Last April (2007) I visited Hever Castle, childhood home of Ann Boleyn. Driving there you pass through proper countryside which feels timeless. Of course, this is nonsense as I'm sure the tarred roads haven't been around forever. The castle itself is gorgeous and if you ignore the tourist tat of wax figures and so on, very atmospheric.
It was very easy to try to imagine what it must have been like to live around 500 years ago. It's tempting to think that their lives must have been narrowly led without TV and newspapers to educate them. And yet, when family returned from their travels or they met strangers, they must have absorbed all their tales and indulged in every bit of gossip so they may have filled their lives with this as we might do with soaps and novels today.
When I got home, I was still left wondering and trying to remember from school history lessons the answers to such questions as 'Did they have books?' 'When was the printing press invented?' 'What dates did Ann Boleyn live and die on?' 'Which number wife was she?' and so on.
For the first time in years, I felt drawn to study some history. But.. I didn't want to delve into dry dates and historical facts. I wanted to look at it from a woman's perspective first of all and to go on a voyage of discovery in a piecemeal, tantalising way. I thought it would be interesting to find out about those times by finding out about Henry VIII's wives firstly and through fiction if possible to indulge my love of a good story and to let someone else set the scene through the power of their imagination. I didn't want my newfound interest killed off by a dusty historian spoiling the yarn.
A few weeks later, I spotted the book The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory. With an enticing cover showing a girl in a gorgeous dress with her face hidden, it looked intriguing. Perfect! I couldn't wait to start.
It was just what I was looking for. Some facts thrown in which I could check out later. But, more importantly, giving me an idea of how it might feel to be a woman in those times. How women then were every bit as resourceful and intelligent as men (of course) but how they had to use their skills and personality to make sure they had male protectors, whether it be their fathers or later, lovers and husbands. This was an era when a woman could be sent to a nunnery for the rest of her life for some small act which would pass completely unremarked nowadays. To fall in love with the wrong person was a matter of life and death, even.
When I was young, maybe right into my late twenties or thirties, I used to think that people from history were a different type of person. As I grew older and read more, I realised they were just like us, good/bad, beautiful/ugly, cruel/kind, etc. They just lived in a different time and had to cope with different circumstances.
If you like a mild bonkbuster, with lots of atmosphere, historical scene setting and a story that runs with you to its conclusion...try this book.
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