{"id":590,"date":"2017-11-03T11:18:51","date_gmt":"2017-11-03T15:18:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/?p=590"},"modified":"2022-07-12T18:03:09","modified_gmt":"2022-07-12T22:03:09","slug":"friday-reads-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/friday-reads-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Friday Reads: The Other Boleyn Girl"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Wow, it\u2019s November already! Where has the year gone? You know what the first Friday of the month means: Friday Reads! If you missed it, take a look at last month’s Friday Reads on Crossroads in the Dark III: Monsters Under Your Bed<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"CoverI\u2019m going back to Tudor England this week with <\/span>The Other Boleyn Girl<\/span><\/i><\/a> by <\/span>Philippa Gregory<\/span><\/a>. Before I go any further, if you\u2019ve seen either movie, store that memory away for now, this is about the book. In typical book-to-movie fashion, neither did the book justice. That said, <\/span>The Other Boleyn Girl<\/span><\/i> (<\/span>TOBG<\/span><\/i>) book has been a favorite of mine for years. When I first bought it, I had this edition, which I *THINK* is the original paperback edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

TOBG<\/span><\/i> was one of the first \u201cadult\u201d books I read. It was either end of high school or early in college, when I had my own money and could buy whatever I wanted, without parental input. It sparked the realization that books could contain a lot more than what I\u2019d been reading, and sparked an interest in several other genres and styles. TOBG<\/em> was my adult \u201cgateway book\u201d, if you will. <\/span><\/p>\n

TOBG<\/span><\/i> was also the book that sparked my interest in Mary Boleyn. For those of you who aren\u2019t familiar with that name, she was sister to Henry VIII\u2019s second wife, Anne Boleyn, and Henry\u2019s official mistress before he fell in love with Anne. There\u2019s also a high likelihood that 2 of her children were his.<\/span><\/p>\n

SIDE NOTE<\/strong>: This post will contain what some people would consider spoilers. I don\u2019t, simply because <\/span>TOBG<\/span><\/i> is based on history, and major plot events are common knowledge.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the things I like most about Philippa Gregory\u2019s early books (I don\u2019t know if she still does this, because I\u2019m rather behind in my reading) is that she presents \u201cwhat if\u201d scenarios. For example, in <\/span>TOBG<\/span><\/i> the reader is given major hints that Anne Boleyn really did sleep with her brother. This adds a different feel to the story that most books about the Boleyn sisters don\u2019t have. <\/span><\/p>\n

Granted, having these \u201cwhat if\u201d scenarios means that the book isn\u2019t \u201creal\u201d history. So take what you read with a grain of salt. After all, it\u2019s categorized as historical fiction for a reason. But just because you aren\u2019t being handed a factual account of Mary Boleyn doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t enjoy it. <\/span><\/p>\n

And enjoy it, I do. I\u2019ve lost track of how many times I\u2019ve read <\/span>TOBG<\/span><\/i>. I read my first copy to death, literally. The pages started coming unglued and falling out of the book. So I went out and bought a second version. Then an ebook, which, thankfully, can\u2019t ever fall apart.<\/span><\/p>\n

Part of what led to me reading <\/span>TOBG<\/span><\/i> so much is the amount of compassion I felt for Mary Boleyn. She\u2019s written as a very kind, somewhat naive character, and many times I just wanted to give her a hug and tell her things would turn out alright in the end, despite knowing they wouldn\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n

Have you read The Other Boleyn Girl<\/em>? What about other historical fiction books? What’s your favorite era in history? Leave me a comment and let me know, and make sure to check back for next month’s Friday Reads. I hope you enjoy your weekend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wow, it\u2019s November already! Where has the year gone? You know what the first Friday of the month means: Friday Reads! If you missed it,…<\/p>\n

Keep ReadingFriday Reads: The Other Boleyn Girl<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[105,39,184,156,160],"class_list":["post-590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-blogger","tag-adult","tag-books","tag-friday-reads","tag-historical-fiction","tag-tudor","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Z77k-9w","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":137,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/friday-reads-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":590,"position":0},"title":"Friday Reads #3: The Creation of Anne Boleyn","author":"Rachel","date":"August 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s Friday, which means it\u2019s time for another installment of my Friday Reads series; setting you up for a great weekend of reading. This week\u2019s book is The Creation of Anne Boleyn by Susan Bordo. I\u2019ve been interested in Tudor England since I discovered The Royal Diaries series as a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blogger"","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cover of The Creation of Anne Boleyn","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/15814396._UY475_SS475_.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2206,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-kings-obsession\/","url_meta":{"origin":590,"position":1},"title":"Review – Anne Boleyn: A King’s Obsession","author":"Rachel","date":"November 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Check out my review of Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession, book two of the Six Tudor Queens series by Alison Weir.","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blogger"","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/AnneBoleyn-231x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":687,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/friday-reads-9\/","url_meta":{"origin":590,"position":2},"title":"Friday Reads: Memnoch the Devil","author":"Rachel","date":"December 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Here we are, at the end of the year. Happy December, everyone! It's the first Friday of the month, and that means Friday Reads! In case you missed it, you can take a look at last month's Friday Reads on The Other Boleyn Girl. Unlike most of my other Friday\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blogger"","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":179,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/friday-reads-4\/","url_meta":{"origin":590,"position":3},"title":"Friday Reads #4: Indian Captive","author":"Rachel","date":"August 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Welcome back to another installment of my Friday Reads series, setting you up for a great weekend of reading. If you haven\u2019t already, take a look at last week\u2019s installment on The Creation of Anne Boleyn. As a child, my mom preferred to buy me award winning books. I suppose\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blogger"","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Paperback cover of Indian Captive by Lois Lenski","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/paperbackCover.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12814,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-ab-500\/","url_meta":{"origin":590,"position":4},"title":"Review – Anne Boleyn: 500 Years of Lies","author":"Rachel","date":"June 12, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cI heartily recommend [it], it's a worthwhile read.\u201d Check out my review of *Anne Boleyn: 500 Years of Lies* by Hayley Nolan.","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blogger"","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Book Cover: Anne Boleyn: 500 years of lies","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AB500-100x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12713,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/book-rant\/","url_meta":{"origin":590,"position":5},"title":"Sometimes You Need a Rant","author":"Rachel","date":"March 26, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"While I'm generally easy going when it comes to book problems, there are some things that are unforgivable, and this one deserves a rant.","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blogger"","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/rant_featured.png?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=590"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":595,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590\/revisions\/595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}