23rd out of 350 books
—
904 voters
The Last Boleyn
by
Karen Harper (Goodreads Author)
She Survived Her Own Innocence, and the Treachery of Europe’s Royal Courts
Greed, lust for power, sex, lies, secret marriages, religious posturing, adultery, beheadings, international intrigue, jealousy, treachery, love, loyalty, and betrayal. The Last Boleyn tells the story of the rise and fall of the Boleyns, one of England’s most powerful families, through the eyes of th...more
Greed, lust for power, sex, lies, secret marriages, religious posturing, adultery, beheadings, international intrigue, jealousy, treachery, love, loyalty, and betrayal. The Last Boleyn tells the story of the rise and fall of the Boleyns, one of England’s most powerful families, through the eyes of th...more
Paperback, 592 pages
Published
February 28th 2006
by Broadway
(first published 1983)
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The Last Boleyn was first published 18 years before The Other Boleyn Girl. Both books are about Mary Boleyn, sister of Anne, but whereas TOBG is exciting and dramatic and veers somewhat away from the truth, The Last Boleyn is softer and subtler and seems to be a truer story.
Mary was effectively pimped out to the French and English kings by her ruthlessly ambitious father, until her uses ran out and her sister took over. The only good and constant thing in her life was William Stafford. Ahhh Staf...more
Mary was effectively pimped out to the French and English kings by her ruthlessly ambitious father, until her uses ran out and her sister took over. The only good and constant thing in her life was William Stafford. Ahhh Staf...more
Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The comparisions of it to Phillipa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl made me leary, as TOBG was frankly boring and lacking in historic context, IMO. This book was much better in terms of writing and in storyline, although both novels suffer from an excess of purple prose and "bodice-ripper-itis". A serious student of Tudor-era history might take exception to the historical inaccuracies,...more
I would have preferred to give this book 3.5 stars, but since 1/2 stars aren't allowed, I'll round up :)
The Last Boleyn was originally published in 1983 (as Passions Reign) but, as a lot of historical fiction has been lately, it was recently re-released under a new title. I have to credit the success of Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl with prompting many of those re-releases, especially this novel.
The Last Boleyn tells the story of Mary Boleyn, Anne's sister - just as The Other Boleyn G...more
The Last Boleyn was originally published in 1983 (as Passions Reign) but, as a lot of historical fiction has been lately, it was recently re-released under a new title. I have to credit the success of Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl with prompting many of those re-releases, especially this novel.
The Last Boleyn tells the story of Mary Boleyn, Anne's sister - just as The Other Boleyn G...more
Jun 11, 2007
Jennie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Historical fiction nuts
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
favorites
The Last Boleyn: A Novel, by Karen Harper, is the story of Mary Boleyn (Bullen), Anne Boleyn's older sister. Much like The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory, this story describes Mary's life as a pawn in elaborate French and English court intrigue. Mary, through her father's political ambitions, is placed in a position where she is pressured to be the mistress of both Francis I and Henry VIII at different times in her life. She is married to William Carey, who is also thoroughly embroiled i...more
Passion's Reign is the original title of Karen Harper's 2006 book The Last Boleyn. Published in 1983 and marketed as a romance novel, Passion's Reign tells the story of Mary Boleyn. Unlike the more famous The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, Harper does not allow Anne to take over the story and remains focused on Mary (of course Anne is in the book though). For the most part, it seems to stick fairly close to historical facts with the major exception of the romantic plotline which has Mary...more
I really loved this book. I have been interested in the Boleyn's story for a few years and although there are many book on Anne, there are very few on her sister, Mary, of course, because she was not as important. This book changes that. It shows how truely important Mary was in the fate of her family. Like the Other Boleyn Girl this book is about Mary, told from her point of view, but The Last Boleyn is so much more historically accurate and, I have to say, I enjoyed it much more. Any lover of...more
Nearly everyone remembers the story of Anne Boleyn and her fall from power in the court of Henry VIII. But not many know of her older sister, Mary. In the courts of 16th century rulers intrigue, plots, greed, lust and all types of machinations existed in abundance. The story compares it to a chess game with all the important (and some non-important) people conniving to be near the power-base surrounding the King.
Who you knew and who owed you favors helped noble families to rise in wealth and im...more
Who you knew and who owed you favors helped noble families to rise in wealth and im...more
I learned from this book that a woman can become a mistress of two kings, wife to two men, and still not realize that she is no innocent.
I approached this book as if the characters were merely familiar, not actual true beings. As such, it was enjoyable for awhile, then there were parts that made the reading bearable, but by the end I was ready for the whole thing to be done.
The chapters start with a date, and thank god for that, as I had a hard time keeping up with when the book was set. I als...more
I approached this book as if the characters were merely familiar, not actual true beings. As such, it was enjoyable for awhile, then there were parts that made the reading bearable, but by the end I was ready for the whole thing to be done.
