The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory

Like I said in my last post, I needed a bit of a break from the "serious" novels typically listed in the 1,001 Books list; I'm really in the mood for good summer reading, particularly since my days are now filled with endless job applications. I'm just looking to my books as a bit of a break, and I'm comfortable with how much I typically read to be able to have intelligent conversations about books if needed in interviews (plus, I'm still reading enough "serious" material to be totally telling the truth when I answer the "so what are you reading" question with a respectable literary novel). The Boleyn Inheritance provided just the break I needed.

I'm a huge Philippa Gregory fan. I think she does a fantastic job capturing what I imagine to be the mix of grandeur, conniving personalities, and genuine fear in Tudor England. The Boleyn Inheritance acts as a sort of sequel to the made-into-movie The Other Boleyn Girl. It traces the three wives of Henry VIII following Anne Boleyn: Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, and Katherine Howard, focusing mostly on the last two (oddly, there's a serious lack of research interest in the second "survivor" of Henry VIII's lack of wedded bliss: Catherine Parr). I find it refreshing that this book goes beyond the caricatured personalities -- "fat and ugly" for Anne of Cleves and "stupid" for Katherine Howard -- and really tries to understand who these women might have been and how they unwittingly got involved in the intrigues of men at court. Gregory is quite honestly a feminist in these novels; she underhandedly suggests that if women had any sort of power apart from their uncles/husbands/fathers or were allowed to make decisions themselves during this time, all the fear and jealousy and power grabs would not have existed. Because, really, who can fault either Anne or Katherine for being repulsed by a man decades their senior? And who can blame them for looking elsewhere for "real" love relationships? Hell, Henry was well-known for his affairs and flirtations regardless of his own marital status. The feminist statements are not as annoying or blatant as some can be; Gregory makes valid points about these women tied to Henry VIII despite their youth, inexperience, and inability to deal with the king's tempers and whims. It shows that these women wanted to make their own decisions -- and likely would have made excellent ones -- but were stuck in impossible situations. Gregory shows that Anne of Cleves was actually a quite independent woman who had to carefully negotiate Henry's tempers to save herself from his axe; and Katherine was obviously a girl too young and vulnerable to protect herself among the selfish and power-hungry Tudor court. These women were not just stupid, fat, and ugly; they were people who Henry cast aside in order to further his own will. I honestly believe that it was not the women's fault that Henry VIII only had weak sons; he was an old sick man likely unable to produce an heir. And Gregory does a fantastic job trying to tease out their personalities based on what little evidence historians have gathered about Henry's women.

Another thing about this book (or at least this edition of the book) is that Gregory clearly explains which parts of the book are based in fact/archival evidence and which are based in her imagination. It's rather refreshing considering some of the hack-job historical fiction out there (coughDanBrowncough). It gives Gregory's fiction some clarity that is much appreciated by this history lover.

My rating: 9/10

I've since started What is the What, by Dave Eggers, about the Lost Boys of Sudan. I would imagine I'll finish it (or at least get a good deal finished) at the beach next week. It's a little dark for a beach read but I enjoy Eggers' style so far; plus, his willingness to call this historically-based novel due to fading memories and not-necessarily-accurate dialogue is refreshing as well. Following this one, I think I'll look to some non-fiction and go from there.