The Other Boleyn Girl. Philippa Gregory. Simon & Schuster, Inc. New York, New York. 2001.

Book Review by Tracey
As anyone who reads my reviews should know by now, the distant past is my absolute favorite escape mode. I don't really know why, but the present day is so unsatisfying compared to the "old days". Perhaps it is in the details of daily life. The routines we embrace today seem very different from those of the past. Little details such as the regular use of a lice comb or never being overly conscious of cleanliness, especially in certain situations just seem fascinating to me! On the other hand, I am also drawn to what always seems to remain the same. Politics, for instance, never changes. It's always been the backstabbing occupation it is today.

The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory, is a very interesting read. I found the flow very smooth, and the fictional thought process very like one of my other favorite authors, Judith Merkle Riley. I will have to admit that the Tudor time period was where I experienced my first love of history. Furthermore, in my younger years I felt a very close bond with Anne Boleyn. Anne's daughter, the great Elizabeth I was and probably is still my all time personal idol. Anne's sister Mary has always paled in comparison until now. Phillipa Gregory has created a Mary Boleyn that shines with life, and as fanatical a family as possible to accompany her. It is a believable tale, made all the more realistic by those little details that all good authors seem to drop into their fictional stories. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Perhaps like me, you have always wondered just a little bit about that sister in the background. Why is she almost forgotten, while Anne still lives on in the minds of so many? Read this book, and satisfy your curiosity.

Tracey.