More than twenty years ago, big historical novels set in medieval England were easy to come by. I gobbled up a lot of them. I even wrote one myself. But after reading a few that were historically inaccurate with characters speaking like teenagers of the 1960’s rather than people of that day, I lost my taste for them.
Recently, I decided to buy The Other Boleyn Girl in audiobook format. Oh, my. I have fallen in love with Philippa Gregory’s storytelling and have also become fascinated with Mary and Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII. What a story. I’ve got The Other Boleyn Girl movie in my Netflix queue for when it releases in June. I have learned that the movies of great books rarely live up to their inspiration. Still I’m eager to see it.
I enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl so much that I’m now listening to The Constant Princess , the story of the first wife of Henry VIII, Katherine of Aragon. I’m enjoying it a great deal, and I suspect that I will continue to listen to more of the books by Philippa Gregory that tell the stories of the Tudors.
I must add that the reader of an audiobook makes all the difference of whether or not it’s an enjoyable experience. The readers of these two audiobooks are wonderful. They really pulled me into the stories. I have the books on my iPod and listen to them in the car when I’m driving and take the iPod with me into the chiropractor’s to listen to while I’m in traction. Great way to make the time pass more quickly.
-rlh-
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