There is tons of sibling rivalry, with Anne especially! I really do think Mary wanted to love the king. He definitely seduced her and made her feel good. I do think Anne also loved him, but I also think that it was more of a game of power for her.

I think Mary tried to make herself love the king. She was the kind of person who played with the cards that were dealt her. Anne was only looking for her own ambitions. She used the king to get revenge on wolsey and her uncle for destroying her marriage to Percy. Mary was just in her way. An unfortunate problem easily dealt with by a girl with Anne's conscience.

I think that Mary truly loved the king, but for Anne it was all about status and becoming queen. It drove me crazy that the king could have had a loyal, loving, son-bearing wife in Mary, but he chose to risk it all for the thrill of a wild woman like Anne.

I feel that Mary's love for the King was, at first, true love. However, you notice that once Anne moved in, Mary wasn't all that heartbroken over it; in fact, it enabled her to find some peace, and then I feel there was actually a bit of vengence that was rewarded, once she was on the outside looking in, at Anne's woes with him. Mary was not required to take care of festering wounds, and his becoming obese and down-right crude and unattractive, as Anne did. From Anne's point of view, it was 100% rivalry, as it always was with her and Mary. Anne had her eye on the King, as soon as Mary was chosen to seduce him, feeling passed over, although she felt she was the more qualified "applicant". Mary's sense of duty and Anne's sense of ambition are what put them at opposite poles, and what Henry was so enraptured with, to begin with. This is a class "A" story which I was amost brought to tears to have to finish! I am expecting the movie to be a let down, after becoming so enthralled with the book and all of its detail, but still looking forward to seeing the whole thing play out on screen.

I don't think either one of them really "loved" the King in our traditional modern day sense. In the book, Mary is still a child when she falls 'in love' with King Henry. And she herself admits that there's no way for her to seperate Henry the man from Henry the King. She is always completely conscious of who he is and WHY she has left a marriage to seduce him.

Anne is so driven my ambition, she even admits "you don't marry a King for comfort."

At the time, women of the Boleyn girls status did not marry for love, or even necessarily bed for love. They did what they did for security and advancement. They were basically brought up to learn how to please men, with their wits, talent, beauty etc. So this was less about love and much more about rivalry for power and position.

However, in the book I do believe that both girls are capable of experiencing love. Mary with her children and with William and Anne with Henry Percy.

Mary only thought she loved him until she realized that he was as mature as his toddler son. Anne, I feel certain, only wanted the power and to prove that she was capable of deciding her own fate and doing it better than Mary.

In my appinion i think mary did love the king, because she was his mistress for a few years and her love had probably grown from lust to real love. She had 2 of his children, so i think you will love the person( no matter who they are) who fatherd them. And anne was just jealous of mary and wanted to hurt her. She was just using the king . as she says "on word ,and up word"

I think that originally mary did fall in love with the king, but that after having his son she fell in love with her child and so the kings love or power wasnt as important to her.Anne from the beginning was after power and i think that remained her goal througout the story. Sibling rivalry was all over the book but mostly from Annes end.

I do think there is some truth, although not as confidently believed by her own self compared to Anne's style of " I think it and I will find a way to believe it too," to Mary's idea of having a special talent for loving Henry. This is exemplified when he wants to be with her only while he breaks down in his chambers over the idea of not having a male heir. He wants her to console him, even though she does not say much. She knows it is her presence, her inner beauty of kindness, making her all the more beautiful and loveable, more than her lukewarm wit and attention to detail that make him comfortable to open up to her. Nonetheless, she knows that if she is calculating enough to be herself at all costs, then she will win his heart (at least before Anne starts playing her manipulative games leading her to exhaustion).
And so, although her talent is just in being herself, it is a very difficult talent to master when everyone else around you wishes you acted differently, and does require some calculation on her part to depart from the ideals of Anne, George, her family, the courtiers, and the rest of the royal court. This is the foundation of her character - honesty and virtue - leaving the court behind to stay at Hever with her children, preferring to check on the crops of the people who rent land from the Boleyn estate rather than play the same repetitive masqued plays at court (only amplifying the existence of false people and false words).
Anne is true to herself and true to her king. She did truly love the King, however, it did subside once she saw how easily it was for men to dispose of women. She acknowledged it all along with Queen Katherine, and gave it full attention when she succumbed to it in her life as well. Sibling rivalry is entangled throughout the story, however, I do not think it ever got the best of Mary in her in directing her aspirations and dreams for her life and the life of her children. She always looked to the well being of her children, and would never fall short of doing right by them in order to fulfill a jealous need spurred by sibling rivalry.

