Carole's Saturday Review: The lady of the rivers - Philippa Gregory

Author: Philippa Gregory

Title: The Lady of the Rivers (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels #1)

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, and Fantasy

Pages: 502

First Published: September 2011

Where I Got It: Borrow from library

Jacquetta, daughter of the Count of Luxembourg and kinswoman to half the royalty of Europe, was married to the great Englishman John, Duke of Bedford, uncle to Henry VI. Widowed at the age of 19, she took the extraordinary risk of marrying a gentleman of her household for love, and then carved out a new life for herself. 

I truly have a love-hate relationship with this author. I either like her books or I hate them. There are a couple that fall in between. Sometimes the authors bends the historical facts too much and sometimes she does a good job. I think she does have a bias against some characters and she bends them too much for my liking. 

Now, this story follows Jacquetta who is very underrated as a historical figure. She really intrigues me whenever she pops up. I find her story interesting. She is forced to marry an older man who dies. She gets his title and all that. Instead of marrying within in station, she marries a man who use to work for her late hubbie. Which this man is WAYYYYYYYYYYYY below her station. Very interesting for the times. What is even more interesting is that the king at the time quickly forgives her and her husband. Too quickly, but the king was a a decent man in some aspects.

In this version of the story, the author plays on the fact that Jacquetta was accused of being a witch and does make her have some supernatural powers like telling the future. Very interesting take to actually have her have visions and whatnot. I liked it, but I didn't really care for her first hubbie approving of these powers and trying to use them for his gain. At the time, I don't think he would have approved of her powers and would have screamed witch. 

This was a fun book to read, because I liked the characters. However, there were SO MANY LULLS and nothing happening that I legit fell asleep a couple of times. I feel that there should have been some POV changes when Jacquetta was at home giving birth to her millionth child. Yes, the woman was a freakin' rabbit! xI But yes, sooooo many lulls that I did a lot of skimming.  

The ending dragged on and on and on. The ending was cliff-hangerish if you do not know your history. And I get why she did that, because the story is not over yet. 

In the end, I liked this. However, it was slow moving and the ending never ended. I am curious in reading the next book. This wasn't great, but it was okay. Out of five stars, I shall stamp this with 3. 

Review: The Kingmaker's Daughter - Philippa Gregory

The Kingmaker’s Daughter is the gripping and ultimately tragic story of the daughters of the man known as the “Kingmaker,” the most powerful magnate in England through the Cousins’ Wars. In the absence of a son and heir, he uses the two girls as pawns in his political games, but they grow up to be influential players in their own right. 

At the court of Edward IV and his beautiful queen, Elizabeth Woodville, Anne grows from a delightful child brought up in intimacy and friendship with the family of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, to become ever more fearful and desperate when her father makes war on his former friends. Her will is tested when she is left widowed and fatherless, with her mother in sanctuary and her sister married to the enemy. Fortune’s wheel turns again when Richard rescues Anne from her sister’s house, with danger still following Anne, even as she eventually ascends to the throne as queen. Having lost those closest to her, she must protect herself and her precious only child, Prince Edward, from a court full of royal rivals.

My thoughts:

The War of Roses, what a mess, what a bunch of power hungry backstabbing maniacs. What a time (I would sure not have liked to live then), and  in the end a time that is fascinating to read about.

This book is about Anne Neville, daughter of the Warwick the Kingmaker. Anne who was married to the not so successful Lancaster Prince Edward and later to Richard of York. Always a pawn in the hands of men.

I did like her at first, she has a brain, she thought about things, but the later part of the book started to change that. She was paranoid, she never used her head, she believed everything told to her, she never questioned things, she was always scared, she was a grey little mouse, a sour cow, and the b word too. I kind of lost respect for her there at the end. Always with the constant we hate the Rivers. She was cold. At least she felt like this to me. And she was naive too. But hey, then I always hated the Nevilles. Do not ask me why. But even if I disliked her at the end it sure did not take away the pleasure of reading a good novel.

