LOVED IT!

I read this book in 3 days - I could not put it down. It was so wonderfully written I felt like I was the main character.

One of the best books I have read in years!

Historically correct or not, I loved this book. The story of Mary Boleyn and her affair with King Henry VIII and her sister's subsequent marriage to him is one of the most intriguing book I have read in years. Despite its length it was a quick read and a page turner. I had owned the book for many months before picking it up to read because I have been so busy that I was afraid that it was so long that it would take a long time to read it (after all my subway commute is only 20 minutes so I cannot fit too much in) but it really went amazingly quickly and I found myself reading it every spare minute I had. I liked the way it was divided by seasons and the attention to detail of where the court of England was at a particular time. This book gave me more insight as a social commentary than any other book I have read. Women are pawns politically, religiously and socially. This is a must read for anyone interested in the period.

Historical? I think not.

My first thought while reading this book was to wonder what the author has against Anne Boleyn. It appears to be quite a lot. It also raised an intriguing question. Does the author have this poor a relationship with her own sister? She must,if she has one, or she would not refer to all such relationships as competative and resentment driven, which is the main of several hammers she continually hits the reader over the head with.
Historically it takes all the wildest accusations of a suspicious and superstitious era toward a woman whose demise was determinedly orchestrated for political purposes, and uses them as the "facts" upon which the story revolves. I was very disappointed in that, and the continual harping of the "other Boleyn girl" Mary about the hate (her word, frequently used) she felt toward her sister. The scene when Anne is due to arrive, (after Mary has fervently wished her to drown in passage) when Mary throws herself into Anne's arms in joyous welcome, is just one example of the discordant elements in these relationships which never become defined and never make any sense.
There are endless inaccuracies and a deliberate disregarding of those few things that are known for certain. Much of the information is still being argued by true historians.It has never been clear for example, which was eldest and no, everyone does not agree that Mary was the eldest herself. That argument continues. I don't have a problem with an author making a suggestion of her own, it can make for interesting contemplation, but not to the degree of sensationalism achieved here. I don't believe there one lurid possibility she didn't include. It becomes just another trashy novel.
And that cute little piece When Mary as a girl, witnesses an execution, with all its heavy handed, and punishingly obvious portents and symbolism, is the first hammer alongside the head
All I can say further is "I'm sorry Anne, for both of us, but at least you didn't have to read the thing. Heaven knows why I did."