Miss Todd's Corner

The Other Boleyn Girl

 by Phillipa Gregory

It has been quite some time since I have encountered a book like The Other Boleyn Girl.  I was intrigued by the royal characters, by the historical background, and by the hunger for power that is an ever present part of human nature.   In reading this book, I was inspired to conduct research on King Henry VIII and the story of the Boleyns.  One of the most impressive features of this book was its impeccable historical accuracy.  Along with this accuracy, came the reminder of the desire for power, and it made me question the lengths that human beings might go to on their way up the ladder to “glory.”   I lived through the eyes of Mary and I hurt for her and with her. I found myself despising Anne, but wondering what I would have done in her circumstances.  I developed a love hate relationship with King Henry. There is something attractive to every woman about a man in power, an arrogant, confident man who will not allow anyone to impede him from his desires and needs.  I would give this book my highest rating:  four stars.  The Other Boleyn Girl is a powerful read that will astound, engross, and intrigue the reader.  It is a tale of deception, love, family, and power, one that will leave us questioning human nature itself. 

 I met Mary Boleyn, who I came to see as a victim at the hands of her family and of her circumstances.  A young, naive girl of fifteen, who had unintentionally won the favor of the king, was instructed by her family to leave her current husband, to become King Henry’s mistress.  She was to perform this deed for the advancement of her family.  Mary, as all young ladies were supposed to do, obeyed her family’s wishes, and “assumed her position”.  I think that in a way, Mary became caught up in the king, in the royal treatment, and in the lavish lifestyle, as any woman would.  Mary learned quickly, however; that the king only intended to use her for his own physical pleasures, as he denied their children, and ultimately their relationship.   

And then there was Anne.   I think that it is an interesting point to compare the two characters and they were presented.   Anne and Mary were very different women, from seemingly opposite ends of the spectrum.  Anne was fierce, confident and possessed strength like no other, while Mary was meek, subservient, and functioned on the orders of others.  Anne knew what she desired, and would stop at nothing to get it.  She seduced the king, won his favors and ultimately, the throne.  She refused to be the King’s mistress and refused to sleep with him until he made her queen.  Mary slept with king at the request of her family, fell in love with him, and bore his children; only to be cast aside like a bed whore.   Ironically, it would be Anne’s relentless domineering attitude and need for control that would be her demise.  Once Anne reached the throne, it seemed that her constant need for power and control overtook her.  Throughout the book, she demanded respect and admiration from all who came in contact with her, including her family.  The King’s greatest desire was to have a son, so that there would be an heir to the throne.  Anne discovered that she could not bear a son for the man that she fell in love with, resorted to extreme measures.  She knew that the only way that she could save herself, and regain the king’s favor would be to bear a son for the king.  Even when the king was no longer interested in Anne and turned his eyes in other directions, she never relented and was even more determined.  She turned to her brother George, and begged him to sleep with her so that she could become pregnant.  This act would be her ultimate downfall.   It was the meek and subservient Mary that Anne cried to for help, once again, a futile attempt, a woman destroyed, desperate to regain control.   

Once I finished the book, I decided to go see the movie for my birthday.  I must have watched the previews a dozen times.  The movie was somewhat disappointing.  The movie left out large portions of the book, portrayed some events that never happened, and was out of sequence at times.  For example, in the book Henry and Anne were genuinely in love.  When they finally consummated their relationship, it was as any two lovers would.  The movie portrayed Henry as being enraged that Anne refused to sleep with him, so he essentially took what he wanted by force.  I suppose this was for the purposes of Hollywood.  The movie did not portray the genuine love and affection shared between Henry and Anne, that I felt was present in the book. 

The movie also never alluded to the fact that George was a gay man married to a woman. The book is very clear about the fact that he was frequently in the company of men.  I thought that this fact was also important, because it was a major source of friction between Anne and George, as Anne’s main concern was her prestige and reputation. 

In the book, Mary has three children, two by Henry and one by her husband William.  In the movie they only showed her as having one child, her son.  In the book Anne had multiple pregnancies and miscarriages.  The movie showed that she had one child, Elizabeth, and left out the many miscarriages she had. 

My main source of contention with the movie was the representation of the incest between George and Anne.  In the movie, the incest between George and Anne never took place. Anne asked him to have sex with her and George could not bring himself to do it.  In the book, not only did it happen, but Anne became pregnant and gave birth to as the book quotes:  a monster.  I was very disappointed in the way that the incest was presented in the movie, because I felt that it was a pivotal point in the book.   

In conclusion, I can without a doubt say that The Other Boleyn Girl was a journey for me, one that took me into a world and a time that I knew very little about, a journey where I was allowed to be part of the royal court, if only for a little while.  The characters and events were historically accurate and their every single page was believable.  The language was witty, yet intelligent.  Every single comeback, remark, or comment made by the characters was very articulate and unique.  There is something to be said for “royal speak”.    I have recently purchased the second book in the series, The Boleyn Inheritance.  Though the movie was disappointing, I understand that they had to cut a great deal out for the purposes of the screen.  I also understand that some scenes were glamorized.  I just felt that the movie did not do the book justice.  This was a book where I did not want the trip to end.  This is a book that reminded me why I have become fond of historical fiction.  No one likes to read a text book, but everyone wants to hear a story, especially the ones with lots of twists and turns, full of sex, lies, and deceit, the ones that don’t necessarily end happily ever after, the ones that you leave you thinking.  It is the destruction of human nature and how the characters arrive at that point, that we as readers thrive upon. 

The book leaves me with this thought on human nature:

How many times have we thought:  “There has to be more to life than this.  I hunger for prestige and glamour.  I want to be in the spotlight.”  How strong is that desire and what would you do to achieve that desire?   What would you sacrifice?   Makes you wonder…..Hmmm……

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