The Last Boleyn

The book I just finished is called The Last Boleyn, by Karen Harper. It is a novel about the oldest Boleyn girl, named Mary. She is the older sister of Anne, who became the second wife of King Henry VIII of England. Mary, however, was the person that triggered her family into becoming popular with the king, and, other than her sister-in-law Jane, she was the only Boleyn to escape the tragic events of the Boleyns falling from favor with the king. As you might know, this culminated with the killing of Anne, who was Queen of England.  Mary was sent to France when she was eight to serve in the court of King Louis XII, where King Henry's sister had just been made queen.  She became a favorite of Queen Mary, but when Louis died and Mary was sent back to England, Mary Boleyn had to stay (on her father's orders) and serve the next queen and king of France: King Francois I and Queen Claude.  Francois took a shining to Mary, and when she was about 15 he made her his mistress.  It was not her choice, and she hated it, but she couldn't get out of it.  About a year later, when the King of England and the King of France gathered for important diplomatic negotiations, and King Henry decided he liked the look of blonde, blue-eyed Mary.  He brought her home to England, married her to a noble at his court, and decided that Mary was going to be his mistress.  The ending of this book, and what happens to Mary, Anne, and George (their brother) was very suspenseful even when I knew the basics of what happened to them.  I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a great historical read.  It is a fantastic book- but why don't you see for yourself!