In light of my film review of The Other Boleyn Girl, I decided to do a book review of its sequel, since both were written by Philippa Gregory, thanks to a friend. If I recall correctly, this was the first historical fiction novel I read. I can't remember if there was anything else, but I remember thinking that I didn't want to degrade myself by reading the original novel of The Other Boleyn Girl, so I opted for this instead. The novel focuses on three different perspectives: Jane Boleyn, Anne of Cleves, and Katherine Howard. These give a different insight into the events that go on in the English court between 1539 and 1542. Honestly, this wasn't as bad as its precursor. At least this one made a bit more sense.
I'll start with Jane Boleyn's perspective. For those who don't know who she was, she was Anne Boleyn's sister-in-law through George Boleyn. In this novel, she is depicted as a rather vindictive woman with a guilty conscience. Historically, we know very little about Lady Rochford, except her close relationship with the Queens of England. She was known for having been a lady-in-waiting since the days of Catherine of Aragon, and served her faithfully until Anne Boleyn succeeded her. Although we don't know much about her, it has been traditionally accepted that Jane did not have a close relationship with George, and it is known that she did give evidence that led to his and Anne's conviction. Historian Retha Warnicke suggests that the reason behind this was because George was a homosexual. This line of thinking has been a common perspective to take regarding George's character, but Alison Weir argues that it was because of his promiscuity. As there was little evidence to prove his sodomite behaviour, she believes there was more evidence to indicate that he had been a bit of a playboy. However, Philippa Gregory takes an interesting approach to Jane's unhappiness: Jane contributed to the downfall of both her husband and Anne because of her strong jealousy of their relationship. Despite Gregory's love for historical inaccuracies, I have to admit this was a far more likely reason Jane hated her husband and sister-in-law than his sexual conquests. Anne and George shared an intimate relationship that Jane could not compete with, and thus her jealousy increased.
The novel suggests a certain guilt about Jane's actions. She goes on about her hatred for George and Anne, but frequently admits that she regrets what she did because she cannot do anything about it. However, her ambition is plain. When approached by the Duke of Norfolk (the uncle of Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard), she makes it clear that she desires to attain a new position, better than her current one. If such an agreement was made, I think very lowly of Jane for it - as there evidence that she did contribute to Anne and George's undeserved executions, it is rather disgraceful that she still maintained such a high level of ambition that she did not deserve. Fortunately, I don't think any agreement of the sort actually existed. In the novel, the Duke of Norfolk and Jane agree that she might marry a foreign noble; such a thing seems extremely impossible as foreign matches were generally between royalty. Jane was far from royal, and given her reputation as an ambitious courtier who pleaded guilt on Anne and George's part, she would not have been accepted as a future wife. Gregory definitely plays on this when Katherine's downfall comes along, and the Duke harshly tells Jane that there was never any match for her in the first place. Smart move, since Jane was conspiring with Katherine to let her commit adultery, working with Katherine's lover to arrange meetings between the two.
Katherine Howard has been known historically for being a very frivolous and childish teenager, and Gregory takes full advantage of this fact. Many of Katherine's chapters begin with "now let me say, what do I have?" I did like this about the novel; it showed Katherine's rise and downfall very well, showing what kind of possessions she gains and loses as the novel goes. I don't know if it was Gregory's intent, but Katherine came across as extremely annoying. Perhaps that was meant to be the case, since we are talking about a fourteen-year old girl who only cared about jewels and dancing. There was something about the way she was depicted, however, that made me feel sorry for her in a way that the HBO series, The Tudors, did not. Katherine is shown to be very ambitious, but in a typical teenage way, easily led astray by shiny things. But Gregory shows a dark side of Katherine's role that betrays her true feelings: "Being the wife of a king is not all dancing and parties in the rose garden...Nobody must ever know that I am so disgusted that I could vomit; nobody must ever know that it almost breaks my heart that the things I learned to do for love are now done to excite a man who would be better off saying his prayers and going to sleep. Nobody knows how hard I earn my sables and my pearls." A vigorous young girl, she longs for true love, which she knows she can never find in her husband, especially since she did have an affair with Francis Dereham before she entered the English court. This was why I couldn't feel sorry for Katherine in The Tudors: Jonathan Rhys Meyers was depicted far too handsomely to be Henry VIII.
