When Books Are Better Than the Movies!

I love reading, and clearly I love books, I wrote one. And it's been a while since I've actually read something that wasn't my own book. Anywho...my new book of the moment is "The Boleyn Inheritance" by Philippa Gregory. I read "The Other Boleyn Girl" by the same author last year - before I watched the movie and it was an awesome read. Although it is a long book, don't let the length put you off from reading it. And, most importantly, if you didn't like the movie version of "The Other Boleyn Girl" (like me) then I highly recommend that you read the book.

"The Boleyn Inheritance" picks up after the death of Anne Boleyn (Henry VIII's 2nd wife) and just before the marriage of Henry to his 4th wife Anne Cleves. As is the case in a lot of royal families and their court, all the main characters, and many sub characters, are related. The story, as in the vein of "The Other Boleyn Girl" is told in first person, but from the perspectives of three women who are all related in some way to the Boleyn family (either marriage, distant relations, etc.) and are integral members of the King's court in some way (don't worry - no spoilers here).

Gregory is a good writer, able to create intrigue with just the first very short chapter, and much like "The Other Boleyn Girl" has created a book that although is long, reads more like a quick beach read. History is kept on track while bringing to life the stories of a number of people who have been in the history books since the 1500s. She creates convincing personalities and manages to make you feel one way or the other about certain characters...some are hopelessly naive, others are obnoxious, and some allow you insights into their personalities because they were minor characters in "The Other Boleyn Girl". I'm only a 3rd of the way into "The Boleyn Inheritance", but I'm definitely looking for excuses to commute on the train so I can read more of the book!