The Other Book

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A series of terrible events over a short time when Niles and Holland are teenagers turns the happy Perry family into a dwindling group of tragic figures. Vining, their father, dies in what seems to be a mysterious accident but eventually is revealed as something else. Russell, a fat, unpleasant cousin who entertains himself by jumping from the barn loft into a pile of hay, dies when someone leaves exposed an upturned pitchfork, which Russell, having lost his glasses, cannot see. The glasses later turn up in Niles’s possession, and it is discovered that the pitchfork has been moved from the place where the handyman always keeps it. Somewhere along the way, Gregory decided she liked The Other Boleyn Girl better, but it was a conscious decision. A calculated move. She made Mary innocuous of all of this, all the plotting to gain favors that couldn't last, hasty grab for power like she was just a naive pawn in this and did as her family bid her. She was shown as an unwitting, unwillingly player. Not even a slight mention of being the English Mare was laughable here. When Mary had to go do the King, it was all pure and she was in love of course, and but when it was Anne's turn, it was all evil. Haha, yeah right. No one was innocent of playing that game, they were all in it, all were equally guilty of trying to advance the Boleyn family, that was how it went then, that was the game they were playing, well aware they'd pay dearly if it didn't pan out and boy did they pay, or did they? Hey like Martin says when you play make sure you win or you know, you are gonna die. But none of them were innocuous in all of that, not even Anne but especially not Mary. And she wasn't even a major player like Gregory made her out to be. fiume. Povero Billy, con la sua gamba zoppa poteva soltanto arrancare, ma quando il ghiaccio aveva ceduto sotto di lui, si trovava piuttosto vicino alla riva, tanto che Holland, impegnato ad attizzare il fuoco, avrebbe potuto salvarlo. E invece era scappato di corsa, lasciando Billy a dibattersi, a morire assiderato nell'acqua gelida.

As obvious as it is that Philippa Gregory adores Mary Boleyn, it is equally plain that she loathes Anne Boleyn. Anne, the devout, clever and generous woman of history is nowhere in evidence here. Instead she's been replaced by a character of the same name who is instead petty, vain, cruel, possessive, and whose wit and intelligence is painted as a negative character trait for a woman to possess. Her story in this novel revolves around sensationalist twaddle such as incest with her brother, deformed babies resulting from aforementioned sinful union, attempted poisonings of Princess Mary and Bishop Fisher, and using witchcraft to have an abortion. The other characters are equally implausible and one-dimensional, from the saintly Katherine of Aragon to the irredeemable greed and ambition of Thomas Boleyn, his wife Elizabeth and her brother the Duke of Norfolk, and as for Henry VIII he was simply a mixture of stupid and petulant. None of these characters have any depth or believability. However what put me off was the absolute ignorance of historical fact and total villification of Anne Boleyn - yes this is a fictional interpretation but now it has made it to the big screen, there are a few who will think this is what really happened.I am amazed sometimes when I bring this book up that so many have never heard of it. A Horror classic! I mean..the movie version scared me so much I could not watch it again for years. This is one of those books where I’ve finished it half having enjoyed it and half thinking “what just happened?” Even the afterword couldn’t help me grasp this story. Listen, I’m not saying I didn’t understand the book, I did, I got the main, but there were definitely some underlying messages in there that went way over my head. The Other is a 1972 American horror [4] psychological thriller film directed by Robert Mulligan, adapted for film by Thomas Tryon from his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Uta Hagen, Diana Muldaur, and twins Chris and Martin Udvarnoky, with Victor French, John Ritter, and Jenny Sullivan in supporting roles. But we've got to be honest with ourselves as readers. Factual history must sometimes be set aside, because that's not what's important in this genre. The Other Boleyn Girl isn't a textbook, it's a novel. It's meant to entice and titillate. Dramatic effect and setting the mood is more important than "getting it right". Taken for what it is, this book excels. At times, it's exciting and tense. At times, it pulls at the heart. There are moments when this is drama at its best.

I’ve had The Other on my shelves for absolutely ages because it’s got an incredible average rating on Goodreads for a horror. While I did enjoy this one, I didn’t love it like I thought I would. Philippa Gregory is one of the world’s foremost historical novelists. She wrote her first ever novel, Wideacre, when she was completing her PhD in eighteenth-century literature and it sold worldwide, heralding a new era for historical fiction. La verdad es que me esperaba mucho menos de ésta obra, absolutamente imperdible para los amantes del género. Una novela sobre la maldad, la niñez y mucho más que no desvelaré. Cargada de dramatismo y tensión que no hay que dejar de leer. A humdinger…A whirlpool of Oh-My-God horror. Please congratulate Mr. Tryon for me. What a marvelous job he’s done.”Twins? With different birthdays? How unusual. Indeed for identical twins, very. Oh yes, there were the mixed signs, on the cusp, as one says--they should have been more alike; nevertheless, the difference. Holland a Pisces, fish-slippery, now one thing, now another. Niles an Aries, a ram blithely butting at obstacles. Growing side by side, but somehow not together. Strange. Time and again Holland would retreat, Niles pursue, Holland withdraw again, reticent, taciturn, a snail in its shell.” While everyone says this is a fantastic horror novel, perfect for Halloween reading, it is yet another one of those stories devoid of traditional supernatural elements. In fact, this one could just as easily fall into the psychological thriller category. However, it has some truly stunning twist that no psychological thriller written today has the capacity to challenge. Remember, this book was published in 1972- and without any prior knowledge of the contents or context of the story, I literally gasped out loud on a couple of occasions, and physically experienced goosebumps! This book has a fabulous twist. I knew something was going to happen or be revealed, but I had no idea what was coming. The prose is also beautiful and atmospheric, which isn't especially typical in the horror genre. The novel is really a number of things all at once. It's a creepy murder mystery, a reflection on bygone days, a coming of age story, and a study of a family undergoing intense grief and hardship. It's also a very deep reflection on relationships, and how sometimes the love you feel for another can do more harm than good. What I liked most about this book was the writing. There’s no denying that Tryon is an incredibly talented author with an incredible skill to bring places and people to life. The whole book was written superbly with each character beautifully developed. What I liked least about this book was the story. I didn’t find any of it “scary”, I would maybe class this as a slow-burning psychological thriller, as there definitely were some good moments of tension and Holland's character was certainly creepy in parts. L’Altro di Thomas Tryon, è un perfettamente riuscito gioco di prestigio in cui ogni cosa non è mai del tutto ciò che sembra, un romanzo che inganna ripetutamente il lettore in una lunga serie di eventi agghiaccianti e ricchi di colpi di scena, uniti ad una splendida e gotica rappresentazione della campagna e della famiglia americana, raccontati da più punti di vista tra cui spiccano un narratore in terza persona limitata, la maggior parte delle volte il tredicenne Niles Perry, ed una voce narrante in prima persona, meschina, cinica e piena di rancore, che apre ognuno dei tre atti in cui si suddivide il racconto.