I agree that Philippa Gregory's Tudor novels are unreadable, with the sole exception of The Other Boleyn Girl, which seemed to me noteworthy if only because it was so completely over the top... Anne Boleyn is portrayed as the ultimate villainess, not only a witch, but an evil temptress who would seduce her very own brother if it would give her an heir to the throne... Sorry, can't take this seriously as historical fiction at all, but it made for a very good read. You just have to suspend your disbelief entirely (out with historical facts and probabilities) and go along for the ride. It's a melodrama, a soap opera, with a heavy dose of the Gothic, like "Dark Shadows" or something. In other words, don't read it for the historical nuance, because there is none - no: just enjoy the camp.

As for me, I have just finished rereading Anya Seton's Green Darkness, a novel about reincarnation set in Tudor times (which are brilliantly portrayed indeed!), with brief cameo appearances by our very own Ed, Mary and Lizzy. And currently I am reading, for the first time, on the strong recommendation of our dear Prince and others here, Katherine, by the same author. What can I say, it's superb! Even better than Green Darkness. In fact, I can't believe I've never read this novel before - how much I've missed out on! Seton is absolutely the exemplary historical novelist, I can't even imagine how much research time went into both these books... not to mention the fact that she's a brilliant storyteller. She makes writers like Gregory and even George and Jarman seem pale and inadequate by comparison. She is truly a master of her genre. I can't recommend these books highly enough... read them both! You will not be disappointed, in fact, you will be elated! What a pity that Seton didn't write more historical novels set during the Plantagenet and Tudor eras! What a loss! I wish she were still alive so that I could send her a fan letter. Yes, she's utterly brilliant, my current fave rave.