The most fascinating character of this novel is Anne of Cleves. In this novel, she is depicted as an innocent Lutheran, bent on being a devoted wife. She is the total antithesis of Jane and Katherine, lacking in ambition, and desiring the good of others rather than herself. The only thing she worries for herself is her safety, and does whatever she can to conform to the will of King Henry to protect herself. While she is sent by her brother in the hopes that she can convert England to a Lutheranism, she realises very early on that she will not be able to do this, and immediately begins following the religion of her husband, however confused she may be about it. Traditionally, it has been accepted that Anne was from a Lutheran family, since her father had been influenced by a moderate line of thinking within the Reformation, her sister married the head of the Protestant Confederation of Germany, and her brother was a leading member of the Protestants who sought to fight against the Catholic rulers of France and the Holy Roman Empire. At least on that front, Gregory stayed true to historical accuracy. Anne's upbringing in the novel is shown to have been very simple. She was taught common wifely skills of the time, such as needlework, but not much else. She is only able to converse in German, and when asked to dance by Henry, her party is forced to inform him that she doesn't know how to dance. Yet she is seen to be a quick learner; she adapts to the English lifestyle, picking up English with the help of her ladies-in-waiting, dressing more fashionably, and learning different habits of the English court.
However, she is shown to be in constant danger. Knowing the changeable nature of Henry, she fears for her life at every point of the novel. When she was introduced to the King, she feared that his disgust of her would either prompt him to send her back to Cleves, or that he might find a way to kill her. When the marriage was disintegrating, she feared he would find a way to convict her of treason, just as he did with Cromwell. Even after she had agreed to the annulment and lived quietly in her own estates, she frequently worried about Henry deciding to send for her arrest, even if she knew she did nothing wrong. It wouldn't be until his death that she would finally feel free.
Certainly, Gregory does explain the Boleyn inheritance well. The blurb of the novel is an excellent summary of the inheritance that is bestowed upon the three women. Anne's inheritance is accusations, Katherine's is execution, and Jane's is "a fortune and a title, in exchange for her soul." She explains all this very well in how she depicts the three women, and I have to say, she redeemed herself. Perhaps she knew that success with The Other Boleyn Girl meant more historical scrutiny, and thus she felt it necessary to follow history more closely rather than constantly go down the road of "what if?" At least self-reflection is possible with her, however much I still think she is sub-par compared to other historical fiction novelists.
I'll start with Jane Boleyn's perspective. For those who don't know who she was, she was Anne Boleyn's sister-in-law through George Boleyn. In this novel, she is depicted as a rather vindictive woman with a guilty conscience. Historically, we know very little about Lady Rochford, except her close relationship with the Queens of England. She was known for having been a lady-in-waiting since the days of Catherine of Aragon, and served her faithfully until Anne Boleyn succeeded her. Although we don't know much about her, it has been traditionally accepted that Jane did not have a close relationship with George, and it is known that she did give evidence that led to his and Anne's conviction. Historian Retha Warnicke suggests that the reason behind this was because George was a homosexual. This line of thinking has been a common perspective to take regarding George's character, but Alison Weir argues that it was because of his promiscuity. As there was little evidence to prove his sodomite behaviour, she believes there was more evidence to indicate that he had been a bit of a playboy. However, Philippa Gregory takes an interesting approach to Jane's unhappiness: Jane contributed to the downfall of both her husband and Anne because of her strong jealousy of their relationship. Despite Gregory's love for historical inaccuracies, I have to admit this was a far more likely reason Jane hated her husband and sister-in-law than his sexual conquests. Anne and George shared an intimate relationship that Jane could not compete with, and thus her jealousy increased.
The novel suggests a certain guilt about Jane's actions. She goes on about her hatred for George and Anne, but frequently admits that she regrets what she did because she cannot do anything about it. However, her ambition is plain. When approached by the Duke of Norfolk (the uncle of Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard), she makes it clear that she desires to attain a new position, better than her current one. If such an agreement was made, I think very lowly of Jane for it - as there evidence that she did contribute to Anne and George's undeserved executions, it is rather disgraceful that she still maintained such a high level of ambition that she did not deserve. Fortunately, I don't think any agreement of the sort actually existed. In the novel, the Duke of Norfolk and Jane agree that she might marry a foreign noble; such a thing seems extremely impossible as foreign matches were generally between royalty. Jane was far from royal, and given her reputation as an ambitious courtier who pleaded guilt on Anne and George's part, she would not have been accepted as a future wife. Gregory definitely plays on this when Katherine's downfall comes along, and the Duke harshly tells Jane that there was never any match for her in the first place. Smart move, since Jane was conspiring with Katherine to let her commit adultery, working with Katherine's lover to arrange meetings between the two.
