The Boleyn Inheritance

What is the author's style in The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory?

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This novel is divided among three different points of view. The short chapters are "narrated" in a journal style by Jane Boleyn, Katherine Howard and Anne of Cleves. Each woman, by telling her own observations and sharing her experiences in the English court, contributes to the tapestry of this story. This is a clever way to weave together Gregory's story of Anne of Cleves' short reign as queen, and allows the readers to feel the feelings and perspectives of each of the three characters. There are instances when a character does not know the truth about what is taking place, but the readers can count on finding out the details from one of the other characters. However, there are also passages where the character is speaking in the present and suddenly looks back to explain what happened afterward, so the characters themselves, are somewhat omnipotent. Philippa Gregory's point of view, to the extent it involves these three, is omnipotent. Much of her work is gleaned from recorded history, which makes the story more fascinating.

Although the experiences of the three characters are primarily contrived by Philippa Gregory, it is clear that they may be close to the truth, based on the realities of recorded history during this period of time in England. There is not a lot of historical information about Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard, and Philippa Gregory has given them personalities, complete with vanity, opinions and character traits that make them come alive for the reader.

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