I loved this book. What a real character, full of flaws. What a pretty 16 year old nun who suddenly finds herself in the real world in the time of Henry VIII might actually do. Not mature enough to make good decisions, selfish and wicked enough to wish people harm and definitely immature enough to not realize that there is a reaction to every action. Well done. I have waited a year of reading two books a month to find a book like this! Thank you Ms. Gregory for the tale of a central character so full and rich I stayed up all night reading to finish it.

This is a brilliant dark story of a young girl and her quest to live like a queen. She wants the prize of 'lady of the house' and will stop at nothing to get it. She uses her power to reach for her dreams, only to realise that the prize wasn't hers. She is a false woman, and slowly becomes entrapped in her own lies.

Despite the bleakness of the story and the wickedness of Alys, I still liked her! She felt she was destined for an important role, and went out to claim it. She sought love and didn't know what to do with it when she had it. As l was approaching the last few pages of the story I was wondering how on earth it could end, I was so looking forward to the birth of her child etc.

I am currently making my way through all of Philippa Gregory's books. Her novels, both historical and comtemporay are always so vivid and the endings never fail to be anything but thought provoking. Keep writing, because l will certainly keep reading!

This book is extremely dark - its subject matter is pretty bleak and the characters are often rather twisted... but it is nonetheless a riveting read. The Wise Woman tells the story of Alys, an orphan who has been shuffled from house to house throughout her childhood. Alys' first home is with Morach, her town's local witch. Morach is cruel to Alys, and Alys soon finds refuge in the local nunnery. As she prepares to take her final vows, the nunnery is burnt to the ground. Alys flees the fire - leaving her sisters in Christ to burn to death - and is forced to start her life anew. Her travels lead her to the castle near her home, working as an apothecary to the lord of the manor. There she meets the lord's attractive son, discovers her own witchy powers... and finds herself sorely tempted to break her vows. This book is a fscainting story, very well told... the only downside is the sexual imagery is very explicit, and often rather perverse. If you can overlook that... this book is great!

This third book of the triology was even better than the first
two, if possible. I have already purchased my next Philippa
Gregory book and am looking forward to reading it. She is a
complete author. Her books have history, suspense, romance,
and adventure.

All three books in the series were great but I felt the charecters in this one were incredible. It was like I felt what she felt, It really inspired me. The girl Meridon was ws just trying to find who she was, like so many of us are. It was fantastic.

This book, the last of the three books about the Laceys of Wideacre, manages to be both very different from its predecessors, and also just as good. Wild gypsy girl Meridon lives hard and keeps her heart well guarded. Her abusive father, indifferent mother, and completely selfish sister make Meridon cynical and very tough. Yet despite the hardness of her life travelling, Meridon has one delight... her dreams of a beautiful home far away called "Wide" - a place where she is rich and loved and warm... do Meridon's longings bring her back to her ancestral home, and lead her into a life of happiness and luxury? You never know with that Lacey family. I would reccommed reading the book to find out...

Great quick read! A wife discovers that her professor husband is cheating on her with one of his students so she decides to get her own back! She grabs the first available toy boy, and seizes the opportunity to strengthen her life force and liberate all her friends along the way.

Extremely witty, gotta love good old Aunt Sarah who seems to have a terribly strong life force, despite her 90 odd years. A treat to read in between Philippa Gregory's other books!

Midlife Mischief (called Mrs. Hartley and the Growth Centre in the UK) is very much a departure from Gregory's other novels... it is set in the modern day, fluffy in content, and very funny... whereas most of her books are set in the past, super serious, and very dramatic. Midlife Mischief tells the story of Alice Hartley, a woman who reluctantly admits her forty two years, puts up with her pompous professor husband, and generally stifles all her needs and wants in a gracious feminine way. Then she finds out her husband is cheating on her and wants to leave her... and Alice decides to stop trying to make everyone else happy. She seduces one of her husband's students, gets a house, and starts to liberate her repressed friends from the shackles of modern womnahood... a little unrealisitic, but very witty and grand as a piece of escapism!

Florizella has got to be one of the most likeable fairy story heriones around. She is smart, sweet, and not at all intimidated by her lack of beauty. Florizella's adventures begin when she finds a pack of wolf cubs in the forest, and decides to bring them home to the castle as pets. Despite the fact she is a princess, she is like most youngsters in that her parents deeply disapprove of having wild animals in the house. Florizella, being clever, finds a way to disguise the wolves... and that is where the story gets interesting. For those about 7-11 in age, as a parent, I could hardly reccommend more appealing fare!

