Harper’s book provides a fictional tale of the life of Mary Boleyn, sister to the more famous Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII. The book starts off with Mary as a little eight year old girl about to be sent off to Europe and then traces her life throughout her time at the French Court, as Henry VIII’s mistress, her marriage to William Carey and then her love affair with William Stafford. The novel ends shortly after Anne and George Boleyn’s executions and provides an insight into Mary’s thoughts of these tragic days. Despite being beautifully written, with lavish detail and settings, if the reader is looking for an accurate representation of Mary Boleyn’s life then they will not find it within this book. Although Harper has made many references to various aspects of Mary’s life these are unfortunately not accurate. On the opening page of her book set on July 16th 1512, Harper paints Mary Boleyn as a beautiful little eight year old girl, her brother George a nine year old boy and Anne Boleyn her baby sister at only five years of age. Historical resources tell us that this aging of the Boleyn siblings is in fact not true. Most historians believe that Mary Boleyn was the older sister, born in approximately 1500, her sister Anne came in 1501 and their brother several years later. In reality at the opening of the book Mary would have been about twelve years of age and not the mere eight years she was written as. Four years may be quite a difference in age but with research indicating the age of the Boleyn siblings it is curious as to why Harper changed their ages and order of birth. Within the first chapter Harper also has Mary Boleyn being sent off to the court of Margarite of Austria to further her education. Once again historical records tell us that it was actually Anne and not Mary that went to the Austrian court. Harper does not go into detail of this time and it is a wonder why she would change which Boleyn daughter went to Austria when it is not referred to further in the book. Another interesting point within Harper’s book is that she writes that Mary Boleyn met William Stafford (her future second husband) in 1518 and that he was a man who served her father. Historically the real Mary Boleyn did not meet Stafford until several years later. It can be understood why Harper would make this change as Stafford appears on and off throughout fictional Mary’s life, sometimes taunting her, sometimes teasing her but always offering her advice and loving her from a far. It seems that Harper made this change so that a love affair could be built up between Mary and Stafford to show that they have been in love for many years and that despite all that was happening Stafford loved Mary deeply and would wait for her. In reality there is no mention in records of Stafford serving Mary’s father Thomas Boleyn. He was a gentleman usher to King Henry VIII so it may have been when Mary returned to Court in 1520 that she met Stafford, or sometime after that. However by setting her meeting with Stafford during her time at the French Court Harper is able to provide the reader with a true love affair between Mary Boleyn and William Stafford that spanned over two decades. During Mary Boleyn’s time in France Harper created an interesting scene of a child madly in love with the French King, in all his majesty and glory. Yet when reality came and Mary was used for nothing more than her beautiful body, passed around from Francois to his friends as the King so wished. Mary was nothing but a pawn, used and passed on, not desired for her mind or her intelligence or her personality but for the pleasures her body provided. Harper shows how Mary’s world was shattered and yet in her position as a simple maid to the Queen she was helpless and there was nothing she could do to save herself. She could not say no to a King, nor could she defy her father who approved of his daughter being used like this. She had to grin and bear the whispers behind her back from the courtiers who bed her and the other ladies in waiting that she mingled with daily. The emotions that Harper portrayed are captivating and she beautifully encompasses the horrid and repressing situation that Mary found herself in. After her time at the French Court Mary Boleyn returned to England and was married to courtier William Carey, a gentleman of the privy chamber and relative of King Henry VIII. Harper states that the wedding was on August 18th 1520 at Great Saint Helen’s, Bishopsgate however historical records of the time state that the wedding was on February 4th 1520 in the Chapel Royal at Greenwich. It is small details such as this that are surprising as there is simply no need to change the date by six months as an accurate wedding date would still suit the story perfectly well. Harper also writes an intricate relationship between William Stafford and Mary’s first husband William Carey. The two are apparently close friends who have known each other for some time and as Mary and Stafford’s relationship develops there is some unspoken rivalry between the two men over Mary’s affections. This is an interesting plot device to create some drama and tension throughout the story however there are no records to state that William Stafford and William Carey ever knew each other let alone were close friends. During her time at the English Court Mary Boleyn become the mistress to the flamboyant King Henry VIII. The scenes between Henry and Mary are written with striking detail and provide the reader with an insight as to what the relationship between the two may have been like. Unfortunately Henry VIII was very discrete with his mistresses and there are no documents or tales of what his relationship with Mary Boleyn was truly like. Harper imagines this relationship and provides emotion and gives it life, allowing the reader to experience various events that may have happened behind closed doors. In April 1522 Harper has Mary Boleyn giving birth to a son named Henry and since the child was born during Mary’s time as mistress to Henry VIII it is hinted that perhaps the child may in fact be the King’s. During this time Mary was also married to her husband and sleeping with him and Harper is able to create a wonderful mix of confusion and interest as to who the real father may be. Unfortunately it is not known who the father of Mary Boleyn’s children was and that is one mystery that still has people talking today. There is one small issue with this however as Mary Boleyn’s first child was not a boy but in fact a daughter named Catherine. She was not born in 1522 but in 1524, however the timing of this birth would not suit the timeline of the story, nor would having a daughter born since it was so important that Mary give her husband (or the King) a son. Tragically William Carey died on June 22nd 1528, however Harper once more changes this date to have his death on the 26th/27th. Again there is simply no need to change this date nor does a change of date serve any purpose or alter the story line. At the end of the book Mary finds her happy ending with the love of her life William Stafford who has weathered many storms to be with the woman of his dreams. The happy couple give birth to a son named Andrew. Historically