A Tudor Tale

For my first swap on the Ausie Book Karma Blog, I was lucky enough to get a copy of "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Phillipa Gergory, which I have been trying to get from the library FOREVER, but with the release of the movie, it's as scarce as hens teeth, so I was a happy camper when it arrived on my doorstep. There's something about that period in history that really appeals to me....the clothes, the pageantry, the feasting and dancing. Then again, some of the other bits I could seriously leave out....the nightly lice inspections, ye olde medieval tampons, (say OUCH) and the connstant plotting and counter plotting. How anyone knew what was going on from one day to the next beats me. I found Gregory's portrait of Anne Boleyn totally fascinating, especially as she's the first author I've come across who really looked into Anne's relationship with her brother George. Other books make veiled references to "ungodly relations" but this book gives you a real insight into the lengths Anne was prepared to go to in order to secure her place on the throne. I always considered her to be a bit of a slapper, who used her body to get what she wanted, but there's considerably more to her character. I don't like her any more than I did (I was kind of glad she got her come uppance) but I feel like I understand her better. To check what books are available on the Aussie Book Karma Blog go here...