When reviewing books for this blog I always try to use
something that will not only be enjoyable to my readers but also give them
historical insight or knowledge. Sometimes I choose novels, either to give my
mind a break from research or to just find out how others perceive and write
about Tudor England. Whenever I indulge in a novel it is normally a Philipa
Gregory one, her writings are my guilty pleasure because despite their vast
historical inaccuracy they are fun to read. This week I settled in and battled
the rainy blues by enjoying The Boleyn Inheritance.
The book covers three women vital to the
story of Henry VIII; Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Jane Boleyn,
viscountess Rochford. Each section of the novel tells the story from these
women’s personal points of view. Dodging scandal, spying and playing the game
of court politics is everyday life. Gregory brings to life Tudor England and
the characters most of us tend not focus on. I greatly enjoyed the sections
about Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard but I found her descriptions of Jane
Boleyn hard to manage. I know this is historical fiction but the perpetuation
of the rumor that Jane’s testimony sent her sister-in-law and Anne and husband
George to the scaffold really bothers me. Despite this slight bias I have in
the last section the book is amazingly well written and so readable. Pick it up
today!
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