The Boleyn Inheritance
By: Phillipa Gregory
By: Phillipa Gregory
After devouring The Other Boleyn Girl earlier this year, I made a mental note to try some of the author's other works. This one arrived on my doorstep for my birthday, and I must say that I'm glad this was the book I ended up with. Years have passed since Anne Boleyn was executed and this book follows the lives of three women whose lives were forever changed as a result. Anne of Cleves - the fourth Queen of England. Katherine Howard - the fifth Queen of England. Jane Boleyn - Anne Boleyn's former sister-in-law who offered damning evidence against the former queen.
Each woman tells their unique story, each one with a very distinct voice. I must say that one of the biggest issues that I faced with this book was that of the three characters, Anne was by far my favorite. After her, it was easily Katherine, who while annoying, had a certain little girl charm about her. Jane, however, I spent most of the book yelling at, hating her for my previous knowledge of the character, both in history as well as in Gregory's other works. Luckily, as I continued with my reading, I realized the author was initially highlighting Jane's delusional flaws, rather than retconning her character to gain the reader's sympathy.
Read The Other Boleyn Girl first, but when you're ready to learn more about what happened later and see how far the title of Queen of England fell, check out The Boleyn Inheritance.
And if you're in the mood for a drinking game, drink whenever you read the phrase "the Boleyn inheritance." You'll be tipsy before you even know it.
Each woman tells their unique story, each one with a very distinct voice. I must say that one of the biggest issues that I faced with this book was that of the three characters, Anne was by far my favorite. After her, it was easily Katherine, who while annoying, had a certain little girl charm about her. Jane, however, I spent most of the book yelling at, hating her for my previous knowledge of the character, both in history as well as in Gregory's other works. Luckily, as I continued with my reading, I realized the author was initially highlighting Jane's delusional flaws, rather than retconning her character to gain the reader's sympathy.
Read The Other Boleyn Girl first, but when you're ready to learn more about what happened later and see how far the title of Queen of England fell, check out The Boleyn Inheritance.
And if you're in the mood for a drinking game, drink whenever you read the phrase "the Boleyn inheritance." You'll be tipsy before you even know it.
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