I belevie that Mary might have love the king as a king not as a man. Anne only stole the king from Mary as a sibling rivalry not for love. Anne wanted to show Mary who was the better of the two. Anne won the heart of the king, so she is the better one on getting power. But Mary, is the better sister by living through the downfall of Anne and marrying for love.

those sisters did only what was expected of them by family. if given a choice, neither would choose henry.

I believe in Mary's case she did have some genuine love for the King for she was but a child and by guidance and power she looked up to him with true adoration. Yes I believe Mary had love for the king. However as for Anne, I believe jealousy and rivalry went to surge her on. In the end I believe she was absorbed by the power he allowed her and praise he gave her made her full of herself in witch she was just enamored by what she could gain. I believe she had lust NOT love in him. She had lust cause he was the most powerful man. In the end I believe she got what she deserved as punishment in the era. This is an awesome book.

Anne wanted to prove to Mary that she would make a better marriage than her. Anne wanted to show her father and uncle that she meant to be the queen of england instead of a misstress of Henry. Anne forced him to marry her before she would sleep with him because of the fact that she thought that she could give him an heir. Anne knew that Mary could give him a son but because of the fact that she was already married the king could not make her queen.

It was a little bit of both. For Mary it was in the begining love but mostly for her king. When she realized who the king truly was, she was not completely heart broken over the face that the king was with Anne. The thing that bothered Mary was the sister rivalry when Anne had the kings attention. For Anne it was always ambition as well as sister rivalry. She wanted to prove to everyone that she was the more beloved sister by the king as well as everyone in the court.

There was definitely a sibling rivalry between Mary Boleyn and Anne Boleyn. They both wanted to seduce the king. They both loved the king. They also both wanted to give the king an heir to the throne.

I think that Mary and Anne both did love the King, but for different reasons. With Mary, he made her feel important and gave her her children, which she mentions many times that she loves more than anything in the world. While he loved her, she was better than her sister, and I think that also gave her satisfaction too.
Anne, on the other hand, wanted to be Queen of England more than anything. She went beyond what her uncle and father told her to get him, while Mary always obeyed. Anne loved the King because he brought her power.
I think that when Mary said that she had a talent for loving the King, she was correct. I think that she had a better temperment for the King; she did not challenge him, raise her voice, or question any of his decisions. Therefore, for a while, he truly loved her. With Anne, he was more in lust. She would question everything he did, but he always came back. But soon enough, he does not. I believe this was a case of sibling rivalry, but also a case of love.

I don't believe that either girl was ever given the real oppurtunity to love the king. For Mary I think it became a sense of duty and in order to fulfill her duty she convinced herself that she loved him in order to do what she was told. For Anne, she became so engrossed in the goal that she because focused and unstopable. It had nothing to do with love or sibling rivarly to me. These were the cards that they were dealt and they played them the best way that they knew how.

I think mary was doing what she does best and developed feeling for the king. When the family thought mary was going to secure the security of the family and it didnt play out that way, Anne saw a way to keep his interest and gain power along the way. It's natural to develop feeling for someone after being around them for so long or sleeping with someone, but I dont think it was love more of I care for you, but I dont love you.

The book is littered with sibling rivalry from the time that Anne comes to court, right up to the point where she is arrested. Remember, Anne was older than Mary so she most likely felt that she deserved the king more than Mary despite the fact that Anne had no love for him. Anne also "took" little Henry from Mary and lorded that over her head at every opportunity. Lest, we forget the inappropriate behavior between Anne and George that Mary witnessed herself. In the book we are told that Mary was just a child by today's standards, then it was not unusual to be married as young as she was but generally you would not have been matched to a man of Henry's age unless he was in the position he was in. I believe that Mary did love the King not only as the father of her children but on another level. How else could she face Queen Katherine everyday when she had bedded her husband the night before, while the Queen knew about it and, as it appeared still trusted Mary as a better friend that most of her ladies at court?

