The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Two sisters competing for the greatest prize: the love of a king
When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of Henry VIII. Dazzled by the king, Mary falls in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as unofficial queen. However, she soon realizes just how much she is a pawn in her familys ambitious plots as the kings interest begins to wane and she is forced to step aside for her best friend and rival: her sister, Anne. Then Mary knows that she must defy her family and her king, and take her fate into her own hands. A rich and compelling tale of love, sex, ambition, and intrigue, The Other Boleyn Girl introduces a woman of extraordinary determination and desire who lived at the heart of the most exciting and glamorous court in Europe and survived by following her own heart.

Mary Boleyn

Mary Boleyn was the sister of the more famous Anne Boleyn. Mary was one of the mistresses of King Henry VIII of England and also, allegedly, of his rival, King Francis I of France. She married twice. During the affair or sometime after, it was rumoured that one or both of Mary's children were fathered by the king. One witness noted that Mary's son, Henry Carey, bore a resemblance to Henry VIII.

The Six Wives of Henry the VIII
copyright "six wives of henry VIII"

                        

   Catherine of Aragon                  Anne Boleyn

      m. 1509 - 1533                     m. 1533 - 1536

            Divorced                               Executed

                       

     Jane Seymour                       Anne of Cleves
    m. 1536 - 1537                   m. 1540 Jan. - July

             Died                                    Divorced

                     

   Kathryn Howard                    Katherine Parr

    m. 1540 - 1542                   m. 1543 - 1547

         Executed                             Widowed  

            

Interview with Philippa Gregory 
~authors website