Virgin Earth, the sequel to the simply wonderful Earthly Joys, is nothing less than amazing. It tells the story of John Tradescant, Jr, a man haunted by the fame of his famous gardener father, a man who just lost his wife to the plague, and who has left his two little children to go plant hunting in Virginia. The book goes back and forth between Virginia and England, painting vivid pictures of England during its Civil War, and also of America during its savage beginnings. The lives of King Charles, Cromwell, the natives and settlers in Virginia, as well as John himself all intertwine, making this book one of the most elegant and compelling historical novels I have ever read!

This is a fascinating story of the political turmoil surrounding King Charles I from a wonderful perspective. It was very clever how it entwined gardening with the turbulent times of the era, how the great men found a type of release in the garden away from the real world.

However I found it the tiniest bit bland after the 'Wise Woman'. Maybe I just didn't agree with his personal heirarchy, where a woman barely rates a mention after God and King and the Lords? A sign of the times! I have the sequel on my shelf and look forward to losing myself in it.

This novel of gardener John Tradescant cannot help but fascinate any avid reader of historical fiction. The book tells the tale of John's personal life - his conflicts with his wife,son, lover - as well as chronciling the events leading up to the English Civil War. Can't wait for the sequel!

This is the first and the only Philippa Gregory book I have read. I was apprehensive at first, but was I ever glad that I tried this one. Earthly Joys opens ones eyes to the world of gardens, green leafs, grass, trees, flowers... the description of nature so sensual, one can alsmost smell the fresh cut grass and the fragrance of the flowers... the beauty of the landscapes.. One can feel the blades of grass... the soft leaves, smell the flowers as John does. What captures you most is the way it is all described....

I had more or less given up reading historical novels when I ran out of books by Jean Plaidy to read. For me, she was one of the truly rare authours (saving Sharon Kay Penman of course) who got the feel, tone and character of her subject matter right. So that I had more or less stopped looking out for new books in this genre to read. And then I saw "The Other Boleyn Girl" at my local bookstore, and after sampling the first chapter, I realized that I had to buy this book. And I'm awfully glad that I did. What a simply wonderful read!! Phillipa Gregory did a really splendid job of evoking the splendor and turbulence of Henry VIII's court. I also thought that her choice of narrator, Mary Boleyn (the elder of the Boleyn sisters) was an inspired as well. Most historians (and perhaps I've only read the those that espoused this majority view) tend to dismiss Mary as an empty headed good time girl because she was used and cast aside with very little ceremony; and because she never rose as high as her sister, Anne. But you have to wonder: Mary was also the only Boleyn sibling to survive the vicissitudes of Henry VIII's reign, and the fall of the Howard-Boleyn fortunes; she also managed to marry for love (and a happy and lasting marriage it proved to be too) the second time around. So perhaps there was a lot more to the 'other Boleyn girl' than everyone credits?

Gregory's novel opens and closes with two executions -- it begins with the execution of the Duke of Buckingham in 1521, and ends with the execution of Anne Boleyn in 1536. With this rather grim events framing her book, the novel proper starts in 1522, with Anne arrival at the Tudor court, where her elder sister, Mary, is already lady-in-waiting to Henry's wife, Queen Katherine. From the very beginning we see that while there is a bond that ties the Boleyn sisters together, there is also a deep rooted rivalry between them. It is a tense time at court: the queen (already quite a few years older than her husband) has yet to produce a male heir to the throne, and people are beginning to question if the aging queen will ever be able to bear children again. Some of Henry's advisers are even began to gently hint that he should put his Spanish wife aside and look for a younger more fecund wife. In the midst of all this intrigue, Mary soon catches the king's roving eye. Although she is married and still quite loyal to the queen, her family (her ruthless parents as well as her uncle, the powerful and equally ruthless Duke of Howard) decrees that she put her marriage and loyalties aside and cater to the whims of her king. Bedazzled, it doesn't take Mary very long to fall in love with both her golden king and her role as the his 'unofficial' wife. A few years and two royal by-blows later however, Mary is shunted aside when the king begins to loose interest in their relationship and her ambitious family fearful that they will loose all the power that they have gained, throws the more ruthless and seductive sister, Anne at the king's head. From then on Mary, her eyes finally wide open as to how low her family will stoop in order to gain power, watches from the sidelines as her family, led by Anne, begins their high stakes play for the queen's crown. Finally realizing that she can only depend on herself for her own future, Mary is inspired to take a few risks herself in order to gain some measure of happiness and security.