I don't think either girl loved him. I think Mary was infatuated and maybe in love with the idea of being mistress to the king. Anne on the other hand seems very cold and calculating in the book and the jealousy between the sisters is rife throughout the novel.Neither of them were vey old when the relaionships with the king started,and I don't think either of them knew real love until they had grown up a bit. In Anne's case it was too late and she lost her life. Both girls were pawns in the family's ambitious plots, and as such it didn't matter what they felt for the king, they had to do as they were told.

I do not believe Anne or Mary truly loved the king. A talent for loving, loving the people her family told her to love. I do not believe that any of the Henry's wives truly loved him. Catherine wanted to be Queen of England she had been groomed for the role her whole life. Anne wanted the power. Jane did it for duty. Henry claims he loved the her the best, but she is also the only one that gave a true heir to the throne. Anne of Cleves did not want to marry Henry she was forced by her brother, Kitty falls into Anne's situation, and Catherine Parr, poor poor Catherine Parr, again it was duty and her love for Elizabeth that moviated her to marry Henry. She probably would have lost her head (due to Tom Seymour) if Henry had not died.
The case of sibling rivalry falls to which sister Anne or Mary had more power over the King and which could promote the family better. George Boleyn receive his position on the Privy Council (remember that was the council that met in the privy (bathroom)) due to Mary's role. Anne gave the family land, titles and the idea of a Boleyn being a queen. If Mary had a way for loving the King, the world would have been turned upside for her not for Anne.

I believe that Mary at one point loved the King but she would also do anything that was dealt her, but after her family pushed Anne in front of the King after her second laying in, I believe that Mary realized that the King was not who she thought he was to being with and she really wanted was just to live in Hever or somewhere that she could have a small farm with an actual husband to love her and for her to love and be with her children. Sibling rivalry is very heavy with Anne and Mary. It seems that anything that Mary has, Anne wants no matter if she said that everything she was doing was for the good of the family and also for her benefit. Anne wants the King to realize that she is the one for him and not May all because she wants to be ahead of Mary and she wants the status of Queen of England even if she has to put aside the actual Queen of England Katherine of Aargon.

Mary was simply smitten by the king-I think it was more of a "crush" over him. She enjoyed the attention and the idea of being with the most powerful man in England. But when it came to finding out and knowing the man behind the crown-his true personality, she realized he was a spoiled brat who was selfish. She also realized I think that he could not possibly love her...as he only loved himself. She saw how the Queen Catherine had to deal with his antics-and realized this was not the way to live life. Anne, I felt also did not love the King. She was stuck in a situation where every one else controlled her destiny. She wanted more for herself-and found the way to do it was to be with a powerful man. She had more ambition and attraction to power. I think she craved attention as well. Either way, I felt sorry for both of the girls who were being controlle by the men in their lives...and these men ultimately abandoned them for their own needs and power.

I think that at the time Mary did learn to love the king..because Mary woukld constantly refer back to the king that she knew when she was sleeping with him...i think anne loved the idea of what being with the king could give her..

If one reads the history of Henry VIII and the Tudors, they would unserstand Mary and Anne's position. They absolutely had no choice once the king became infatuated. The act of being the king's lover meant putting food in your mouth, clothes on your back and gaining great favor and position for yourself and your family, and not just clothes and food and position to sustain life, you were given the finest. As a member of court, you hoped for the opportunity to gain the monarch's favor by any means possible or else yourself and your family would starve and become destitue. Henry VIII in his youth was charming, a devout catholic, handsome and athletic. He was seen as a most wonderous king for marrying his brother's widow and removing her from poverty and neglect which she suffered from for 7 years after the death of her 15 year old husband of 6 months (Henry's older brother Arthur). The court in general not only felt it was an obligation for girls to submit to the king, but that they should consider themselves fortunate to have gained the king's interest. Did Mary or Anne love the king truly? I don't believe it was love over lust and infatuation. It was mostly obligation and because Henry was a generous lover, it was easy for a women to appreciate him. But she would have lived in fear that when the day came that she lost his favor, a replacement would soon remove her from position and privaledge. That knowledge is enough to make any woman insecure, and therefore in my opinion makes it difficult to truly love a man wholeheartedly. But I'm looking at this more from a historical perspective as opposed to the novel.

