The Other Boleyn Girl

I must admit that I am a sucker for fictional stories based on royal families of the past. There's something very dramatic about the royal court, schemes, and romances. I have had The Other Boleyn Girl in my mind for quite a while, but the opportunity presented itself in audiobook form when I went to drive 6 hours to meet Kelly and Lanaya in Iowa. It was the quickest 12 hours of driving I've ever had because the story is...well it is just so dramatically good. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find the kind of fix that the Twilight series gives me. Now, I understand that I have nothing to worry about because the author, Philippa Gregory, already has at least six novels about this time period.
This novel has everything to make for a good story. It has everything dramatic- selfish motives, death, power. At the same time, it has the beauty of life, love, and trust. I almost wish they made this into a television show series because it is an unending story of the life of aristocracy in 1500s England under King Henry's court. Whenever I explained King Henry VIII to my students in my World History class, I compared it to a soap opera in Days of Our Lives. Well, this is a well-written soap opera that is enjoyable to read.

It is no surprise that this novel was picked up to become a screenplay and eventual movie. The two A-List actresses in it who represent Mary Boleyn, the protagonist, and her sister and eventual Queen Anne are Scarlett Johannsen and Natalie Portman. I just watched the movie, The Duchess, another time period piece with Keira Knightley. I guess I am just into these time period pieces and can't get enough of them in movie or novel form!