The Boleyn Inheritance opens in 1539 with Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, hoping for the king to marry so that she can be released from living at Blickling Hall on her brother's charity and be a lady-in-waiting for the new queen. She is still haunted by the events of 1536, when her husband George ... Read review
Advantages: Excellent writing and characters, humourous and tragic Disadvantages: None - unless you really really hate historical fiction
The Boleyn Inheritance opens in 1539 with Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, hoping for the king to marry so that she can be released from living at Blickling Hall on her brother's charity and be a lady-in-waiting for the new queen. She is still haunted by the events of 1536, when her husband George Boleyn and his sister, Anne, were beheaded - after Jane played her part in giving evidence against them. Her excuse is that they would've died anyway and she ... ...lands and fortune. However, as the story progresses, we soon realise that this was not her only motive…
The story is told through the eyes of three women: Jane Boleyn, Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard. Anne is also desperate to go to the English court, if only to escape her strict brother who doesn't let her do anything and accuses her of being 'lustful' and 'loose' with no reason. He is a cruel man who locked up their father when ... more
The Boleyn Inheritance opens in 1539 with Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, hoping for the king to marry so that she can be released from living at Blickling Hall on her brother's charity and be a lady-in-waiting for the new queen. She is still haunted by the events of 1536, when her husband George Boleyn and his sister, Anne, were beheaded - after Jane played her part in giving evidence against them. Her excuse is that they would've died anyway and she was preserving the Boleyn inheritance - her title and their lands and fortune. However, as the story progresses, we soon realise that this was not her only motive…
The story is told through the eyes of three women: Jane Boleyn, Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard. Anne is also desperate to go to the English court, if only to escape her strict brother who doesn't let her do anything and accuses her of being 'lustful' and 'loose' with no reason. He is a cruel man who locked up their father when he was dying and insane, preferring to tell people that he had a drinking problem rather than admit he was mentally ill. Anne has been brought up to be modest: she wears plain clothes instead of the revealing styles in the English court and this leads to her being thought 'ugly' - a label that has endured the centuries since her life and death. The only way to escape is to marry a king twice her age (he's 48 - old for Tudor times), obese, constipated and being slowly poisoned by a gaping wound on his leg.
Katherine is a young girl of 14 who hopes to go to court and have nice things. Again, she has suffered from historical slander and has always been portrayed as stupid. Philippa Gregory chooses to look at her in context though: Katherine is not completely dense, but very naïve and not at all scholarly (indeed, she shows some strokes of social genius!). She is diverted by the naughty teenage girls she lives with in her Grandmother's house and cares mainly for dresses, jewels and men. She might not know how to read and write properly or to speak in French, but she knows how to get a man interested in her and satisfy him. The trouble is, she doesn't realise that her misdemeanors as a girl will come back to haunt her - just as Jane Boleyn's actions haunt her.
Anne gets her marriage with the king, but he is impotent and dislikes her - especially following Anne's reaction when he first meets her (in disguise) and kisses her. He accuses her of being fat and ugly (though her portrait by Holbein shows otherwise, despite being a truthful representation) and starts looking for evidence so that he can get rid of her. Unfortunately, evidence isn't hard to find (though Henry never needed it with his first two wives) as Anne's brother has 'forgotten' to send the documents acknowledging that a previous betrothal was annulled and without it, Anne is married in the eyes of God. And as if that wasn't enough, her brother sends her an ambassador who is not only unpaid, but can barely speak English. Anne is left alone and terrified as she doesn't know whether she will be cast aside to live in poverty (like Katherine of Aragon), sent back to her evil brother or worse.
Katherine's uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, sees an opportunity. Katherine is the prettiest girl in court and has caught the king's eye. Norfolk thinks that the time has come to elevate the Howard family and have another kinswoman on the throne (the Howards are related to the Boleyns) - unfortunately, he is too ruthlessly ambitious to consider that he could be sending another young woman to the executioner's block. He ploughs on regardless, with Jane Boleyn faithfully doing his bidding, and Katherine is catapulted into a dangerous world that she's never been taught about. After all, what has he got to lose in a world where it's usually the women who pay the price?