I don't think it was a game of power for Anne as much as it was for the king. She was an unwilling participant in the game, but a willing participant in the love.

I truly believe neither Boleyn girl truly loved the King. I believe Mary whom was pushed at the King -felt affection for him or thought it was love, but after being with someone intimately like she was- she would believe she was in love with him. And Anne, jealous of her sister, makes herself believe she is in love with him but her true love is for the power of being with the King and the freedom she thought she would have with it. Boy, she was wrong!

The Other Boleyn Girl's conflicts are not true love nor sibling rivalry entirely. However it is a mix of both. Anne brings the rivalry to the forefront during Mary's second pregnancy, but Mary just wants to love and be loved. She truly did love Henry at first, but after Henry (son)'s birth she began to realize what an insatiable child the King was. Nevertheless Mary also had a bit of jealousy, I mean who wouldn't? She was at the center of the court one second and all of a sudden Anne swooped in. The Boleyn girl whom with Mary could never compete. However for Anne it was all about power, and for Mary it was just about the simple life. So no to the 'true love of sibling rivalry' question. The Other Boleyn Girl is full of ambiguities and never for once does something appear as it may seem. This quality makes the novel thoroughly enjoyable and captivating.

I haven't gotten very far in the book, I just started however, from what I have read thus far; I would lean toward saying that Mary truely was beginning to love Henry. Anne is out for herself and herself only. She doesn't care about her family's status at all. How this pans out however only more time spent in the book will tell. It is brilliantly written I can't put the book down. I am so glad that I bumped into this book at the bookstore.

Mary would have loved the king if it was her that was married to him. Anne may have grown to love the king if it wasn't her ambition and pride. Mary was upset to be put aside as if she did absolutely nothing and did not matter at all. She resented Anne for that. Anne only made things worse by infatuation with her power.

I think that Mary loved him, maybe not a first, but I think that she did fall in love with him. A womans position and role back than was A LOT different than it is now. Also, she had 2 children by him, no matter what time frame, when a woman has a child by a man, there is always a bond. I think that Anne never loved him. To her it was all a game to see if she could attain the crown. She was just evil from the start.

I believe that Mary and Anne, loved King Henry. They had their reasons for loving him. Mary I felt genuienly loved Henry ,both parts as man and king. But Anne oh my! i can see her greed and ambition. she loved not henry the man but henry the king, with the power and riches and the position. Anne is portayed as a villaness which i believe she was. Anne loved the fact of sibling rivalrey and the jealousy. the fact of seducing a man in power such as henry, is for both girls a rather heady experince no doubt. I personally wouldn't choose henry but he was the pick of the lot in his day.LOL any ways... I loved the book and love the author for her hard work and her imagination. It inspries me. I loved the book. it was soo awesome. It made me feel as though i was actaully there. it's rich descriptions and plot twists and all the romance... whew it was awesome. 5 stars.

I don't believe love is the word that should be used when making reference to the collection of feelings portrayed in this book. Passion and ambition are probably more fitting. I think Mary was passionate about her feeling for the king. I thing she was passioante about being the "favorite" but I don't think love enters into it. Anne was overcome by her ambition and at times was willing to give her soul to meet her objectives. The love these girls displayed was mainly for themselves.

I agree with most who have commented that Anne was driven to marry Henry legally by rivalry with her sister. However, I am thirteen now, as Mary was, and believe that I myself am not capable of falling in love at such a young age and it should be considered that Mary couldn't have truly been wise enough to tell apart love and lust. Therefore, it is unfair to say that Mary truly loved the king and Anne was only after the power and wealth that was associated with royalty. Mary was not affected so much by the fact that Anne had become Henry's favorite, so much as she felt that Anne had betrayed her although they were sisters. Jealousy that one had something the other did not spurred tension between the two. If Mary had the ambition that Anne had, or if Anne had the compassion Mary had, neither would be tempted into such a rivalry. However, as it is, the two girls represent two different ideas, and while one would like to say that Mary was the better half, they are complex characters, and cannot be written off as such.

