The Other Boleyn Girl

 - By Philippa Gregory

Even as the days pass by, the beauty of the history is that it never tires one… This novel is a brilliant effort to bring in a piece of history without any lullabies in between. I can only imagine the effort it must have taken, to put in a novel of this magnitude, in one piece, considering the astounding amount of information that is available, with fewer facts. But, leaving aside the history, the novel takes us back to the 16th century English court, to the times when men ruled (not that they do NOT have a say now!) both in the house and outside (:D), where marriage is about family connections and way to move forward, where mistresses are common, especially if the person is wealthy and the love between siblings is certainly a little more closer for comfort… and more importantly, it is about the “Boleyn Girl” (Anne) who is ambitious in that she wants to be the “Queen of England” and how the family supports her ambition and revels in her success and leaves her alone when everything shatters round her, told from another Boleyn girl’s (Mary) perspective. The novel, though a rendition of history, has everything to make it a story that is captivating. It has – passion, rivalry, love, ambition, greed, scandal, incest, murder, lies and a little more. I am not sure if all the incidents did happen, or if this novel is a historical fiction, but I would say this much – the novel is a page turner, either you are reading it or thinking about it, it is as simple as that!

The author has done a splendid job in bringing out the contrasts in the characters and the vivid details of the societal imbalances. And the prose is beautiful, to keep one going till the end.

Mary Boleyn, was fourteen when she first came to the kings court as a lady in waiting, in an attempt to draw king’s attention away from Catherine, the queen of England, who fails give the king, a male heir. In a more complex scheme, devised by her uncle and supported by the Boleyn family, Mary is merely a pawn and they will stop at nothing, to reach the heights of fame, fortune and glory. Anne is brought into the court along with Mary, to entrance the king and keep his eyes on Mary. George, their brother, will stop at nothing, to ensure that his sisters are in the eyes of the king at all times. When the king and Mary elope and Mary is carrying his child, he showers her with gifts and a rare passion, but, Anne has a mind of her own and draws the king to her, through her flirtations and charms and teases him and pleases him at the same time, manipulating him by the click of her fingers, yet deliberately making him yearn for her. The wicked mind games of Anne eventually force Mary out of king’s way. Though Mary does love the king, she understands that she merely is a pawn in the bigger scheme of the things and that, her role in the court as a king’s mistress ended as the king is now interested only in Anne. Mary gives birth to a boy, yet, fails to please the king any longer, hence failing in the main plan. And, Anne, has everything to play for, now that the king is dancing to her tune and that is exactly what she does. She plays a hard game that eats her away from the inside, yet, she never stops, that is the power of ambition, that she moves forward and upward, but in the nights, in the confines of her room, seeks the comfort of the solitude or her sister or brother, to hold the king to her.

The story progresses to show how Anne raises and how, despite her success, she is unhappy. On the other side, it shows the contentment in Mary, when she finds a husband in William Stafford, who is willing to stand for her and father her children, along with her. Though she has no riches of the court, she is happy to be a farmer’s wife, though, not for once, forgetting that she is a Boleyn and that the family priorities will always come first. And when it did come to stand up for her family, her husband stands by her and supports her.

When Anne is carrying the king's child in her womb, Mary is called to the court to be the lady in waiting for Anne. When Anne gives birth to a girl named Elizabeth, the king is displeased. And the other children that Anne carries are still born. And there comes the full circle, with king losing interest in Anne and moving out with another mistress, Lady Seymour. With her dream threatening to be shattered, Anne is carrying again and is on the verge of losing everything. But when she gives birth to a monster – still born, she loses everything, including her family. In the scandal that follows, she is tried and charged for incest and sorcery and murder and is found guilty on all charges and is beheaded. George, who helps her in every step of her way, is charged with adultery and for assisting Anne in sorcery against the king and is found guilty.

Thus, the fall of Anne Boleyn. But she did leave an heir, not a male heir, but a beautiful girl, Elizabeth, who went on to rule England and start the Elizabethan era!!!

(Hmpf! Even men wiser than me, fail to realize that the hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world :D)

Leaving the facts or the fiction of the tale, I loved the way the novel progressed. With over 500 pages, it should have had a few boring passages, but there were none. It is an easy read, captivating and irresistible. The grace with which the novel progressed is in every word as rich as its theme. Giving a taste of the earlier generation and the emotions of people and families, the whiplash does last long and does move a person! Despite all the soup that is not easily digested, it is worth picking up and sure is worth the time too!!!