As Gregory acknowledges, there is very little information on either Anne of Cleves or Katherine Howard, so she put the rumours in context and tried to get inside their heads. The result is stunning: Anne is brought to life as a strong woman with a stubborn streak whose virtue is second to none and Katherine Howard is an immature-but-charming girl who is extremely funny - despite the tragedy of the story, I was kept laughing out loud until the end, especially at the comments that hindsight renders ironic. There's a definite comic side to this novel that's unusual in historical fiction, especially when the story is so serious and sad in places, and I really enjoyed it. To bring these two largely-ignored queens to life must have been a difficult task, but Gregory succeeds excellently.
I'm already a fan of Philippa Gregory's historical fiction, but I was stunned by this book. This is the best novel I've read by her and the writing itself is almost flawless. She has the knack of sticking to the facts, but filling in the gaps in such a way that the story is interesting and believable and the structure is brilliant. She also has a talent for intrigue, portraying events in such a way that they are surprising even to those of us who already knew the basic outcome - I was shocked by the actions of Jane Boleyn and Norfolk and how low they'd stoop to save their own skins. If you've read The Other Boleyn Girl, you'd also be pleased to know (as I was) that Philippa Gregory stays faithful to the characters - nobody undergoes a massive change or anything to distract you.
This is a story of immense betrayal as the court tries to satisfy an old miserable king who has already caused his first wife to die in poverty, beheaded his second and left the third to die of an apparently preventable virus five days after giving birth. He is desperate for a 'spare' son so that the throne is secured for the Tudors and is also going mad, changing his mind frequently, paranoid that there are plots against him and making irrational decisions. In this tense environment, there are some great families who wish to raise their fortunes and think nothing of changing allegiances. Just a few years after Anne Boleyn's execution, it serves as a warning that those who don't learn from history are condemned to repeat it…
This novel made me laugh, cry and think a lot - which in my book makes it pretty good. Actually, it is better than that and I recommend it to everyone - even if you're not usually interested in historical fiction, it's a great story and the characters are strong and seamless. I had looked forward to getting The Boleyn Inheritance and couldn't wait for it to come out in paperback and I'm jolly glad I didn't! The hardback RRP of £17.99 seemed a bit steep, so I got mine off Amazon for £10.79 - and it's well worth it. I thought The Other Boleyn Girl was a fantastic piece of historical fiction, striking a balance between fact, rumour and what makes a good story, but The Boleyn Inheritance is even better. I certainly wasn't disappointed.
So what is the Boleyn inheritance? The title and land that Jane Boleyn managed to save by condemning her husband and his beloved sister-in-law to death without any proof? The family's ambition and determination to strive for better things? Or is it the executioner's block? Read the book and decide for yourself - and decide whether it was really worth the price they paid. Just one last tip: although the fairly short, dated sections lend the book a fast-paced quality, take your time and savour every sentence instead of rushing through it - you'll be glad you did.
DoubleFantasy11 22.09.2006 (22.09.2006)
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Review of The Boleyn Inheritance - Philippa Gregory
...in reading books set in the past, just so I can get a bit of an insight into how my ancestors may have lived. OK so at the moment I haven't found any royalty in my tree but I have found out that my Great x 3 Grandfather worked as a Carpenter in the Tower of London for Queen Victoria and traced my tree back to around 1580 when Queen Elizabeth I would have been on the throne. Although being an East Ender now living in Derbyshire quite a few of my ancestors ... ...ancestors could well have seen the Royalty of their day, out and about riding through the streets of London to get to other places.
So some of the obvious books to read would be Charles Dickens, for an insight into the Victorian era and Philippa Gregory for an insight into the Tudor period. I read both Charles Dickens' Oliver and Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl whilst on holiday earlier in the year and recently have finished Philippa Gregory's ...
paulpry118 30.11.2008
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Advantages: Breathes fresh life into a period I know well. Disadvantages: Print very small in paperback version.
*** The Author ***
Philippa Gregory was born in Kenya in 1954, and then her family moved to England. She has degrees in history and literature, and has worked for a local newspaper and BBC radio. Now a full time writer, she lives with her family on a small farm in the North of England. She has written contemporary novels, but is most well known for her historical fiction.