The sheer scope of this novel is gigantic -- there were so many things that were going on both on and off stage and the number of people that were involved in all these shenanigans! So that it was a treat to find that the novel unfolded smoothly and effortlessly, and that Gregory did not drop the ball once. She kept each chapter short and succinct, and yet still managed to give the reader an enthralling and exciting account of what was going on. I also liked the manner in which she depicted all the characters in this novel. From Queen Katherine who was portrayed not only as a loyal and loving wife, but also as an intelligent woman who saw and understood what was going on around her, even as she clung to the hope that the king would recover from his obsession with Anne; to the authour's chilling portrayal of the Boleyn family (father, mother, Anne and George). With a few well chosen words and phrases, she's paints them as wildly ambitious, ruthless and pettily cruel individuals, willing to use each other in order to achieve a particular goal. But the authour's characterization of Mary Boleyn was probably the best thing in the novel. Here we see a young and intelligent woman with a heart and a sense of morality that is constantly at war with her feeling of familial obligations. How Mary struggles with this dueling feelings and the decisions she makes -- sometimes good, sometimes bad -- is what makes this novel worth reading.

All in all, I'd say "The Other Boleyn Girl" is a rich and rewarding read.

I don't know why this book had such bad reviews. From the first page of this book to the very last this book kept me interested, awake, and well-immersed in the Tudor courts. I may only be in middle schoolbut I have read many adult books, mostly historical fiction, and this is one of the best I have ever read. Sure, this may be historically inaccurate at some parts (like the age difference in this book goes Anne is the oldest, then their brother, then Mary when in real life it went Mary, Anne, and their brother) but it is still a good read, a very interesting read, and a very needed record of the forgotten Boleyn girl who bore Henry two children and was his first mistress who established the Boleyns at court. Anne is shown in the light she should be told in this book: power hungry, beautiful, a devoted girl to her closest of friends, and simply someone who wanted to make it in the world but went too high and was brought down. Mary will be sympathized in the book and may seem a little whiny at times but you will be scared, happy, upset, and carefree along with her through all the chapters. I recommend this book to all people from 9th Grade+ because of the adult references and I am sure you will enjoy it no matter how inaccurate it may be and how girly it can be. Can't wait to read Phillipa Gregory's next novel, historical hopefully!

Even at nearly 700 pages, this book is a fast , wonderfully written read that kept me hooked from page one--I stayed up late and read it in two nights!

As the book opens in 1521, Mary Boleyn is thirteen, and at the execution of her 'uncle', the Duke of Buckinghamshire. Until the very last moment, Mary is certain that King Henry VIII will grant clemency. Even when she sees the Duke beheaded, she believes the king didn't mean it. When she voices her opinion to her mother, her mother says, "Then you're a fool, and a fool to remark on it." The scene beautifully sets up the rest of the book--Mary Boleyn soon becomes a pawn in her family's never-ending drive for prestige and power, and she realizes her place in the court, the risk to life given one wrong move, and eventually, her own inner strength.

Although everyone knows how the tale ends--with Mary's sister Anne becoming the Queen, and then losing her head--you won't be able to put this book down. The behind-the-scenes look at court life, and the family-encouraged rivalry between Anne and Mary, told from Mary's fresh perspective, is an eye-opener.

I highly recommend this book--for fans of the Tudor era, it's a must-read piece of historical fiction.

If you like to read thrilling and exciting story about family relations, here's book for you! a sort of ruth rendell-like tale about monsters and victims. characters are not very deep, but it's easyread entertainment allright.

This book starts off as a sweet little relationship read, of an adopted woman, Ruth trying to get accepted into her in-laws' family. Unfortunately the mother-in-law has such lofty standards that no-one, besides herself is really good enough for her son and the daughter-in-law has no hopes of attaining them.

The baby comes along, and Ruth is just in the way then; as her mother-in-law literally casts her aside leaving Ruth to feel inadequate as an inexperienced mother, rather than being encouraged.

RUTH FIGHTS BACK! Totally dependant, financially and mentally, Ruth sees that there's only one way to claim her space in the family and sets out to grasp it! The conclusion is brilliant, and leaves you mulling over the story line, long after you've finished reading it!

