Reading Group Guide for The Other Boleyn
Girl
Discussion Points
1. Why does Philippa Gregory choose Mary to narrate the story?
Keeping in mind the relationship between the observer and those
observed, is Mary a good, trustworthy, narrator? As Mary ages, how
is her loss of innocence reflected in her telling of the story?
2. Look at the exchange between Mary and her mother at the end
of the first chapter. How does the author foreshadow what is to
come? How do the events of the first chapter frame the entire
story?
3. Discuss the Boleyn family''s scheming and jockeying for favor
in the court. In light of these politics, discuss the significance
of Mary''s explanation that she had "a talent for loving [the
king]" (page 119). Is this simply a girl''s fantasy? Why does Mary
call herself and George "a pair of pleasant snakes" (page 131)?
4. On page 29, Mary professes her love and admiration for Queen
Katherine and feels she can''t betray her. In what ways are her
honorable ideals compromised as she embarks on her adulterous
affair with the king? Recount the whirlwind of events preceding
Anne''s becoming queen. Reading page 352, do you agree that "from
start to finish" Mary "had no choice" but to betray Queen Katherine
by taking the queen''s letter to her uncle?
5. Consider pages 38 and 82. How does the author create sexual
tension? How do the narrator''s thoughts and feelings communicate
the attraction between her and the king? Why is this important to
the story of The Other Boleyn Girl?
6. On page 85, Anne tells Mary, "I am happy for the family. I
hardly ever think about you." Do you think she''s telling the
truth? Later, Anne says to her sister, "We''ll always be nothing to
our family" (page 310). Do you think she believes this, especially
given her overwhelming desire to advance her own status?
7. Why does Mary say, "I felt like a parcel..." (page 60)? What
happens later to make Mary think she''s no longer a "pawn" of the
family, but "at the very least, a castle, a player in the game"
(page 173)?
8. Look at the exchange between Mary and Anne about the king on
page 72. Do you agree with Anne when she tells Mary that "you
can''t desire [the king] like an ordinary man and forget the crown
on his head." What does this statement reveal about Anne''s nature?
And what does it reveal about Mary''s?
9. In general, what are your impressions of the sisters? Keep in
mind Anne and Mary''s discussion on page 104: "So who would come
after me?...I could make my own way." Also look at page 123, when
Anne says, "Hear this, Mary...I will kill you." Why are these
statements significant, particularly given their timing?
10. Share some of the characteristics that you like about
historical fiction. For you, what aspect of The Other Boleyn
Girl stands out the most? How does the book change your
impressions of life in King Henry VIII''s court? Looking at the
letter on page 275, discuss the level of corruption in the court.
Does it surprise you? Were you aware of Anne''s dogged and
exhausting pursuit of the king? Did the way Anne became queen shock
you?
11. How do you feel about the idea that a woman had to be
married before she could bed the king? What do you think about the
king changing the laws to suit his needs? When Anne states that
"Nothing will ever be the same for any woman in this country
again," examine why she could believe she would be exempt from the
same treatment. In other words, why didn''t she realize that "when
she overthrew a queen that thereafter all queens would be unsteady"
(page 519)? Do you think the family realized this but persevered
anyway?
12. Discuss Mary''s evolution of thinking from when she realizes
that after Queen Katherine''s departure, "from this time onward no
wife...would be safe" with her later thought (on page 468) that
"the triumph of Anne, the mistress who had become a wife, was an
inspiration to every loose girl in the country." What does this say
about Mary''s state of mind? Is she being a reliable narrator
here?
13. On page 303, George exclaims to Mary, "You cannot really
want to be a nobody." Why is this such a revolutionary idea in
Henry''s court, and for the Boleyns in particular? What should the
response have been to Mary''s question to Anne (page 330) about the
rewards of Anne''s impending marriage to the king: "What is there
for me?"
14. In King Henry''s court, homosexuality was a crime. Why do
you think George essentially flaunted his preference? What do you
make of the intimate kiss between George and Anne that Mary
witnessed? What is the impetus behind George and Anne''s
relationship? Discuss whether or not you believe that George slept
with Anne so that she might have a son, and why.
15. Why do you think George declares that Anne is "the only
Boleyn anyone will ever know or remember" (page 410)? Was that true
for you before you read The Other Boleyn Girl? What about
now?
16. After Anne is arrested, Mary pleads for her by saying, "We
did nothing more than that was ordered. We only ever did as we were
commanded. Is she to die for being an obedient daughter?" (page
650). What is your reaction to these arguments? Did Henry have no
choice but to sentence her to death?