REVIEW: The Boleyn Inheritance (Philippa Gregory)

Book: The Boleyn Inheritance

Author: Philippa Gregory. 

Premise: Anne of Cleves runs from her tiny country, her hateful mother, and her abusive brother to a throne whose last three occupants are dead. Katherine Howard catches the king's eye within moments of arriving at court, setting in motion the dreadful machine of politics, intrigue, and treason that she does not understand. Jane Rochford is the Boleyn girl whose testimony sent her husband and sister-in-law to their deaths. Three Women Who Share One Fate: The Boleyn Inheritance.

I felt let down by this book and DNF'd after 150 pages. I've enjoyed the previous books in this series and I was looking forward to reading about Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard. However, I found myself bored with this book. The chapters are really short and jump between the points of view of the three female protagonists. This makes you think it'll be a fast paced read but actually it drags. You read at least 3 chapters detailing a single day where very little happens. In contrast, the previous book spanned 10 years and covered the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn in the same number of pages. I also didn't like the portrayal of the women. Katherine Howard was depicted as self centered and shallow, ignoring the fact that she's only 14! I had to give up. A shame, but won't put me off the rest of the series!