The Other Boleyn Girl - Softcover

Mary and Anne Boleyn are sisters unlike in every way. Mary is blond, sweet, artless and young; Anne is dark, fiery, temperamental and brilliant. Born to an ambitious family, they are brought to court as girls and dangled like jewels set to capture the favor of the king. Long married to Katherine of Aragon, Henry VIII has grown despairing of her producing a male heir. So it is perhaps natural that Henry is drawn to Mary's youth and beauty. Never mind that Mary is already married to another. Her family insists that for the advancement of the Boleyns, Mary must acquiesce. She does more than that. She falls in love. But no woman can hold the king for long, and though they share a passionate affair and she gives him a healthy bastard son, Henry's interest in Mary eventually wanes and the Boleyns chart a new plan: they will offer Anne in Mary's stead.

The Other Boleyn Girl is the story of two sisters who compete for the love of a king. But this is no ordinary rivalry. For both Anne and Mary are pawns of their ruthless family, and neither will find happiness with Henry. While it is Anne who wins the crown, it is Mary who will find love in a destiny of her own making.

Philippa Gregory is the New York Times bestselling author of several books, including The Other Boleyn Girl and The Boleyn Inheritance. A writer and broadcaster for radio and television, she lives in England.