Philippa Gregory: The Other Boleyn Girl

About this episode

Philippa Gregory discusses her novel The Other Boleyn Girl, exploring themes of ambition, love, and betrayal in the Tudor Court.

Harriett Gilbert welcomes bestselling author Philippa Gregory into the World Book Club studio to discuss her celebrated historical novel, The Other Boleyn Girl. This novel, about to celebrate its 25th anniversary, is a vivid portrayal of ambition, love, and betrayal in the Tudor Court, told from the perspective of Mary Boleyn, sister to the ill-fated Anne. As Mary becomes the mistress of King Henry VIII, Anne sets her sights on the throne. Set against the splendour and peril of sixteenth-century England, Philippa Gregory’s masterful novel explores power, desire, and the price women paid in a world where one man’s whims were considered sacrosanct. Philippa Gregory answers readers’ questions on what drives her fascination with women’s untold histories, the clash between love and ambition in the fraught world of the English court, and whether sisterhood can survive when the ultimate prize is the crown of England.

People in this episode

Host: Harriett Gilbert

Guest: Philippa Gregory

Topics covered

• historical fiction
• Tudor Court
• women's history
• ambition
• love and betrayal
• sisterhood
• power dynamics

Keywords

• Philippa Gregory
• The Other Boleyn Girl
• Tudor Court
• historical novel
• women's untold histories
• Mary Boleyn
• Anne Boleyn
• King Henry VIII
• sisterhood
• ambition

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Other Boleyn Girl

Places: England

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