Katherine Howard has been known historically for being a very frivolous and childish teenager, and Gregory takes full advantage of this fact. Many of Katherine's chapters begin with "now let me say, what do I have?" I did like this about the novel; it showed Katherine's rise and downfall very well, showing what kind of possessions she gains and loses as the novel goes. I don't know if it was Gregory's intent, but Katherine came across as extremely annoying. Perhaps that was meant to be the case, since we are talking about a fourteen-year old girl who only cared about jewels and dancing. There was something about the way she was depicted, however, that made me feel sorry for her in a way that the HBO series, The Tudors, did not. Katherine is shown to be very ambitious, but in a typical teenage way, easily led astray by shiny things. But Gregory shows a dark side of Katherine's role that betrays her true feelings: "Being the wife of a king is not all dancing and parties in the rose garden...Nobody must ever know that I am so disgusted that I could vomit; nobody must ever know that it almost breaks my heart that the things I learned to do for love are now done to excite a man who would be better off saying his prayers and going to sleep. Nobody knows how hard I earn my sables and my pearls." A vigorous young girl, she longs for true love, which she knows she can never find in her husband, especially since she did have an affair with Francis Dereham before she entered the English court. This was why I couldn't feel sorry for Katherine in The Tudors: Jonathan Rhys Meyers was depicted far too handsomely to be Henry VIII.
The most fascinating character of this novel is Anne of Cleves. In this novel, she is depicted as an innocent Lutheran, bent on being a devoted wife. She is the total antithesis of Jane and Katherine, lacking in ambition, and desiring the good of others rather than herself. The only thing she worries for herself is her safety, and does whatever she can to conform to the will of King Henry to protect herself. While she is sent by her brother in the hopes that she can convert England to a Lutheranism, she realises very early on that she will not be able to do this, and immediately begins following the religion of her husband, however confused she may be about it. Traditionally, it has been accepted that Anne was from a Lutheran family, since her father had been influenced by a moderate line of thinking within the Reformation, her sister married the head of the Protestant Confederation of Germany, and her brother was a leading member of the Protestants who sought to fight against the Catholic rulers of France and the Holy Roman Empire. At least on that front, Gregory stayed true to historical accuracy. Anne's upbringing in the novel is shown to have been very simple. She was taught common wifely skills of the time, such as needlework, but not much else. She is only able to converse in German, and when asked to dance by Henry, her party is forced to inform him that she doesn't know how to dance. Yet she is seen to be a quick learner; she adapts to the English lifestyle, picking up English with the help of her ladies-in-waiting, dressing more fashionably, and learning different habits of the English court.
However, she is shown to be in constant danger. Knowing the changeable nature of Henry, she fears for her life at every point of the novel. When she was introduced to the King, she feared that his disgust of her would either prompt him to send her back to Cleves, or that he might find a way to kill her. When the marriage was disintegrating, she feared he would find a way to convict her of treason, just as he did with Cromwell. Even after she had agreed to the annulment and lived quietly in her own estates, she frequently worried about Henry deciding to send for her arrest, even if she knew she did nothing wrong. It wouldn't be until his death that she would finally feel free.
Certainly, Gregory does explain the Boleyn inheritance well. The blurb of the novel is an excellent summary of the inheritance that is bestowed upon the three women. Anne's inheritance is accusations, Katherine's is execution, and Jane's is "a fortune and a title, in exchange for her soul." She explains all this very well in how she depicts the three women, and I have to say, she redeemed herself. Perhaps she knew that success with The Other Boleyn Girl meant more historical scrutiny, and thus she felt it necessary to follow history more closely rather than constantly go down the road of "what if?" At least self-reflection is possible with her, however much I still think she is sub-par compared to other historical fiction novelists.
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