I have read most of Philippa's books this is my absolute favourite!I don't interpret Ruth's change of character, at the end of the book, as giving in to the sterotypical 50's housewife routine;quite the contrary, I think this is Ruth reclaiming her power - and some!!...Yes this was a dramatic change of character for Ruth, initially career orientated but it was Ruth's overwhelming and protective maternal feelings for baby Thomas which were the catalyst of her transformation and led to the horrific demise of Elizabeth. Mother-in-laws' watch out!!!

I bought this book in a jumble sale and didn't expect it to be so entertaining and surprisingly refreshing! The female characters of the book are so different yet similar in many ways. They were all striving towards freedom of self expression and in the end they find it by completely different means. The addition of the male characters to the story line brought a nice but secondary spice to the book. This book just comes to confirm my belief that the truth is out there, sometimes we are just blinded by love, work or society norms and values that we can't just see it..some of us are lucky enough to realise it sooner than later.Thanks Philippa for the witty humour!

This is quite a funny book of love in the P.C. world of the 90's. I did not believe in the main character actions, first of all how 'helpless' she was, then, without giving the story away, how she decided to change her life in so many ways, all of a sudden. But it was fun, entertaining and the story moved quickly.

In my mind, I always associate Philippa Gregory with her fascinating, yet often dark, historical novels. Yet this book (her second set in the modern day) does not disappoint. It is very witty, and has the sort of characters that fans of Gregory have come to expect from her...

I gave this book four stars mostly because Gregory's language is so wonderful. I would have given it five stars, but I just could not find anything to like about Beatrice Lacey. I suppose going into why I didn't like her would require major spoilers, so readers beware.

Beatrice is often compared with Scarlett O'Hara--well, I tell you, Scarlett was a far better person. She did not sleep with her brother (all right, she didn't have one,but I doubt she would have, regardless); she did not kill her own mother; she did not try to drive her husband to alcoholism; she did not deny her child milk when there was no other to be had. All she did was steal a coulpe beaus from her sisters--phew! That's nothing, compare to the way Beatrice behaves throughout the book, justifying her absolutely immoral and injurious (and often criminal) behavior by a whiny "But I want my land!" To be honest, the fact that she could not inherit Wideacre just does not seem like such a hardship--she was not fighting for her survival; merely for her possession. Throughout the book, I just felt like slapping her around and telling her to please deal! There was nothing about her that was likable, warm, kind--there is a word to describe her precisely, but I doubt that Amazon will publish my review if I use it. :) Whoever said that she was a strong and interesting character--no, she was one-sided, evil, predictable, and, by the end of the book, about as exciting as an evil stepmother(it was like, uuuuuf, what else is she going to do?).

That said, it was an entertaining book--there were other characters there except Beatrice, much better written. And they WERE remarkably similar to characters in GWTW--particularly Celia, who was Melanie Wilkes' twin sister. John was a bit like Rhett, and Harry, Beatrice's brother, was not a little like Ashley.

So would I recommend it? Yes, for the language, but I, for one, was sick of Beatrice Lacey by the end of the book.

I just have to say first that this book is always put into the romance section in book stores - and I feel that is very wrong. This novel is erotic - but it is by no means a romance. Anyone looking for a happy book with a tidy conclusion had better look elsewhere! This novel tells the story of Beatrice Lacey, a young lady of the 18th century who realizes at a young age that the only things she wants out of life are "land and loving." Yet as she is a girl, Beatrice is destined to be denied owning the land she loves - the Wideacre estate of the title. Beatrice's struggle to possess Wideacre - which often leads her into dark and evil things - is the main subject of this book. Yet it also packs a few feminist punches, gives the reader grand descriptions of life in England during the 18th century, and introduces one of the most appealing heroes in all historical fiction. Those who read the book without falling in love with Ralph have problems! The two next books in the series are a delight as well! Read it now!

Philippa Gregory takes the concept of the antiheroine and runs with it. The main character, Beatrice Lacey, is one of the most wicked, psychopathic, fascinating characters I've had the chance to "meet" - and her story is set in a very interesting milleu - 18th century English gentry. One of those novels when you alternatively find yourself sympathizing with the main character and then reminding yourself that she is really horrible and that you should despise her.

The other players aren't cardboard either - watch, in particular, the evolution of Celia, who could easily have been written as a simpering nobody. ......