The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (2002, Paperback)

I initially checked this book out at the library, and decided it was too long to read in the allotted time, so I decided to buy it so I could read at my leisure. I really wanted to read the book but thought it would take an eternity. Little did I know that once I got past the first 20 pages or so, I wouldn't be able to put it down. Don't let the length of the book put you off; the story is so enchanting you will no longer notice (or care) how long the book is.

Philippa Gregory brings Henry VIII's court to vibrant life; you can almost feel the nervous tension, excitement, and fear of the people involved. The characters are so real, the writing so descriptive, it is like being there.

If you have any interest in Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, or the Tudors, I highly recommend this book. You will finish the book only to want more!

This book has a wonderful ability to place the reader within the Tudor court. You feel yourself as the proverbial "fly on the wall", a silent witness, to the power battle raging around the Boleyn sisters and their family. Using Mary as the narrator, the author offers the reader the opportunity to stand within the inner circle of the events, but be removed enough to form their own opinions and ideas about what is happening to the characters. It paints a picture of someone who follows her heart for love and does indeed live happily ever after, while the other, driven by family pressure and dreams, sees little accomplishment from her efforts. I highly recommend this book and this author.

For those of us Dr. Gregory devotees, this novel will serve as yet another in an ever expanding collection of upmarket historical bodice rippers. This story is told via Mary Boleyn, Anne's younger sister, who beat her older sis to King Hal, as it where. It's an interesting touch to have Mary serve as the narrator of this well-known tale. We all know that King Henry bedded Mary Boleyn before he embarked on his downward spiral to rid himself of one Queen, the Roman church and to devote all his waking hours to creating a legitimate ( Bess Blount and Henry Fitzroy be damned! )male heir. Unfortunately for Hank, his men of medicine did not yet know that the sex of the child is determined by the father's donation. A fine, frolicking read. Laced with tremendous historical detail. Dr. Gregory doe not disappoint. Our heroine is of some historical import as she was the only one of three Boleyn children to survive the Queen Anne and brother George Boleyn denouement. It is therefore of keen interest to speculate on how this entire affair left it's mark on Mary.
Crammed with love, lust, sport, jewels,fine meals, fine clothes and other such kingly pursuits, it is sure to please. Enjoy the escape.

I loved this book because it introduced me to the information about the monarchy of England that I never really learned in high school. The basic facts are true, just the conversations and personalities are fictional. I compared the events of the book to an online source and they are accurate. It just delves deeper into the drama of it all.
I also bought the sequel, The Queen's Fool and will probably read all of Gregory's books on Tudor England.

I love this book because I never want to put it down. It's a book about love, lies, betrayl and so much more. It makes you laugh, cry and angry even. You actually can feel what the characters in the book are going through.
I first read sequal to this book, called The boleyn Inheritence and then saw this book was also available.
If you love this book then you should read all of Philippa Gregor's books on Henry VIII and his wives. I've really enjoyed her books so far.

I do not generally like "romance novels", my preferences lean more towards Anne Rice and Stephen King, but this is undoubtedly one of the BEST books I have ever read. She truly takes you there. I so loved it that I am now buying her other books that surround the Tudor reign. A fantastic read, I highly recommend it!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Henry the Eighth! Exciting, romantic, and extremely interesting!

I thought this book was fun and easy to read. No objectional language or violence. Some sex scenes, but not too off-color. Historically acurate, and interesting portrayal of Anne Boleyn's sister and her time in the court of Henry VIII.

The Other Boleyn girl tells the story of Mary, King Henry the VIII's mistress before he met and married Mary's sister, the more well-known Ann.

This is a great story, beautifully written and completely interesting from beginning to end. Written from Mary's point of view, the story elaborates on the theme that both Mary and Ann were pawns in the Boleyn family's push for upward mobility.

This is the first book I have read by Philippa Gregory, and I am looking forward to receiving The Queen's Fool so that I may read that, as well. There are events in her novel, however, that some historians do not believe occurred. For instance, in this book, Henry fathers Mary's first two children while she was married to (but living separately from) her husband. Some historians dispute this allegation and believe that Mary was the king's mistress prior to her marriage and that her children were the offspring of both Mary and her husband--and concieved very much after the affair ended. Regardless, these are events that will most likely always be in dispute and have been, thus far, impossible to prove definitively either way. And, Philippa Gregory chooses the option that makes for a better story and more empathetic character. Good for her.