*** Background to Plot ***
This tale of the volatile and dangerous court ... ...Jane Boleyn. At the start of each chapter is the name of the storyteller, plus the place and date of that part of the tale. I felt that hearing the events from the differing viewpoints of these three women, added interest to a main plot that at least some readers will be already familiar with from history lessons.
Jane Boleyn sees herself as the sole survivor of an unlucky family and an heiress to scandal. Her version is heavily influenced by her ...
luckyarchers 27.09.2007
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Advantages: An addicting read that draws you in, page after page. Disadvantages: It had to end!
The Boleyn Inheritance is set after The Other Boleyn Girl, Queen Jane is dead and the King is looking for his new wife, and so we meet Lady Anne of Cleves. The book however isn't only through the eyes of Anne and it switches between a young Katherine Howard and Lady Jane Rochford the sister-in-law in Anne Boleyn, the be-headed Queen. The book begins with Anne of Cleves having her potrait painted along with her sister, and she strongly wishes to be ... ...living a boring life in the country and longing for a request to go back to court to be a lady in waiting to the new Queen. Katherine Howard is at Lambeth living with her step Grandmother, and at only 15 is already worrying of becoming old and dreaming of riches. Anne of Cleves is of course chosen by King Henry to become the new Queen of England and so she begins her procession from Germany to London. She is overwhelmed by all the attention she gets, ...
GemmaC25 01.08.2009
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Advantages: A great insight into some relative unknowns, breaking with stereotypes Disadvantages: Not as good as previous books, a little repetative
...just doesn’t live up to the fabulousness that is The Other Boleyn Girl.
The Boleyn Inheritance tells the stories of three relatively unknown Tudor women: Jane Rochford (Wife of George Boleyn and remembered as a schemer), Anne of Cleves (history’s infamous smelly wife) and Katherine “Kitty” Howard (A slutty teenager if the rumours are to be believed). But since when does Gregory conform to stereotypes? In this story she tries to unravel the mysteries ... ...been passed down through the generations. Although she obviously has done masses of research for each of the characters, Gregory freely admits that it was an extremely task and that there is a lot of ‘padding out’. As it happens, the historical surroundings of the events are as accurate as you would expect for historical fiction.
Throughout this book we are exposed to new ‘evidence’ to the characters of these three women and by the end of it you ...
HisAngel 06.07.2007
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...and Queens of Britain or the Romans! Hence the reason why I'm such a keen viewer of programmes such as The Tudors and Rome. Yes I know that neither are completely correct with the truth, but there are some things which you can get away with. One of my favourite authors of these types of novels is Jean Plaidy but recently I have discovered another who is just as good. Phillipa Gregory. She has written past books The Other Boleyn Girl and The Virgin ... ...of 1539 at the time of Henry VIII. It has been over 3 years since the beheading of Anne Boleyn and her brother George, whilst the people of England are desperate for a new Queen. Jane Seymour has already died, alone, the absence of the King well noticed. But now is not the time for grieving of those who are no longer around. There are 3 main narrators throughout the book. Jane Boleyn (wife of George), Anne of Cleves ( the 4th wife) and Katherine ...
crezzie 19.04.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Boleyn Inheritance - Philippa Gregory
Wonderfully atmospheric evocation of the court of Henry VIII, and the one woman who destroyed two of his queens, from the bestselling author of THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL The Last Boleyn is Jane, Lady Rochford -- widow of the disgraced George Boleyn. Caught in the intrigues of the Tudor court, she manoeuvres for personal position as her family in turn tries to manipulate her. The king has married again; his bride is the deceptively astute Anne of Cleves. Her wits are tested as she senses a trap closing around her, with the Howards ready to take advantage of her fall. Central to their plot is the pretty, flirtatious Catherine, ready to take the place once held by her cousin Anne Boleyn. Jane briefly believes that she will escape the fate of all who attempt to betray the royal trust but she reckons without Henry's growing maliciousness. Her fate is sealed; she will be the last Boleyn. Philippa Gregory is the acknowledged queen of historical fiction and this novel again displays her trademark blend of passion and politics, authenticity and tremendously gripping storytelling. See all Product Description
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