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The Boleyn Inheritance (Abridged) Audiobook
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Publisher Description
From “the queen of royal fiction” (USA TODAY) comes this New York Times bestseller featuring three very different women whose fates are each bound by a bloody curse: the legacy of the Boleyn family.
After the death of his third wife, Jane Seymour, King Henry VIII of England decides to take a new wife, but this time, not for love. The Boleyn Inheritance follows three women whose lives are forever changed because of the king’s decision, as they must balance precariously in an already shaky Tudor Court.
Anne of Cleves is to be married to Henry to form a political alliance, though the rocky relationship she has to the king does not bode well for her or for England.
Katherine Howard is the young, beautiful woman who captures Henry’s eye, even though he is set to marry Anne. Her spirit runs free and her passions run hot—though her affections may not be returned upon the King.
Jane Rochford was married to George Boleyn, and it was her testimony that sent her husband and infamous sister-in-law Anne to their deaths. Throughout the country, her name is known for malice, jealousy, and twisted lust.
The Boleyn Inheritance is a novel drawn tight as a lute string about three women whose positions brought them wealth, admirations, and power, as well as deceit, betrayal, and terror.
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"For historical fiction fanatics, this is a great novel to read. Ms. Gregory has an interesting narrative on the lesser known wives of Henry VIII. It's easy to sympathize and to hate some key players in the novel. It was a very interesting fictional account of what happened in the English court during that time, my only comment is that there were some chapters that were very repetitive. Characters were voicing out their thoughts using the very same words. I don't know if this is a lapse on the editor's part.Other than that though, still a good book."
— Cher (4 out of 5 stars)
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“A fascinating account…harrowing…If only grade-school history books were written so vividly.”
— Entertainment Weekly -
“Gregory’s accounts of events are accurate enough to be persuasive, her characterizations modern enough to be convincing. Rich in intrigue and irony, this is a tale where readers will already know who was divorced, beheaded or survived, but will savor Gregory’s sharp staging of how and why.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“Allowing her characters to speak in first person, Gregory imbues history with realism and human drama. As in the finest of historical fiction, she doesn’t skimp on history but infuses it with humanity.”
— RT Book Reviews, 4½ stars -
“Gregory’s knowledge of the period, combined with her novelistic skill, allows her to view this grim tale through the eyes of the three women: wily, experienced Jane; naïve, sensible Anne; and vain, greedy young Kitty. Their first-person accounts are convincing and shockingly self-serving.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
The Boleyn Inheritance Listener Reviews
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" the author's detailed research makes life inCourt very real "
— Grandma, 2/11/2014 -
" I don't usually like to read books that jump from person to person....but this one was well done...there were very obvious differences in the personalities and speech of the three women so it was a delight to read. "
— Laurie, 2/9/2014 -
" As good as the first! "
— Dawn, 2/4/2014 -
" Once I finally got adjusted to some of the annoying traits of the three female characters in this book, the story intricately unfolded and kept my interest. I couldn't put it down for the last 100 pages. It's nowhere close to "The Other Boleyn Girl," but still a great read. "
— Christina, 1/20/2014 -
" Audio unabridged... Enjoying it! "
— Monica, 1/17/2014 -
" Really liked Anne's character. And Katherine "Kitty" Howard's. Was nice to read of the wives who rarely get mentioned. Have enjoyed all the Phillipa Gregory books so far. "
— Emma, 1/14/2014 -
" I love historical fiction and I have read many other Philippa Gregory books and like this one, they are all great. It is how history should be taught in schools - it would make history much more fun to learn. I love the way Ms. Gregory brings these real characters to like for us and make us believe we are there. I love her books. "
— Dana, 1/12/2014 -
" From 3 points of view of different characters it really manages to keep up with the historical events. "
— Alyce, 1/8/2014 -
" I liked reading about the lesser known backgrounds of Ann of Cleves &Kathern Howard. "
— Alice, 1/7/2014 -
" An entertaining insight into the plotting and violence surrounding Henry VIII's choice of wives! "
— Nicolette, 12/11/2013 -
" An excellent intertwining of their lives. "
— Daphne, 11/17/2013 -
" I really enjoyed this book especially after reading The Other Boleyn Girl. I had always been really curious about Jane Rochford and i liked hearing what was going through her head during that time and seeing what happened to her afterwards. I just think all of Philippa Gregory's books are good! "
— Lauren, 9/22/2013 -
" Not as good as The Other Boleyn but still a good book. I had trouble putting it down. "
— Heather, 7/8/2013 -
" One of the better of Gregory's Tudor series: this one telling about Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard. I really got into the characters, especially Anne. "
— Jean, 6/8/2013 -
" Reads quickly. The three person narrative kept me reading long after I would normally have put it down. Each segment was so short, obviously I had time to read just one more. I found Hilary Mantel's Cromwell series to be far more engrossing, although this book is reasonably entertaining. "