This novel transports the reader through time and is difficult to put down. I also recommend The Autobiography of Henry VIII, by Margaret George, for another fictionalized first-person account of this era in British history.

This book was not only easy to read and fun, but also quite revealing of the court life. I was quite surprised to find out the attitudes in families of the court towards each other, how manipulating it can be and how little affection there can be. Reading about court life might sounds a bit boring, but it was quite the opposite, I could not put the book down.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very addictive. The author wrote about life in Henry the VIII's court in a way that lead you to actually feel the tedium of life in the court. I enjoyed learning more about the wives of Henry the VIII and the conversion of England from Catholicism to the Church of England.

After reading this book I immediately bought Queen of Fools, the next in the trilogy.

I bought this book because I read the Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory. It was the next book in the timeline. The bookis wonderful. It followed The Constant Princess book amazingly. I'm excited to find which one of the Philippa Gregory books comes after The Other Bolyen Girl. If you like European history with a touch of romance this is the book for you. the characters are based on real people.

if you've seen the movie read the book. The books shows up the movie. It will catch you and keep you coming back for more. Great book. the movie didn't do it justice.

I absolutely loved the movie. I have watched it a ton of times already. I just started reading the book but love it. She does a wonderful job making you feel like you are there without getting bogged down in descriptive paragraphs. If you loved the movie I would recommend the book. Some things were changed for the movie but the over all theme and feel stayed in tact.

Philippa doesn't disappoint. This is the 2nd novel of hers I've read, and for anyone interested in this author, I recommend starting with this book.

I have stayed up all hours of the night this past week because I've been unable to put this book down.

It is a wonderful "escape" novel that will have you transported to another time.

Hear the name Boleyn and immediately think of Ann. But her sister Mary's story is just as intriguing. Mary had and affair and a child with King Henry VII before Ann, and while she was married to someone else. This was with the help and plotting of her sister, brother, parents and other family members. This is a good read. If like historical fiction, I highly recommend all of this author's books. You won't be dissappointed.

This book was reccomended to me by someone on eBay (oddly enough), and liking some of the same books she liked I decided to give it a go.

I LOVED IT!

I've never been a fan of history and never read on any historical subject. I think I learned more history from reading this fictonal book than anywhere else, and I enjoyed the learning. (I think I may even pick up a nonfiction book on this subject.) Granted most of the book is a fictonal romance of sorts, but it IS based on actual events. The book follows Mary Boleyn, a girl whose high reaching family pushes her into view and ultimatly the bed of King Henry. *SLIGHT SPOILER (really just first 1/4th or 1/3rd of book)* Being the dutiful daughter of her times she did as she was told and ultimatly had two children by him at which point her sister Anne Boelyn catches the Kings eye and Mary is discarded. *END SPOILER* The rest of the book is Mary dealing with this and her detirmination to move on and not let it destroy her.

I would reccomend this book to fans of history, romance, general historical fiction or the "girl rising above" variety of readers.

After seeing the movie, I was facinated by the story so I looked for the book on line. The book has much more in depth desciptions of the life back then, and also the relationship, of the sisters. I'm almost done with the book and I would read it again.

An excellent book. Hard to put down. Although some liberties are taken with history, you must remember that this is a "novel", not a history book. Gregory is telling this story from the point of view. as she would imagine it, from Mary Boleyn. Since Mary was not actually there during Ann's imprisonment she had to invent that she was there to finish the story.

Highly recommended. Now to get the rest of the series.

Exactly what i was expecting. It came in good time and in the condition I expected. I would buy from this seller again.

I loved this book! I bought it for a book club that I joined and I couldn't put it down! It was riveting to read about the court of King Henry, knowing that it was a true part of history. The story of his wives and mistresses was captivating.

This book is awesome. And kind of close to the historical facts. Gregory does an excellent job depicting the life of Mary Boleyn. This book is a hundred times better than the movie. A must read!

This book will draw you in immediately! Power, sex, betrayals galore.It is also historically accurate and gives you a sense of what life was in the court of Henry VII.