I agree with most who have commented that Anne was driven to marry Henry legally by rivalry with her sister. However, I am thirteen now, as Mary was, and believe that I myself am not capable of falling in love at such a young age and it should be considered that Mary couldn't have truly been wise enough to tell apart love and lust. Therefore, it is unfair to say that Mary truly loved the king and Anne was only after the power and wealth that was associated with royalty. Mary was not affected so much by the fact that Anne had become Henry's favorite, so much as she felt that Anne had betrayed her although they were sisters. Jealousy that one had something the other did not spurred tension between the two. If Mary had the ambition that Anne had, or if Anne had the compassion Mary had, neither would be tempted into such a rivalry. However, as it is, the two girls represent two different ideas, and while one would like to say that Mary was the better half, they are complex characters, and cannot be written off as such.

Sorry I posted this twice.

I feel that Mary felt it was her "duty" to care for the king while for Anne it was her duty to "seduce" the king. In those days, it is made clear that women's lives were not fully their own and both sisters had to deal with what their lives placed in front of them. I believe the sibling rivalry was more for the "honor" within the family than for the kings love and admiration.

I think that Mary fell in love with him. He was sweet and kind to her and "The Golden Prince", how could she not have. Later on, though, when Anne took over, Mary was originally upset about it but it was easy to get over because she was able to go back and be with her husband. Anne, however, I'm not so sure about. In her case it may have been sibling rivalry. Also after her betrothal to Henry Percy was called off, I think that she was hurt. I think she may have seen it as a way to get back at Henry. Also, she may have figured that if she couldn't have the one man that she truly loved, why not go for the bigger prize.

I think it is a little of both. Mary and Anne both wanted to please their father, and maybe even wanted to become "Daddy's little girl", so they had to weigh the situations that they were going to have to face depending on what action they were going to take - follow their dad's requests or follow their own hearts and reap the consiquences. In making their choises - the same by both - they put themselves in a situation where they would of course be battling each other for pritty much their very livelyhood. It is very possiable that either one or both of the girls really fell in love with the king - probally after a certain period of time and as a consiquence to the situations that they had to subject themselves to - so of course two women who love the same man will no dought go beyond certain measures to secure their most precious trophie. Or, it could just be the euphoria of being the center of attention to one of the most powerfull individuals of their time, not to mention all the finery that they were being presented with - it could most certainly cause one to go into a fighting mode in order to keep the praises and attention directed on themselves alone. Who really knows? Only the individuals themselves...

I think Mary did love the King, until she had her children, and realized that the King himself was nothing but a spoiled child. I think Mary also did have a "talent" for loving him; unlike Anne, she was patient and loving. Anne pushed the King to his limits in every way. I don't think Anne loved the King; I think she loved the idea of power, and revenge for the treatment she recieved for loving Henry Percy. I also think that Anne's seduction of the King was at least partially done to make Mary jealous, and to ensure that Mary was to follow behind Anne for the rest of her life.

I don't believe it was fantasy at all. I believe that Mary went into the game unwillingly at first, but soon learned to love the king. Mary was different, being brought up, that she loved both her children when others would be willing to send them to a wet nurse. She loved for her children as much as she loved for the king.

Anne, on the other hand, was in it for power, wealth, and acknowledgment. She may have loved the king deep inside, but coming right down to the point I believe that she showed others her greed and selfishness when the king gave up a lot to make Anne happy.

In Anne's case, it was all to prove who was the better sister. The more attractive, or what have you, but Mary was just frustrated at the fact that Anne was in it for the wrong reasons. She cared for the king and didn't want him to be hurt.
All in all I think that Mary was a true team player, while Anne was selfish and greedy.

I believe that Mary truly loved the King and Anne only did it for the power and to get back at her controling uncle.