The chapters start with a date, and thank god for that, as I had a hard time keeping up with when the book was set. I als...more
I have been reading a lot of books by Karen Harper recently and I have to admit to thoroughly enjoying each and every one. What a gifted author she is! "The Last Boleyn" was originally titled "Passion's Reign" and I am not at all sure that I would have chosen to read it with that title. I have that ingrained aversion to lusty title's that shelving Harlequin novels in a book store left me with !
"The Last Boleyn" is the tale of Mary Tudor - five years a mistress to Henry VIII before Anne; faithful...more
"The Last Boleyn" is the tale of Mary Tudor - five years a mistress to Henry VIII before Anne; faithful...more
I LOVED this book. This is what The Other Boleyn Girl (called TOBG for the rest of this post) should have been - if it had been written with any semblance of historical reality.
It's no secret that I am fascinated by Anne Boleyn, and can't read enough about her. But until now, Mary Boleyn has always bored me to tears. The English Mare who seems brainless and naive, I could have cared less about her story. And when I read TOBG, I ended up hating her even more just because Philippa Gregory painted...more
It's no secret that I am fascinated by Anne Boleyn, and can't read enough about her. But until now, Mary Boleyn has always bored me to tears. The English Mare who seems brainless and naive, I could have cared less about her story. And when I read TOBG, I ended up hating her even more just because Philippa Gregory painted...more
I started out really liking this book, it seemed more historically accurate than The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory in that The Last Boleyn has Mary as the older sister. I also liked that this book focused more on the love story of Mary and William Stafford.
What I didn't like is that Karen Harper had Mary give birth to Henry first, then Catherine, which is not the correct order. About half-way through the book I got bored too. I was sick of reading about Mary's "azure eyes" and her big bo...more
What I didn't like is that Karen Harper had Mary give birth to Henry first, then Catherine, which is not the correct order. About half-way through the book I got bored too. I was sick of reading about Mary's "azure eyes" and her big bo...more
Shockingly, I read Harper's "The Last Boleyn" before I read the famous "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory now even more famous due to the acting of Natalie Portman. What does all this mean? That is was my first insight into the world of the Boleyns and a nice side-step into the thoughts and feelings of Mary versus the over-abundance of Anne text available.
Most people tend to forget that Mary (the older sister) had a rendevous with Henry VIII before Anne was pushed by her father and unc...more
Most people tend to forget that Mary (the older sister) had a rendevous with Henry VIII before Anne was pushed by her father and unc...more
This is the second Tudor book I've read, told from the point of veiw of Mary Boleyn. The other being 'The Other Boleyn Girl'. The story differs slightly between the two making me think it's about time I actually read a factual book about her. Both times I've read as Mary, I've not liked Anne so much. This book told more about her time in france and being the French Kings mistress which was interesting. Thomas Boleyn is always made out as a nasty man in these books who does care about his kids un...more
3.5 stars. Overall, I liked it very much, although there were a few things that annoyed me. I loved how Harper wrote about Mary's character. I could connect easily to her and I was quickly drawn into the story. It was pretty historically accurate and it really told Mary's side of the story (more than "The Other Boleyn Girl").
The parts that annoyed me were small, but noticeable. I didn't like Harper's version of William Stafford much. He got better as time went on, but he seemed too much like a...more
The parts that annoyed me were small, but noticeable. I didn't like Harper's version of William Stafford much. He got better as time went on, but he seemed too much like a...more
It took awhile to get into it, but once I did I loved it and couldn't put it down. This book was a bit more believable than The Other Boleyn Girl. The character's voices and actions seemed a little more true to the era. For instance, the portrayal of Elizabeth Boleyn, their mother, was far more human and real than TOBG's Elizabeth Boleyn. Also the relationship between siblings was way more realistic. But because of those reasons, The Last Boleyn wasn't as compelling as TOBG. I truly LOVED Willia...more
She Survived Her Own Innocence, and the Treachery of Europe’s Royal Courts
Greed, lust for power, sex, lies, secret marriages, religious posturing, adultery, beheadings, international intrigue, jealousy, treachery, love, loyalty, and betrayal. The Last Boleyn tells the story of the rise and fall of the Boleyns, one of England’s most powerful families, through the eyes of the eldest daughter, Mary.
Although her sister, Anne, the queen; her brother, George, executed alongside Anne; and her father, T...more
Greed, lust for power, sex, lies, secret marriages, religious posturing, adultery, beheadings, international intrigue, jealousy, treachery, love, loyalty, and betrayal. The Last Boleyn tells the story of the rise and fall of the Boleyns, one of England’s most powerful families, through the eyes of the eldest daughter, Mary.