it is known that Mary was pregnant in 1534 when she was banished from court by her sister for marrying below her station in life and not seeking her sister, Queen Anne Boleyn’s, permission to marry. However there are no records of a child being born or living to adulthood and thus it is assumed that the pregnancy either ended in miscarriage or stillbirth or that the child died young. In the author’s notes Karen Harper states that “Several minor characters in this novel such as servants are necessarily fictional; however, the major characters and places are as authentically drawn as on-site visits, history, maps and records will allow” (p. 576). Yet despite these supposedly authentic records there are multiple mistakes regarding Mary Boleyn, of which there is recorded evidence of the actual facts. It is understandable in a fictional novel that some dates, places and events may be changed to suit the book, especially in Mary Boleyn’s life as there are large portions of time in Mary’s life that we simply do not know what happened. However, those events that have been recorded, such as her marriage to William Carey in February 1520, William Carey’s death, the birth of her children or the information surrounding her own birth, need not be changed in order to suit the novel. At the end of the book Harper provides the reader with a ‘Reading Group Guide’. This guide is a series of questions which allows the reader to ponder the events that happened to Mary throughout her life and take time to reflect and think further on their meaning and importance. This is an interesting little addition to the book and one which encourages the reader to think further, not only into Mary Boleyn’s life but also into the world of the Tudors. Overall Karen Harper’s book on Mary Boleyn is beautifully written. Her style of writing is extremely descriptive and she manages to capture the stunning scenes and locations in which Mary finds herself. She also describes in detail the clothing that the characters wear which adds an extra element of detail to the story and allows the reader to gain an understanding of what clothing of the early Tudor period was like. However it is a shame that Harper provides the reader with many inaccuracies of Mary Boleyn’s life and leaves the reader with details about Mary that are simply not accurate. There are records which detail and document events in Mary’s life and it is surprising as to why Harper did not use these as reference when writing her book. After reading many other reviews of Harper’s book it was disappointing to learn that many people actually believed much of what they read about Mary’s life. It is my aim to bring the real Mary Boleyn to life and I feel as though this book does not give the reader a true representation of Mary.However at the end of the day it must be remembered that this is a fictional novel. Dates, times, events and even recorded events can be changed to suit the ebb and flow of the book. And while it is fictional the book is beautifully written and it is still wonderful to see that one has been written about Mary Boleyn, giving a voice and life to the often overlooked Boleyn Sibling.
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 Girl professes to. However, this book actually sticks to Mary's story. Historically there is some debate about when Mary and Anne were born and who was the elder daughter. In Harpers book Mary is the oldest and was born in 1504. The book follows her life from 1512, when she is 8, home at Hever, until the deaths of Anne and George in 1536 - ending at Hever, also. The author draws a comparisson between court life and the game of chess early in the book, and returns to it often. Women in general, and Mary in particular, are used as pawns in this game - devices and distractions for gaining favor, power and posessions. Throughout Mary's life she is used by her family and her country, placed strategically to be used as mistress by Kings in order to secure position. As she matures, she begins to rebel against this. Eventually, she follows her heart to marry the man that she loves.I think Mary's story is very intriguing, because it's such a mystery! Every high school student learns of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, but no mention is made of Mary. Yet logically, she must have been a very politically important member of the family - especially since she was the only Boleyn heir not to be convicted of treason and killed. The fact that King Henry continued to favor her (discretly) with the education of her children and also the monies from the same of her childhood home also support her being an important part of history. Then, of course, there is the question of whether her 2 children (Henry and Catherine Carey) were fathered by him. Harper leaves the paternity of Henry open to interpretation, but clearly believes that Catherine was not his daughter. Philippa Gregory believes that both children WERE Tudors. Fascinating story, no matter what.Well told by Harper - Historically pretty accurate, and also fun to read.As other reviewers have said, it's a great companion book to The Other Boleyn Girl - it provides a bit more history and another viewpoint of the Boleyns. I enjoyed it.
What do You think about The Last Boleyn (2006)?
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, but if you merely want an interesting, fictional account of Mary Boleyn in particular, and the Boleyn family in general, then this is the book to read.Harper's novel spans 2 decades, and covers Mary Boleyn's life from a young girl living at Hever Castle, to the day that her sister, Anne, is executed by Henry VIII. Mary, as history tells us, was the Boleyn that shared the bed of 2 powerful kings and paved the way for the power-mad Boleyn family's rise to fame and fortune. Little is known of Mary, apart from the fact that she didn't seem to be as ambitious or savvy in court ways as her sister. However, in the end, she excelled in the one way her sister did not: Mary gave birth to 4 children, 2 of them sons.
—Hannah
One of the better renditions of the reign of Henry VIII, told by perhaps one of the most sympathetic individuals in the entire situation. Mary Boleyn's voice in this book was absolutely fascinating. Here's a woman who was the older sister of one of the most complex and remarkable women of the sixteenth century, and yet was, in so many ways, by far the wiser of the two.I absolutely loved the story. My only quibble: yet again, there are more mentions of Anne supposedly bearing marks of the Devil (
—Kim
This book was a very good read. It is a long book though, and some of the pages in the middle are hard to get through. I have read books that I simply could not put down before reaching the end, but this one, I definitely took my time with. After returning each time to the book to continue reading on.... it was like a fresh start. I was very happy to beable to piece together some of the little known facts about one of my favorite women in history. I was quite happy, and when the book did finally reach the end, I wanted more :) I think Mary was an extremely smart woman, although others would like to say different. But look at the facts, she did indeed survive Henry Viii when others did not.
—Bridgett
