I wasn’t expecting much from this book, first because I received it from a friend who gave me her copy because she just couldn’t get into it.  Plus, I had heard the movie was absolutely terrible, so really, what does that say about the source material?

Apparently not much.  I really, really, enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl.  I didn’t love the fact that the copy I had was the paperback movie-tie in (seeing Scarlett Johaansen as the worst casted Mary Boleyn ever was distracting), but hey, beggars can’t be choosers, right?

Yet another in the historical-fiction-cum-chicklit, The Other Boleyn Girl actually focuses quite well on Mary, while painting the story of Anne only via her sister.  Gregory certainly makes it clear with whom we’re supposed to sympathize; the depictions of Anne versus Mary are very black and white.  Anne is the bitchy ambitious wanna-be queen, while Mary is the simple, innocent girl who is just following the orders of her family.

If you realize that such dichotomies are there to simplify the story, if you can take The Other Boleyn Girl for what it is (an airplane book, rather than high art) than it’s a very enjoyable read.

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