if any of you have seen the movie, or even the showtime series, the tudors, you really are doing yourself a disservice to NOT read the book. READ IT. you won't be sorry.
the book is narrated by mary boleyn, the sister to anne boleyn. you immediately fall in love with this girl. so simple, sweet, and unassuming. so unlike her sister or the rest of her family.
anne boleyn is the girl you love to hate. really hate. and she existed, and probably did most of the horrible things the book touches on. she was king henry viii's second wife.
the scandal and treachery she left in her wake rival the juiciest plot in history.
henry viii. i admit, i don't know much about the tudors or life in the 1500's. but this story, this king, has piqued my interest and furthered my study in this time period.
queen katherine was his first, and very holy wife. she was a saint. she plays a fairly large role in the story, as anne robs her of her throne and has her banished from court. you feel for her and want to pledge your loyalty to her.
that is the beauty of this book. the author, philippa gregory, brings these people to life again. your heart becomes involved as if you were a commoner, or a courtier in england, circa 1524.
sigh. it's just beautiful in every way.a word of warning, it's not for the faint of heart. this story does delve into the nitty gritty of what probably happened. there is some sexual content (it would be hard to leave that out, seeing as it's such a introval part of the story). treachery, adultry, and other sins.
having said that, i think the author does a good job of not getting too graphic. it is tastfully done, in my opinion. i feel it's worth reading because it is part of history.
2 comments:
amen - it's on the very short list of my favorite books. just seeing the movie is not enough - people must read it to really know what we are talking about here.
considering that I am related to Anne Boleyn, it would be very interesting to read...I must put it on my ever growing list of books to read.
Post a Comment