What We Do for Attention

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory: "The happiness of a queen, the safety of a throne, the respect of the people, the sanctity of the church. Sometimes it seems to me as if you and I have spent our lives working for Anne, and I don't even know what we have gained from it." (Gregory 332). Again, Gregory illustrates the hardships of court life. As Anne rises, the rest of the family does as well. The family's happiness seems to fall, however, with each new title it's given. George confesses to Mary early on in the book that he's gay and Mary now realizes she's in love with a farm boy. Their Uncle has many mistresses and fights often with his wife and their mother is said to have been with the king before Mary and Anne. The Boleyn/Howard family is full of scandal and unhappiness underneath the title of earl and earldom. Despite their unhappiness, they do try to rise in the favor of the king, gaining his affections and his money by making him fall in lust with first Mary and then Anne.
Did you know that Anne's real name is Annamaria and Mary's real name is Marianne? Their names are in each other. How clever?