tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303971.post7578805784588466599..comments2024-01-17T04:33:08.243-08:00Comments on My Friend Amy: Interview with Robin MaxwellAmyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02515314638093018928noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303971.post-63793074444998054872009-06-22T06:49:51.556-07:002009-06-22T06:49:51.556-07:00Erm...I thought the topic was "Signora da Vin...Erm...I thought the topic was "Signora da Vinci?" The issue of acceptable literary licence aside, what bothers me about this is that, for much of this interview, Maxwell is setting herself up as a better alternative to Gregory (whom she freely admits is a more successful author--money-wise). She does this mostly by talking about what's __wrong__ with Gregory from her viewpoint (but only vaguely, few specifics), rather than by describing her own work and what's __good__ about it. Now, whether she is right or wrong about Gregory, this doesn't sound like a confident writer standing on a great piece of work, but a...whinger, at best, and at worst, a mud-slinging politician who can only tell us what's wrong with the other guy. Not inspiring to someone who isn't already a faithful Maxwell reader- or a Gregory reader, for that matter.<br /><br />If I ever do become inspired to read any of her (Maxwell's) books, I'll be certain it's a library copy!<br /><br />-MaeveAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303971.post-22214796747182650072009-02-19T07:05:00.000-08:002009-02-19T07:05:00.000-08:00Great post! I did enjoy PG's books (I've read sev...Great post! I did enjoy PG's books (I've read several but not all) but I assumed there were some exaggerations in there. <BR/><BR/>As for the historical vs. fictional debate, I'm on the side of more history and less fiction. Unlike some of the commenters above, I DO want to learn things from historical fiction, and I DO hope that I'm getting more history than fiction. At the same time, I don't take it all as fact, and I often do additional research after reading if a topic has really caught my attention. But I hate to find that what I've read in a book either directly contradicts the truth or can't be substantiated in any way - that really bugs me.Heather J. @ TLC Book Tourshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10474181812740579350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303971.post-87403312395567627922009-02-18T19:51:00.000-08:002009-02-18T19:51:00.000-08:00Meghan, I stand corrected on the historian comment...Meghan, I stand corrected on the historian comment I made. I was overexcited about this topic. There's no easy answer to the questions raised here about historical fiction. I definitely will be reading Robin Maxwell's novel about Anne Boleyn to see how the two characterizations differ.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303971.post-53772976806533834902009-02-18T07:56:00.000-08:002009-02-18T07:56:00.000-08:00I want to thank Robin Maxwell for her candidness a...I want to thank Robin Maxwell for her candidness and ability to clear up some falsehoods. I have not read The Other Boleyn Girl, but I have seen the movie and it surprised me how evil Anne seemed. I thought maybe there was more to the story. <BR/><BR/>I cannot wait to read Maxwell's book.Serenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04745809545249574387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303971.post-49858281176904988542009-02-18T00:41:00.000-08:002009-02-18T00:41:00.000-08:00Jennifer, let me say one thing: academic historian...Jennifer, let me say one thing: academic historians are always criticized for their bias by other historians. Trust me, none of us escape. Everyone's book and article gets reviewed, in detail, by other professional historians, and we do know and mostly ignore those who let their own opinion cloud their work. History is a debate and we are always conscious of what has come before and what we can make closer to the truth. I can't say no historian has an agenda or bias, but if they do, everyone knows about it, and often they are mentioned by name as wrong and torn apart in other articles and books on the subject. My own dissertation is a work to correct one of these, which is based more on misconception than the history that actually exists, and trust me, I will be subjecting these guys to far more analysis and criticism than any historical fiction author will ever have to take.<BR/><BR/>The only ones that do get to say more or less whatever they want are the "pop historians" who are often praised for not having a bias by people who haven't read much else. It's a shame that these are the only authors we see on shelves in bookstores. I wish more historians who have spent their entire lives in the field wrote books for popular consumption, rather than just those who thought, "oh hey, I like history, I'll write a book about it!" A couple do - A.J. Pollard, David Starkey (who is fabulous), and Michael Hicks to name a few in the periods I like.<BR/><BR/>Sorry, personal soapbox there. Perhaps history taught to schoolkids is sugar-coated (wrongly), but those of us who are actually figuring out what to say to the next generation are doing our best to get rid of that.