I believe that their was sibling rivalry going on. I also see that Mary was genuinely a caring person and had to believe that she truely loved the King in order to do her job at court. I see Anne as someone who is jealous that her family is leaving her out of the King's bed and wanting to be the center of attention.

after reading the book so much, but also looking at the past reports and ideas from different people, that i found anne never had any care for any one but herself... as we all see it was a mans world especially during the tudor times so it is rally each girl/woman for herself... either obaying her family then her husband. As we have grown through time alot of the world has changed and women become more and more independent. but as we see through out the family line that not only was anne very rude and basily showed dignity for herself but only respected herself, which leaves me too believe that she was ver much a rival of her sister and always had too be one better, and made sure that mary was not remembered otherwise i believe we would know a lot more on mary. We see through out the elizabethan era that Elizabeth was also very much like her mother, in the way of dominence but also in being self revolved.(very much like mother and father)

Mary did end up loving the king for a breif moment in the book and then realized it wasn't worth her own happiness in the end. Anne pretended the king was everything to her. She destroyed Mary's life to get what she wanted because Mary had it but Mary tried to fight Anne at first but found someone to love her as her and for her to love. That was William the father of Mary's daughter Anne.

I actually believed that due to the times that love was not the initial idea, but it became the central conflict. Maybe Mary did love the king and but maybe she didnt. I believe that she did, after all Henry was known as The Golden Prince. Any women would have swooned with a passionate fever at the sight of him, especially if he had fallen for her. Unfortunately I think Anne saw what Mary had and became very jealous and set out with the initial intention to throw her sister to the side.Having to achieve this, she knew would not be hard, as Henry was so easily taken and held if the procedure was done right. What I believe happened was that through her ambition, Anne fell in love and when Henry was still bedding Mary, the old rivalry came out and haunted them. This was not neccaraily sibling rivalry, it was more like love rivalry.

I think that Mary really loved the king, but Anne just went after the power

This may be a trivial question but from the book, it seems that Anne is the older sister than Mary, but from other sources, it claims that Mary is the older sister. Can someone clarify the relationship for me?

I feel that through most of the early parts of the book Mary loved the King truefully and would seem to want to do anything for him. She does not seem to want to be Queen and seems truely sorry for her actions when around Queen Katherine.
Anne on the otherhand does not seem to love the King at all and just wants to be Queen of England. She is taking advantage of the King and her desire to be Queen ultimately leads to her downfall.

I am a little confused right now. I just bought the book and I am into the 3rd chapter and I was watching the movie trailer today and Natalie Portman plays Anne and Scarlett Johansen plays Mary. In the book, Mary is the one that goes after the King first at her fathers order but on the movie trailer it shoes Anne being introduced to him and being told she has to pursue him.
I havent seen the movie but I am just confused a little and Im thinking that maybe the movie has it backwards from the book? Does anyone have any comments ?! Please let me know ! I am not very far into the book but I am really enjoying it and would like to know ! ;o) Thanks !!

Answer to Anonymous.

In the movie first Anne does but fails (different from book )and then Mary goes for him.In the book it is Mary then Anne.

Also, the movie does stray from the book in many ways actually a lot of ways.Whatever they both are good.

I believe that Anne wanted revenge on her sister for telling the Duke of Norfolk about Henry Percy. She also wanted the power of a queendom. I also believe Anne thought it was a game in which the prize was glory, power, and self-worth. Near the end of the book she discovered that the stakes were too high. Mary might of thought she loved the king but she is described as being the type of person who would do anything she was told to do. When told to be Henry's concubine, she wouldn't of said no even though she was not willing.

I think it first started out as Anne truly loving the king, however once she was pushed aside and Mary became his main point of affection, I think her attempt to seduce Henry was simple a tactic used to get back at her younger sister. Mary on the other hand, really did love him, and even after she gave him a son, he never reciprocated the feelings. But she never stopped loving him - even after he betrayed her and left her for Anne.

I believe Mary was truly a good person and did not like what she had to do. In her mind it wouldn't be as evil if she truly loved Henry so she chose to love him. Anne, on the other hand, found it like a game. She liked the cat and mouse aspect--it made her feel better about herself, afterall, the king had picked Mary first and Anne could not bear the thought of being second choice. So when Anne finally got the king's attention back she wanted to keep it as long as possible. Although Anne grew up being the favorite, I don't believe it was sibling rivalry, because Anne had the same ambition to be the favorite even with the king's WIFE, Catherine of Aragon. Anne wanted to be the winner and not just when it concerned her sister. She wanted to be the best of the best, to be perfect, the most desired and the one everyone else wnted to be.

no to none of the ever loved the king if see since the beginig of the book the rivalry was started as anne was walking up the stairs just arriving form france mary sta trying to show her she was a well and elegant brought up young lady and anne entered the same.