The Boleyn Inheritance - Philippa Gregory

Genre: Historical Fiction

The Boleyn Inheritance is a novel that takes place in the era of King Henry and switches between the perspectives of Jane Boleyn, Anne of Cleves, and Katherine. It's a novel of characters plotting, and trying to save their own hides from the Kings changeable opinions of them. Henry, the king is a stink of an old man who changes his mind so frequently nobody knows if they will live or if they will die at his command. Everyone seems to be after the same thing, fortune and status.

Jane is willing to take the kings side against anyone's trials, if it'll save her from the kings hatred, she's simply only looking out for herself. If you've read or watched the movie The Other Boleyn Girl you would know that she's given away her own love to death.

Anne of Cleves was once nearly queen, but problems arise and she fears she may be beheaded by the king who decides she fairs better as a sister than as a queen.

Katherine is a young harlot who uses her own sexuality to get into the kings chambers, simply for fortune of dresses and fancy jewels.

Inside the back cover:
"The Boleyn Inheritance is a novel drawn tight as a lute string about a court ruled by the gallows and three women whose positions brought them wealth, admiration, and power as well as deceit, betrayal, and terror. Once again, Philippa Gregory has brought a vanished world to life--the whisper of a silk skirt on a stone stair, the yellow glow of candlelight illuminating a hastily written note, the murmurs of the crowd gathering on Tower Green below the newly built scaffold. In The Boleyn Inheritance Gregory is at her intelligent and page-turning best."

To be quite honest, it was hard to get through it. I'm glad I finished it though. It's not poorly written by any means, but the characters just seem so...flat. I don't know how better to explain that. However, I don't feel by any means that Philippa Gregory is a poor writer. I just felt that the characters needed something to set them off. I think the only character you see any real development from is Jane Boleyn. I loathed most of the characters in this book, apart from Jane. It's a book full of evil and deceit. If you're into books about plotting and deceit this may very well be the book for you. However, for me, I can't ever see myself picking this book up for a second read. Worth at least the first read anyways. Could have been worse, could have been better.

Shame on anyone who thinks evil of this.