Although her sister, Anne, the queen; her brother, George, executed alongside Anne; and her father, T...more
Ok I loved, loved, loved this book. It's about Mary Boelyn and all she went through from the age of eight leading up to Anne's execution. Unlike the other boelyn girl this book is more historical correct and the bedroom parts really are PG. I didn't want to put this book down. I really liked it. She was an amazingly strong women and endured alot in her life. I felt such compassion for her and admired her strength. She is fastly becomming one of my favorite characters in history and I cannot lear...more
This book really enlightened my perspective on history. It has some thematic material in it because the woman it's written about is one of the king's mistresses, but it isn't written in a way that made me uncomfortable at all. I found after some research, this book as a historical fiction novel, follows the facts about this royal family and the dates and stuff a lot better than the other book "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Gregory that was made into a movie recently. I thought that is sad because th...more
WOW! I thought I liked The Other Boleyn, but compared to this, no contest. This book had so much more about Mary. I really enjoyed the author's writing style too. After about page 80 or so I was hooked, even though I knew the basic story line. She shows the developing relationship between Mary and William Stafford so much more. All I can say is Goodbye Edward Cullen and HELLO Mr. Stafford! ;)
There was a lot less of the sexual situations too, so if that is what kept you from The Other Boleyn the...more
There was a lot less of the sexual situations too, so if that is what kept you from The Other Boleyn the...more
This was thet second novel I've read that looks at the story from Mary's perspective (Anne Boleyn's sister) although this one predates The Other Boleyn Girl by quite a bit. They're not the same however. This book more closely follows Mary's life and Anne is truely on the perifery here which is probably why this story wasn't fantastic. The first half of the book is quite interesting but once Mary is no longer the King's mistress (which was at the halfway point) it really wasn't that engaging. I'v...more
How can I not like this book, it is about my Great, Great......grandmother. However, it is a fiction book mixed with nonfiction. So, do not think that everything in the book is factual. Same goes with the "The other Boelyn Girl" and the show "Tudors." I really find that the overall premise of the book and history show just how crazy things become when there is people who search for power. I feel for Mary and all woman during this time period. Not just due to men having all the power, but I would...more
Okay, so I read The Other Boleyn Girl like everyone else a few years ago, and I read all of the other books in the "series" about Henry VIII's wives. This book seemed like a retread of those books and the TV series The Tudors, although if I read the introduction right, this book was written in the early eighties. It just came into my life at a been there- read that time. It was interesting, as it portrays the Mary Boleyn story, but let's be honest: the Other Boleyn book was way trashier, and thu...more
Apr 23, 2011
Kim
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Tudor fiction enthusiasts
Shelves:
tudor-fiction
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I really liked "The Last Boleyn" --- the book tells the story of Mary Boleyn, mistress to two kings and sister of Anne Boleyn. Both writing and characterization were really good. Mary was well-drawn and likable ... some historians like to paint her as "just a dumb blonde", but I like to think that she was smarter than that. After all, she was the only one of the immediate Boleyn family to come through the fall of her sister Anne unscathed --- and not just through a stroke of luck. I also liked S...more
I have not had much good experience with historical fiction lately, so I was not very excited about this book given my interest in the Tudors and Boleyns in particular. However, I liked this book more than I expected, though it was still quite flawed. Harper makes some strange changes to the facts that I struggle to understand, since they did not add to the story. She also had many problems with the timeline of the story, both real and imagined, including a pregnancy that lasted 12 months! My bi...more
This is an interesting switch. A novel through the eyes of Mary Boleyn, sister to the better-known Anne Boleyn.
The Last Boleyn is historical fiction and a light, easy read. There are some inconsistencies as far as facts go; dates that don't make sense, etc. but if you aren't one to notice those details or to care if you do, then you should be okay with this one. It isn't one of my favorite Tudor books ever but I liked that Anne took a backseat in this novel and it truly focused on Mary's life....more
The Last Boleyn is historical fiction and a light, easy read. There are some inconsistencies as far as facts go; dates that don't make sense, etc. but if you aren't one to notice those details or to care if you do, then you should be okay with this one. It isn't one of my favorite Tudor books ever but I liked that Anne took a backseat in this novel and it truly focused on Mary's life....more
Jan 20, 2012
Jodi
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone
Shelves:
books-about-england,
historical-fiction
Another book about Tudor England and the court of King Henry VIII - this time from Mary Boleyn's point of view. It is so scary to think how easily people became pawns in the king's "game." So sad how Lord Boleyn used Mary to better his family's position by having her become the king's misteress. Then when her younger sister caught the king's eye a few years later, she was all but forgotten by her family because she was no longer useful. Of course, we all know how things turned out for the Boleyn...more
May 28, 2008
Adriana
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Tudor Buffs
Recommended to Adriana by:
Barnes
Shelves:
love-it
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I'll start by noting that, at the end of the book, Mary was not, in fact, the last Boleyn. Her parents were still alive. It would have been nice if there had been an epilogue or two, explaining the causes of their deaths, and a bit about Mary's reaction. I enjoyed this book, but there were facts that did not line up with previous books that I've read. One would think that basic facts would be easy enough to verify, even though the events were a long time ago.
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A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Karen Harper is a former college English instructor (The Ohio State University) and high school literature and writing teacher. A lifelong Ohioan, Karen and her husband Don divide their time between the midwest and the southeast, both locations she has used in her books. Besides her American settings, Karen loves the British Isles, where her Scott...more
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