<BR/><BR/>As for the rest of your comment, well said. =)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303971.post-30560368441856304182009-02-17T19:01:00.000-08:002009-02-17T19:01:00.000-08:00Is there something that says that a woman can't be...Is there something that says that a woman can't be strong, courageous, conniving and bitchy all at once? To me, that is what makes Anne Boleyn the wonderful woman/character she was. I have read and loved TOBG. Anne Boleyn and Scarlett O'Hara are my favorite heroines. Sure, I love and sympathized with Mary Boleyn just as I did with Melanie Wilkes, but they did not capture my imagination in the same way. Neither book would have been as memorable to me if Anne or Scarlett wasn't involved. <BR/><BR/>I know full well that Anne was a real person and that I was reading fiction when I picked up TOBG - just as I did when I picked up Signora Da Vinci. TOBG got me interested in Tudor history and I've done a lot of reading about that time as a result. What was nice was having a frame of reference for Henry VIII, his family and his counselors when I started reading the biographical and historical articles and books. I find that comes in handy. I am never confused between Thomas Wolsey the man and Thomas Wolsey the character. If I were, it would be my own fault, not that of the authors of the fiction I had read. <BR/><BR/>I think that historical fiction is taken way too seriously - and I am saying that as someone who loves the genre. Authors of fiction entertain. Authors of history educate. If I wanted to learn about something, I'd head to non-fiction. Like I said earlier, good historical fiction will prompt me to want to learn more about a historical figure, place or time. When I inevitably discover that what I found in the novel wasn't as it was in reality, I don't feel cheated or get upset. I knew what I was getting when I picked up the novel. At least with historical fiction, you know that there is a slant, things made up and/or turned about for dramatic purposes. The authors admit as much when they discussed how they wrote the book. Historians are able to hide their agendas and biases behind their cloak of non-fiction. I only wish that historians and their work were viewed under this same microscope.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303971.post-39272114370559828272009-02-17T16:00:00.000-08:002009-02-17T16:00:00.000-08:00I always thought the 'fiction' part of historical ...I always thought the 'fiction' part of historical fiction was the part where the author needed to fill in the blanks- the unknown and unknowable blanks- but that the 'historical' part should be fact (dates/places/people). I think PG is a wonderful author and am surprised to learn that she took such creative license with the existing facts. I guess it's probably safe to say that she won't be writing any blurbs on Ms Maxwell's books anytime soon! And vice versa!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303971.post-47661497499249152042009-02-17T14:51:00.000-08:002009-02-17T14:51:00.000-08:00Historical fiction is not history, and for that re...Historical fiction is not history, and for that reason, authors feel they have wiggle room--some take more than others. Personally, I think stretching the truth is one thing, but flying in the face of it another, particularly since we have a whole generation of readers whose knowledge of the past is likely to be based on the historical novels they've read rather than on actual history they've studied.<BR/><BR/>Ms. Gregory is a talented author who certainly knows her way around sentences and paragraphs. The success she achieved with bending the story to suit the public's desire for "kiss and tell" sensationalism is an unfortunate reflection on both the author and the reading public at large.Gayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09308862059975983327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303971.post-16619439472434924612009-02-17T14:45:00.000-08:002009-02-17T14:45:00.000-08:00Very interesting interview, these were some great ...Very interesting interview, these were some great questions!S. Krishnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10268527069548216054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303971.post-72658192068562597132009-02-17T14:23:00.000-08:002009-02-17T14:23:00.000-08:00Actually, I feel a little bad about the vehemence ...Actually, I feel a little bad about the vehemence of my comment now. Phillipa Gregory can certainly write and she is writing fiction, true, so she has some leeway on her side, but such inaccuracy is hard for me personally to take, and I rarely find people who agree with me. I got a little excited. I've been spending waaay too much time in academic history. ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303971.post-70257214201283581952009-02-17T13:58:00.000-08:002009-02-17T13:58:00.000-08:00I read TOBG and it got me interested in Anne and M...I read TOBG and it got me interested in Anne and Mary so I did my own research and learned more about it. Did PG have an author's note that she she was radically fictionalizing? I don't remember. It was a great story though!Lenore Appelhanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16664671644163369772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303971.post-14782227256849661062009-02-17T13:57:00.000-08:002009-02-17T13:57:00.000-08:00Oh, I am so 100% with Robin Maxwell on Philippa Gr...Oh, I am so 100% with Robin Maxwell on Philippa Gregory and Anne Boleyn. Way to take a whole bunch of lies and pretend they're true, continuing the process of slandering a woman who appears to be cultured and intelligent according to all other reports. And I was bugged by the Elizabeth I movie as well. Maybe I should read more of her books after all!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303971.post-46351830052200217482009-02-17T13:23:00.000-08:002009-02-17T13:23:00.000-08:00I enjoyed this interview with Robin Maxwell, as a ...I enjoyed this interview with Robin Maxwell, as a fan I appreciate the discourse. Thank you for sharing and asking such great questions. <BR/>I have an interview upcoming with Sandra Worth who wrote The King's Daughter about Elizabeth of York. You might be interested in reading her thoughts. <BR/>Again....thanks for the post. :)wisteriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02620398484256424032noreply@blogger.com