Well, 3 days ago, I returned both Philippa Gregory books, The Constant Princess and The Virgin's Lover. I didn't like TCP and I after attempting to take in 150 pages of TVL, there was something still to be desired. Neither of these books had the flare of The Other Boleyn Girl, with all the intricate weaving of plot that, as a reader, made me continue reading. With TVL, I expected something to happen, something sinister, but there was no mystery, no complexity, nothing...even after getting through a quarter of the novel.
My litmus test for books is now whether I can manage to read 40 pages in a day. I've found that if I can't do that, I must not be interested in the book and should just stop reading it, because it's more a chore to read than pleasure.
So, back to the library I went and I came out with not one, not two, but 5 books. My closest library is under construction and so until now, I hadn't discovered their huge biography section. This section is a wealth of knowledge and once I saw books on Marilyn Monroe, Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII, and Queen Elizabeth I, I just had to have them all! My college professors always knew so much thanks to these kinds of books, ones that paint an interesting portrait of a life long ago.
Currently, I am reading a fabulous book: The Last Days of King Henry VIII: Conspiracy, Treason and Heresy at the Court of the Dying Tyrant. I'm absolutely amazed at everything that went on during his reign. With all the prim and proper churchie-ness that went on, it must have been earthshattering to see a king have six wives, behead/burn hundreds of thousands of people, reform the church by breaking away from the Pope, tax the people to fund what I'd consider "pissing contests" with France and Scotland, all the while Henry VIII is grotesquely fat and morbidly ill.
Reading about Henry VIII reminds me so much of George W. Bush. His cabinet was like Henry VIII's Privy Council. Get in with them to be rewarded with contracts, land, money, etc. Ridiculous pissing contest wars certainly ring a bell - hello Iraq. Okay, we don't behead anyone or burn anyone at the stake anymore. Now we have fancy places like Gitmo and fun little things called rendition. We may have elected our modern day "Privy Council" representatives, but it's still the same old bullshit after 500 years!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
The Other Boleyn Girl - The Movie!
So, I finished The Other Boleyn Girl about 2 weeks ago. I loved it! I'm absolutely fascinated by Henry VIII, not to mention the cunning and manipulative nature of Anne Boleyn. The book embellishes on the actual events, but the truth is that somehow, Anne Boleyn convinced Henry VIII to divorce his legally bound wife and queen by basically denouncing the Pope and Catholic Church! It's sort of like Monica Lewinsky going up to Bill Clinton (while he was in office) and saying, "Hey, divorce Hillary and make me your new First Lady!"
Tonight, I watched The Other Boleyn Girl...the movie, with Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman. The costumes were beautiful. I would have loved to live during that time period - the headdresses, the long sweeping dresses...it's right up my alley. But the plot was nowhere near the complexity of the book. I think movie producers shouldn't bother making a movie if it doesn't accurately capture the plot of the book. The movie made Mary Boleyn's marriage to William Stafford a footnote, even though their relationship takes up a good 200 pages of the novel. They skipped the birth of Mary's first child, Catherine, and went straight to her second child, aptly named Henry. They didn't broaden the depth of Anne's character by showing how she manipulated Henry VIII to send Queen Katherine of Aragon out of the castles nor shown that she might have had a hand in killing high-ranking members of the court and church to get herself the title of Queen. And when she was Queen, they didn't show what a bitch she was to those around her, specifically Mary. The characters were undeveloped, the plot wanting, and the pieces they added that never happened seemed out of step and half-assed.
I took out two more of Philippa Gregory's novels - The Constant Princess and The Virgin Queen. I put down TCP because after 75 pages, I just couldn't get into it. The book didn't have the energy and fluidity that The Other Boleyn Girl possessed. However, The Virgin Queen is pretty good. I'm not sure where I stand on it yet. I'm still trying to figure out some of the lineage of the time. There's too many Mary's and Wikipedia is ZERO HELP in figuring out who's who. I know Henry VII had a daughter named Mary....then Henry VIII had Bloody Mary...then there's Mary Queen of Scots, daughter of Mary of Guise and James V of Scotland....it's so crazy. But the book references Princess Mary and I have no idea which Mary it's referring to. They really need to come up with more original names!
On a tangent, I'm really proud of myself this year. I've read a considerable amount of books compared to last year. In 2008, I have read the following -
1. The Contender by Robert Lipsyte.
2. Teenagers Preparing For the Real World
3. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
4. Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
5. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Wow...I need to read more!
Tonight, I watched The Other Boleyn Girl...the movie, with Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman. The costumes were beautiful. I would have loved to live during that time period - the headdresses, the long sweeping dresses...it's right up my alley. But the plot was nowhere near the complexity of the book. I think movie producers shouldn't bother making a movie if it doesn't accurately capture the plot of the book. The movie made Mary Boleyn's marriage to William Stafford a footnote, even though their relationship takes up a good 200 pages of the novel. They skipped the birth of Mary's first child, Catherine, and went straight to her second child, aptly named Henry. They didn't broaden the depth of Anne's character by showing how she manipulated Henry VIII to send Queen Katherine of Aragon out of the castles nor shown that she might have had a hand in killing high-ranking members of the court and church to get herself the title of Queen. And when she was Queen, they didn't show what a bitch she was to those around her, specifically Mary. The characters were undeveloped, the plot wanting, and the pieces they added that never happened seemed out of step and half-assed.
I took out two more of Philippa Gregory's novels - The Constant Princess and The Virgin Queen. I put down TCP because after 75 pages, I just couldn't get into it. The book didn't have the energy and fluidity that The Other Boleyn Girl possessed. However, The Virgin Queen is pretty good. I'm not sure where I stand on it yet. I'm still trying to figure out some of the lineage of the time. There's too many Mary's and Wikipedia is ZERO HELP in figuring out who's who. I know Henry VII had a daughter named Mary....then Henry VIII had Bloody Mary...then there's Mary Queen of Scots, daughter of Mary of Guise and James V of Scotland....it's so crazy. But the book references Princess Mary and I have no idea which Mary it's referring to. They really need to come up with more original names!
On a tangent, I'm really proud of myself this year. I've read a considerable amount of books compared to last year. In 2008, I have read the following -
1. The Contender by Robert Lipsyte.
2. Teenagers Preparing For the Real World
3. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
4. Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
5. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Wow...I need to read more!
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