Richard I liked, he was portrayed as honorable (for the most part). Sure he had his hidden agendas but hey who has not.

I can read a lot of books about the same time it seems, I never get tired. Because every time it is through the eyes of someone new, a new perspective. And here, oh it just shows what backstabbers everyone was, Warwick, the York boys. It was never enough for any of them, always more more more. Some issues for sure.

A turbulent time viewed by a woman, not always at the center of things, but always behind the men who were. 

Conclusion:

A great tale from Gregory and I look forward to her next book which will be about Princess Elizabeth of York.

Cover:

I do feel a bit meh about it

Extra Info:

The White Queen, book 1, is to be made into a 10 part mini-series from BBC :D I can't wait!

Series: The Cousins' War #4
Genre: Historical fiction
Pages: 426
Published: Aug 16th 2012 by Simon & Schuster UK
Source: For review

Review: The Women of the Cousins' War: The Duchess, the Queen and the King's Mother

Genre: Non-fiction
Pages: 338
Published: September 15, 2011
Publisher: Simon and Schuster ltd
Source: For review

#1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory and two historians present a must-have non-fiction book for both fans and scholars.

My thoughts:

I have actually never reviewed non-fiction before, and in the end I have not read much either, since my non-fiction mostly consists of uni textbooks (and none that exciting as this one). After having read all 3 books by Philippa Gregory it was interesting to read this book since this one is all fact and thoughts about these three women. But how to review is the question. I can't say I did not like something that happens since it is what happened. So I looked at is this way, was it boring and made me fall asleep? The question to that is no. It was never dry.

Philippa Gregory has written the first part about Jacquetta and she tells the story from cradle to grave. The little that is known about this fascinating woman. I do love any woman who went her on way at a time where your father, husband, brother or king ruled you. Sure many other women went their own way, but I just like how she married so far beneath her status, she must have loved him so and I am a sucker for that.

The next part is by David Baldwin and he tells the story about Elizabeth Woodville. I will always like the Woodville family and they are just so slandered, it is horrible. They were certainly not the first family to gain lands, titles and money when someone from their family caught a king's eye. And even if her husband was a terrible womanizer I will always like their story, lust at first sight ;)

The last part is by Michael Jones and it is about Margaret Beaufort (whom I called the bitch in The Red Queen). It is strange to say that you do not like someone that has lived and you have never met, but I just do not like it (but her story is a good one), and I certainly do not like her son Henry Tudor. Lol, I have a strange aversion for all the Tudors for some reason. Well starting from Henry. Oh and I am sure these two killed the princes in the tower, ok, I am just blaming them since I dislike them.

All in all 3 good authors writing about 3 interesting women, that history has vilified or as with Margaret made all saintly and good. It is not perhaps a book you read at once. No, you can read one section and then read another another day. History is not going anywhere.

Conclusion:

A good book to read after reading this series, or a good book to make you want to read the Cousin's War books.

Rating: 

Interesting

Cover:

I can't grade non.fiction, it fits

Review: The Lady of the Rivers - Philippa Gregory

Series: The Cousin's War #3
Genre: Historical fiction
Pages: 497
Published: September 15, 2011 (UK)
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Ltd
Source. For review

Jacquetta, daughter of the Count of Luxembourg and kinswoman to half the royalty of Europe, was married to the great Englishman John, Duke of Bedford, uncle to Henry VI. Widowed at the age of nineteen she took the extraordinary risk of marrying a gentleman of her house-hold for love, and then carved out a life for herself as Queen Margaret of Anjou's close friend and a Lancaster supporter - until the day that her daughter Elizabeth Woodville fell in love and married the rival king Edward IV. Of all the little-known but important women of the period, her dramatic story is the most neglected. With her links to Melusina, and to the founder of the house of Luxembourg, together with her reputation for making magic, she is the most haunting of heroines.

My thoughts:

I have been looking forward to this book ever since I heard she was writing it. Jacquetta is an interesting person to say the least. And you can say that when this book end, then book 1 actually begins, The White Queen. Since it is up to that point we hear her story.

