The Other Boleyn Girl: Philippa Gregory

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Going to the gym after a break of three to four days has its benefits. I felt like I could run forever and didn’t feel as tired. And I feel rested. But my mind was anything but rested. Well, that is what you would feel too if you read “The Other Boleyn Girl” by Philippa Gregory. Phew! What a mad book! And I mean it as a compliment because to think up such a story demands the services of a Machiavellian line of thought.

I have always been fascinated by historical fiction and the character of Anne Boleyn in particular has caught my fancy because of all the spooky stories about her. For those who are unaware of this, Anne Boleyn is one of the most famous ghosts in the world and there have been frequent reports of her sightings at the Tower of London. That was one of the reasons I wanted to visit the Tower when I was in London but I could not make it. London just crowds you with history and there was too much to see for a history and literature buff like me.

The Other Boleyn Girl is in fact the story of Anne Boleyn’s sister Mary, who is relatively unknown. Mary is quite the naïve and innocent girl who is used as a pawn by her entire family to gain power. She has two children by King Henry VIII but by then the philanderer that Henry is, he falls in love with her sister Anne. She rises to become the Queen but she pays the highest price for it in the end for all her manipulative ways.

The novel has essentially one theme running throughout – power. Gregory vividly imagines the power plays involved for anyone who wants to get into the king’s favor. And the whole of the Howard family wants just that. Mary becomes the scapegoat initially and then the honor goes to Anne. Or rather she practically snatches it from Mary. Gregory’s sketches of Anne’s manipulations and her family’s cold calculations stand out in bas relief, giving racy momentum to the novel.

I don’t know to what extent is fiction separated from fact. Although Gregory insists that most of the incidents are based on fact she has faced much criticism for departing from it too. Mary is shown to be a meek girl who easily gets trapped in her family’s ambitions and has to do their bidding. But I got riled at times with Mary’s holier-than-thou attitude. She expresses deep concern for her sister even after she is treated by Anne in the cruelest and most humiliating ways possible. She even names her baby after Anne despite the fact that Anne had banished her from the court. Mary, however, shows her strength too in a lot of other ways while the apparently confident Anne crumbles inside. And although it is Anne who becomes the queen it is still Mary and her own family who is still the focus.

We also learn that everyone exists to please the king in any way possible. As Anne says,

“Whether it is tennis or jousting or archery or flirtation the game is to keep the king happy,” she said. “That’s what we are here for, that’s all that matters.”

And the king seem to constantly need to be kept occupied, he doesn’t seem to attend to a lot of matters, apart from seeking out the next woman to flirt with or walking with his current paramour or going hunting. But in the middle of this tableau Gregory points out a subtle but extremely relevant point. The King is a puppet of his lust and through that he becomes a puppet in the hands of the Howard/Boleyn family.

I liked the book for its pace and vivid portrayal of the Tudor court and its intrigues. But what I found a bit difficult to digest is how an entire family including the father and mother can plot so coldly using their daughters just to attain the King’s favor. And after a point the intensity and pettiness of their manipulative attitudes kind of wore me out. There is no room for emotions or heartfelt expressions. Every move and every word is part of the plan. And in this elaborate plan the other Boleyn girl turns out to be Anne Boleyn.

Verdict: Truly a thrilling bodice ripper as a lot of reviews have called it.

Rating: 3/5

Interesting words learnt: Posset, Fulminate, Traduce