Search - The Last Boleyn

Understand a few things: this is not history. It's not even very good historical fiction as there are errors in descriptions and names of characters in the book. They are minor, but annoying, as basic research would have caught the inaccuracies.

In this story, Harper explores Mary Boleyn (referred to throughout the book as "Golden Mary") and her relationships with the King of France, King Henry VIII, her husband Will Carey, and with William Stafford. There is a lot of wiggle room in the Mary Boleyn story, since there are just enough records to act as a skeleton, but not enough that we know for certain what all of the players in the drama thought or felt.

This could've been just an amusing romp if Harper's writing style didn't veer into the realm of romance novels. There are full breasts everywhere, and in one scene Mary twines her arms around Henry VIII's "bull neck". More annoyingly, William Stafford is nicknamed "Staff" (a Freudian slip if there ever was one, as Staff is the upright-mucho-virile-romance-novel-take-charge-all-knowing-male guy in the book). Also, "Staff" constantly refers to Mary as "lass" and is amused when she shows a temper.

Harper has her female characters arching their graceful necks several times (once, for no apparent reason, towards a window). Out of sheer curiosity, I tried to emulate the neck-arching. The doctor tells me that with a neck brace, ice, and anti-inflammatory medications, I should make a full recovery.

If you want a bon-bon to enjoy while sipping hot cocoa on a winter afternoon, this isn't a bad one. But the inaccuracies, slips, and writing style may have you laughing uproariously and at inappropriate moments.

I could not finish this. I really feel like I have too many other books I might enjoy more than finishing it; and besides, I already know how the story goes. Historically, at least.

I will have to agree with the previous reviewer. This is far more of the "bodice-ripper" type book than interests me. I also found the constant references to full breasts (was no one small then?), creamy breasts, heaving breasts, brawny thighs, powerful loins, muscular backs stretching fabric taut and most of all, and codpeices just ridiculous and repetitive. Oh, the codpieces. I kid you not, she describes two different Kings as wearing 1) "his very large embroidered codpiece" and 2) "his flagrant, massive codpiece". Really? So not only is everyone built like the guys in "300" but they are incredibly well hung. Well, yay for Mary!

Anyway, not my type of read. Don't get me wrong, I like historical fiction, but this was kindof the wrong angle for me. Maybe if I hadn't read Phillipa Gregory first?

Excellent read! I have never read anything from mary boleyn's point of view. Very well researched and written. Tells mary's story from childhood, to her time in France, up until her sisters Anne death. Highly recommended!!

What a lovely little tale of the Boleyn family! There are comparisons to Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl, as the concept behind the two books is the same – the Boleyn story from Mary’s side. I liked this one infinitely more than the Gregory story, and I’m so glad I took the time to read it.

The book starts out when Mary is about 12, not long before she is sent to live in the French court to serve Mary Tudor as the Queen of France while she is married to King Louis. We get to see Mary as she grows from a naive youngster into a beautiful young woman who is soon catching the eye of many members of the court. In the background, we get to see Anne’s story as well, starting out with her somewhat worship of her older sister and through her exciting, and ultimately tragic life.

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