PG to me seems to want to rewrite history to make Mary Boleyn more important than she actually was.

I wonder what PG has against Anne Boleyn. She seems to sympathize way too much with Katharine and Mary. The idea of Anne as a wicked stepmother persecuting 'poor innocent Mary' is not entirely false, but it should not be held up as the clincher for Anne's morality. Anne on several terms offered Mary peace terms, which Mary refused to take. Mary was not AB's victim, she was her opponent. Also, many AB haters forget that Mary's treatment worsened after Anne was beheaded. Also, while Mary was no monster, she is responsible for the deaths of her own people. She is not innocent by any means. The young Mary deserves pity, the adult Mary does not.

Anyway, PG takes every rumor about Anne and presents them as fact and even invents a new one, such as Anne adopting Mary's son. There is no basis in fact for this. Having read her later works, it seems to me PG despises Anne and her daughter Elizabeth. I understand this is fiction, but many people who are not as educated in history as myself may take this as fact. I am very concerned, especially since Anne is long dead and cannot stand up for herself. Also while I can understand disliking AB, I am very disturbed by the anti Elizabeth trend. Elizabeth I was one of the most important monarchs in the history of the West.

As for the book-- I am not squeamish in regards to sex. But PG has written a porno, not a novel.  For example, "Put your fingers in your cunny...." I had to skip over half the book due to scenes like this. PG, please leave this to your readers' imagination. We do not need to know what Henry and Anne Boleyn did in the bedroom!

There is one thing I will say  for this book and that is that it got historical fiction going again. That is why I give this book a very generous 2 stars. But please, if you are looking for an accurate representation of this court, I recommend Alison Weir or David Starkey. If you are looking for good fiction about Anne Boleyn, I recommend The Lady in the Tower by Jean Plaidy, Brief Gaudy Hour by Margaret Campbell Barnes, The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell, (best AB novel out there, IMO) or even the not sympathetic but more accurate The Concubine by Norah Lofts.  I also recommend "the Creation of Anne Boleyn." It is nota  biography of her but is a study of how Anne is seen in pop culture, Eric Ives's excellent "The Life and death of Anne Boleyn" and if you want a good movie about her romance with Henry, I recommend Anne of the Thousand Days.  To a lesser extent I recommend Doomed Queen Anne by Carolyn Meyer, which is pretty inaccurate but at least sympathetic. Please read this only after reading or watching ANY of the other recommendations
PG to me seems to want to rewrite history to make Mary Boleyn more important than she actually was. I wonder what PG has against Anne Boleyn. She seems to sympathize way too much with Katharine and Mary. The idea of Anne as a wicked stepmother persecuting 'poor innocent Mary' is not entirely false, but it should not be held up as the clincher for Anne's morality. Anne on several terms offered Mary peace terms, which Mary refused to take. Mary was not AB's victim, she was her opponent. Also, many AB haters forget that Mary's treatment worsened after Anne was beheaded. Also, while Mary was no monster, she is responsible for the deaths of her own people. She is not innocent by any means. The young Mary deserves pity, the adult Mary does not. Anyway, PG takes every rumor about Anne and presents them as fact and even invents a new one, such as Anne adopting Mary's son. There is no basis in fact for this. Having read her later works, it seems to me PG despises Anne and her daughter Elizabeth. I understand this is fiction, but many people who are not as educated in history as myself may take this as fact. I am very concerned, especially since Anne is long dead and cannot stand up for herself. Also while I can understand disliking AB, I am very disturbed by the anti Elizabeth trend. Elizabeth I was one of the most important monarchs in the history of the West. As for the book-- I am not squeamish in regards to sex. But PG has written a porno, not a novel. For example, "Put your fingers in your cunny.... " I had to skip over half the book due to scenes like this. PG, please leave this to your readers' imagination. We do not need to know what Henry and Anne Boleyn did in the bedroom! There is one thing I will say  for this book and that is that it got historical fiction going again. That is why I give this book a very generous 2 stars. But please, if you are looking for an accurate representation of this court, I recommend Alison Weir or David Starkey. If you are looking for good fiction about Anne Boleyn, I recommend The Lady in the Tower by Jean Plaidy, Brief Gaudy Hour by Margaret Campbell Barnes, The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell, (best AB novel out there, IMO) or even the not sympathetic but more accurate The Concubine by Norah Lofts. I also recommend "the Creation of Anne Boleyn. " It is nota  biography of her but is a study of how Anne is seen in pop culture, Eric Ives's excellent "The Life and death of Anne Boleyn" and if you want a good movie about her romance with Henry, I recommend Anne of the Thousand Days. To a lesser extent I recommend Doomed Queen Anne by Carolyn Meyer, which is pretty inaccurate but at least sympathetic. Please read this only after reading or watching ANY of the other recommendations