— Shala, 3/12/2013 -
" Not her best book, nor they were the most interesting people to write about, but I still enjoyed this book. "
— Andrea, 2/14/2013 -
" Very interesting! Loved learning about Anne of Cleves. And poor Kitty Howard! Felt no sympathy for Jane. "
— Carol, 11/12/2012 -
" This book was good. Not as good as The Other Boleyn Girl. "
— Mindy, 5/20/2012 -
" Not a favourite Phillipa book but mostly because I am not sympathetic to Jane Rochford and this book made her even less unlike able. I couldn't blame George. "
— Kristin, 4/29/2012 -
" Another amazing read! So much rich story telling that gives a whole new perspective to the story! "
— Lina, 12/30/2011 -
" Definitely not as good as The Other Boleyn Girl, but still a page turner. Let's be real, Henry VIII was certifiably crazy. Too bad no one stepped up to admit him to the looney-bin. Any one who tried got their head chopped off. What a nut job. Makes for a good book though, and lots of drama! "
— Meghan, 12/7/2011 -
" This is my latest books-on-tape novel and I am really enjoying it. They use three different narrators for the three different primary characters. Very well done and I am very much enjoying Tudor England. "
— Carol, 10/1/2011 -
" I enjoyed this book. I loved the POV of Jane Boleyn, Catherine Howard & Anne of Cleves. Great drama. Horribly depressing ending for 2 of the ladies. Great narration. The Duke of Norfolk is a real jerk, which was awesome to hate someone more than Henry! "
— Nik, 8/23/2011 -
" I loved this one. It is the one following The Other Boleyn Girl. Next up? The Constant Princess. It is the one that is supposed to be before the Other Boleyn Girl but I'm reading it after. Because I didn't know it even existed. :) "
— Katie, 7/24/2011 -
" It was ok... I am interested in the story, but the storyteller lacks much in my opinion. The research is obviously well done and fascinating but I'm not sure it was worth reading the story in her style. "
— Jetta, 7/5/2011 -
" I liked the mixing of the stories of Katherine Howard and Anne of Cleves. The fact that Gregory made such a strong figure with Anne of Cleves, happy with her singleness and willing to be strong because of it, really made me enjoy this book. "
— Chantay, 6/22/2011 -
" This was a quick read and even a bit better than The Other Boleyn Girl. It was interesting to find out more about the aftermath of Anne Boleyn's beheading. "
— Emily, 5/24/2011 -
" I love Philippa Gregory books. It also helped that I watched Tudors on Showtime and now I read everything about that time period "
— Kristen, 5/21/2011 -
" Fictitious guess at what was going on during King Henry VIII's rein. Probably fairly accurate. So far so good. "
— Melissa, 5/19/2011 -
" Just finished this book that follows The Other Boleyn Girl, and I enjoyed this one almost as much as The Other Boleyn Girl. It continues on with Anne of Cleves as Queen and then Katherine Howard takes her place. And King Henry is becoming more of a madman. On to read The Queen's Fool next. "
— Linda, 5/18/2011 -
" Not great, like the first one, but interesting in details of daily life, dress, expectations, and the history. It was also good in wrapping up the reign of Henry 6 - knowing what happened to everyone. "
— Smithmott, 5/17/2011 -
" So glad that Jane Boleyn got what was coming to her! "
— Lorie, 5/4/2011 -
" Another interesting read by Philippa Gregory. This one covered his fourth and fifth wives, and Jane Boleyn, who was involved in the scandal behind them. Fascinating! "
— Crystal, 5/3/2011 -
" Another interesting story about the wives and times of King Henry VIII. This book covers the fourth and fifth wives, Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard. "
— Marissa, 5/2/2011 -
" This might be my second favorite Philippa Gregory book. "
— Stephanie, 4/29/2011
About Philippa Gregory
Phillipa Gregory is an internationally bestselling author of historical novels whose success extends to the United States as well, where she is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. She earned her BA from the University of Sussex and a PhD in eighteenth-century literature from Edinburgh University, where she is a regent. Gregory is the author of the Wideacre trilogy, the Earthly Joys series, and the Plantagenet and Tudor novels, which include the enormously popular Other Boleyn Girl, of which there are over a million US copies in print. She is a fellow of the Universities of Sussex and Cardiff and was awarded the 2016 Harrogate Festival Award for Contribution to Historical Fiction.
About the Narrators
Dagmara Dominczyk was born in Poland and immigrated to New York City at the age of seven. She has acted in numerous films, TV series, and plays. She is married to the actor Patrick Wilson, with whom she has two sons. She lives in New Jersey.
Ruthie Henshall’s multiaward-winning career has seen her star in New York and London in the most popular musicals of the past twenty-five years, including Cats, Miss Saigon, Crazy for You, She Loves Me, Marguerite, Oliver!, A Chorus Line, Les Misérables, and Chicago. She also has had successful roles in plays, in concert, and on television. She won an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in She Loves Me at the Savoy Theatre, and she was voted London’s Theatregoers Award for the most popular musical actress of the past twenty-one years. She is the author of the book So You Want to Be in Musicals.
Bianca Amato, winner of numerous Earphones Awards and the Audie Award for best narration, is an actress born and raised in South Africa. Trained at the University of Cape Town’s Drama school, she went on to work in theater and television in South Africa before moving to New York in 2002.