Jacquetta married the Duke of Bedford, something that his former brother in law did not like. And they lost the support of Burgundy. In this book Gregory has the duke marrying Jacquetta because of her legacy, she is a descendant of Melusina. While in truth, who knows, he was old., she was young and pretty. That is reason enough. There she also meets Richard Woodville whom she later married without the kings blessing, and they pay for it. But when you are in love you are and I do admire Jacquetta for going against everything and everyone at a time like that.

And the story, yes we get to see England fight for France. Jacquetta get children, a lot, poor woman, she was always pregnant. Well at least they liked each other ;) And of course the fall of the Lancaster King. The king falling into his sleep, Queen Margaret trying to keep the country together and then the start of the war of the roses. I also got thinking and I do like to think that Margaret got her child by a lover. Who can tell. And of course a book like this always has me picking a side. By now I have reached the conclusion that I will always start of as a Lancastrian but when Edward comes along I am Yorkist all the way. I also find it funny that I never like Warwick, no way. I haven't liked him in any book I have read so far about this time.

Some do not like the magic in these books. But I look at it another way. I let Jacquetta think she can see the future, because back then superstition ruled. So if she thinks the saw the future it's because she thought it so. Therefore I do not mind it at all. It does not take anything from the novel. It should also be there since the talk was that she was a witch, just like many other women of power, or who was strange, alone, old, anything really.

What we got in the end is an interesting tale about a woman who risked it all and who lived through dangerous times and got to see her daughter become queen (even if we do not see it here). I am glad Gregory wrote a book about Jacquetta and I am certainly glad to have read it. It was just what I wanted and I will not get tired of The cousin's war.

Conclusion:

A great book that I recommend to all fans of historical fiction, and to everyone because you can't go wrong with history. And it may be long, but it is good. She does make history come alive. In the end we have this fascinating tale about a strong woman in a rich setting and it is worth exploring.

Rating:

Recommended

Cover.

Pretty :D

Review: The Red Queen - Philippa Gregory

The Cousins War, book 2

Genre: Historical Fiction
Published: August 19th 2010 Simon and Schuster UK
Pages: 432

The second book in Philippa's stunning new trilogy, The Cousins War, brings to life the story of Margaret Beaufort, a shadowy and mysterious character in the first book of the series - The White Queen - but who now takes centre stage in the bitter struggle of The War of the Roses. The Red Queen tells the story of the child-bride of Edmund Tudor, who, although widowed in her early teens, uses her determination of character and wily plotting to infiltrate the house of York under the guise of loyal friend and servant, undermine the support for Richard III and ultimately ensure that her only son, Henry Tudor, triumphs as King of England. Through collaboration with the dowager Queen Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret agrees a betrothal between Henry and Elizabeth's daughter, thereby uniting the families and resolving the Cousins War once and for all by founding of the Tudor dynasty.

First, I seriously disliked this woman, That Beaufort woman as I called her in my head. Secondly, this was another great story by Gregory. She sure has an easy way of writing.

Margaret is pious, and as a child she is thrilled to have Saint's knees from kneeling so much. She wants to be like Joan of Arc, and lead her country to victory, she wants to be a nun and go to a convent. And she believes god put her on this earth to be queen. If anyone is hungry for power it is her. She longs to sign her name as Margaret R, for Regina, that is queen. How this goes together for her dream of becoming a nun I do not know. She is a power hungry woman who will kill children if they stand in her way. 

Even though I liked the book this was my problem. Her faith, she saw it that God wanted a Lancaster on the throne, she saw fault in all the Yorks cos of this. She saw fault in her own husband when he didn't want to fight for Lancaster and she called him a coward. Even though her beloved Jasper Tudor fled the country like a coward and left her and his nephew behind. But he was never a coward. She was cold, and I finished this book by a disliking her..a lot!

That being said, this was a good novel. The pages just flew by cos Gregory has this easy way of writing. Things move along (most of the time), and no concern for any dry facts. It's light fiction, and after reading The White Queen is was interesting to see the war of the roses from the Lancaster side.

