compare.
overall i loved the book and i ended up getting other sequels related to this book.

Loved It

Ruthie Henshall did a wonderful job with one of my favorite books. This was a great first choice for me to get into audio books.

remarkable

It puts things into perspective when you think of how things used to be so savage and at times, primitive. You can't help but be grateful for a much more domesticated yet brazen future. It's strange to think of the vast differences in comparisons. In some ways we have advanced lightyears ahead, and others we are soft as baby shit compared. I find it amusing. I love this story and have watched, listened and read it countless times and in just as many different forms & sources. I'll never tire of it. history is fascinating.