[Spoiler Warning: This article contains plot and ending description!]Those of you who deem this novel as merely the average romance fiction, I am setting out to prove you wrong. The fact that the title includes the word ‘girl’ should not diminish the importance of the historical aspect surrounding the romance. Although, I must admit that even I held a little prejudice against it before I began reading it, by the time I got through the first quarter of the book I could not help being completely mesmerized by the intriguing plot, moreover, the authenticity of the historical references that is replete throughout the novel.
The story is told through the perspective of a somewhat innocent Boleyn girl, Mary, finding herself caught up in the midst of her family’s obsession with rising up in society, and the rivalry between her and her ambitious sister, Anne. I say innocent, because of her lack of ambition in comparison to her family, especially to Anne. She becomes King Henry VIII’s mistress because she believes they are in love. Well, at least it is true on her part. However, after giving birth to a daughter and a son, her main interest lies in spending time with her children, rather than getting back into the ‘game’ of flirtation and gaining the king’s sexual interest. Anne eventually succeeds in doing that during her sister’s absences from court after giving birth to her second child.
Anne’s ambition can be said to have caused by the fact that she has been denied her right to choose whom to marry. I interpret it as a sort of defiance over her family’s dominance over their actions. She clearly denies loving Henry, yet feels no remorse whatsoever for having stolen her sister’s status. The Boleyns accepts Anne’s actions simply because Anne has outdone Mary. Anne has something Mary did not have – virginity. Anne uses this as a weapon against Catherine of Aragon, and eventually gets Henry to illegitimate their marriage and proclaims head of church.
Breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church, and successfully getting rid of Catherine, Henry hastily marries Anne believing that she is able to produce an heir to the throne. His ambition and her ambition become conflicting elements that brings about the climax of the plot.
Mary, whose role in the beginning seemed somewhat closer to a victim, turns out to have gotten the best deal: a simple and happy farm life, away from the ambitions of court people, away from the Tower, and away from the guillotine.
It is highly recommended reading because the authenticity of its historical references. Philippa Gregorey has written many books inspired by the fascinating era before, during and after Queen Elizabeth’s reign. Though when history is being adapted into fiction, some things are bound to be altered, if the essence remains intact and if the plot is able to flow naturally, then it is the kind of novel that I would enjoy for the sake of entertainment and its underlying educational purpose.
After reading the novel, it is not hard to draw the connection between Anne Boleyn and her daughter with Henry, Elizabeth, who is to become one of the greatest and most famous monarchs throughout the whole history of the world. Queen Elizabeth I has inherited her mother’s ambition and wisdom and her father’s rationality and ability in ruling a country. This combination of innate strengths helps her to bring England into the height of its civilization, the so-called ‘Golden Age’.
If you have seen Elizabeth, or Elizabeth: the Golden Age, then this reading is a must. Consider this a prelude to the Elizabeth sequels. If I am not mistaken, then the film adaptation of the novel seems to have deviated much from the original plot. Though a little disappointed by this, it is not enough to keep me from watching it.