And now to make my point clear, I may be over 500 years too late, but I do believe I find myself to be a Yorkist, lol. And to my horror, I doesn't dislike Richard III any more, he was barely in this book and still, yes I am a Yorkist. I even made my mind up as to who killed the princes in the tower.

This book had some good side characters, I liked Henry Stafford, her 2nd husband, but felt so sorry for him for being hazzled by her. Jasper Tudor, I want to read a book about him, and last Lord Stanley who she met her match in. He followed his path, and that was the winning path.

Blodeuedd's Cover Corner: Quite the different from the white queen and this suits her.

Reason for reading: From the publisher.

Final thoughts: I guess I am looking forward to Elizabeth of York's story then.
Grade: 3,5, would have given more if I hadn't disliked Margaret so much

Review: The White Queen - Philippa Gregory

Genre: Historical fiction
Pages: 417
Published: 2009 Simon & Schuster

The first in a stunning new series, The Cousins War, is set amid the tumult and intrigue of The War of the Roses. Internationally bestselling author Philippa Gregory brings this family drama to colourful life through its women, beginning with the story of Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen. The White Queen tells the story of a common woman who ascends to royalty by virtue of her beauty, a woman who rises to the demands of her position and fights tenaciously for the success of her family, a woman whose two sons become the central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the Princes in the Tower whose fate remains unknown to this day.

I might have read a Philippa Gregory book way back, before the Tudor books, so I was very curious how she wrote when I started this one. And I liked what I read. I read a book about the War of the Roses not so long ago, but this story can sure be told again.

It's about the sometimes oh so confusing War of the Roses. Lancaster about York, cousin against cousin, brother against brother. Elizabeth Woodville was a young Lancaster supporting widow who asked the new York king to help her get back the land for her two sons. They married, and the story begin with her living it. Edward IV trying to hold his throne, Warwick resenting her, Henry VI trying to take his throne back, trouble with his brother George, and all those Lancaster and York supporters changing sides and rooting for new supporters.

This book made me google, a lot. A really interesting historical novel always makes me to that, I want to have a look at everyone involved, see what happened before, and what will happen. One thing I was happy about to see was the family tree in the beginning, because that was needed so see where the Lancaster house and The house of York really fought for, and of course to see where the house of Tudor started.

I came to like Elizabeth through this book, and she really loved her husband, even though he had bedded half the women in England, but he still loved her like crazy. And I liked him even if he slept around.

But there were some aspects that were a bit, I mean I had nothing against it, but felt it didn't have to be there. The house of Burgundy claimed that they were descendants from Melusina, this half woman, fish being that lives in lakes. There was magic in the women of the family. I am glad that she never said that it was magic; instead she just made Jaquetta and Elizabeth witches who thought they managed to make some things happen. Just because Jaquetta was accused of being a witch doesn't make her one. The best way to discredit a king is to call him a bastard, his wife a witch, and more. The reason why they surely married in the first place was lust, cos yes he got around. But in the end, I didn't mind really. Let them think they have powers.

She also took up the subject of Perkin Warbeck, and made him truly be Duke Richard, one of the princes of the tower. Interesting take on an age old question, but no, I to think they both were killed, one way or another. Who killed them is another matter.

Last is just a personal thing, Elizabeth of York (Elizabeth W's and Edward's daughter) was rather silly in the end. Come on, falling in love with her uncle, Richard III, gross. And he had killed her uncle, her half brother, and more. He might have killed her younger brothers. He stole the throne, and she liked him? Well at least she did in this book, the truth we will never know. But there was sure something fishy going on at that court. But anyway, I did not care of her in this book.

A good book about the War of the Roses, and of one fascinating woman. I hope the Red Queen is equally good as this one.

Blodeuedd's Cover Corner: very pretty.

Reason for reading: From Simon & Schuster

Final thoughts: She brings to life an era filled with war and backstabbing brothers. It's not an pretty era, but it is sure interesting.

4