Brother turns on brother
to win the ultimate prize, the throne, in this dazzling account of the
wars of the Plantagenets. They ruled before the Tudors, and now Philippa
Gregory brings them to life through the dramatic and intimate stories
of the secret players: the indomitable women.
The White Queen tells the story of Elizabeth Woodville, a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition, who secretly marries the newly crowned boy king. While Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for the success of her family, her two sons become the central figures in a famous unsolved mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the lost princes in the Tower of London. Philippa Gregory brings the artistry and intellect of a master writer and storyteller to a new era in history and begins what is sure to be another bestselling classic series from this beloved author.
The White Queen tells the story of Elizabeth Woodville, a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition, who secretly marries the newly crowned boy king. While Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for the success of her family, her two sons become the central figures in a famous unsolved mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the lost princes in the Tower of London. Philippa Gregory brings the artistry and intellect of a master writer and storyteller to a new era in history and begins what is sure to be another bestselling classic series from this beloved author.
One of my
favorite genre to read is historical novels. One of the newest books by
Philippa Gregory is The White Queen. The storyline of the book was set during
The War of the Roses in the 1400's and was one the bloodiest war of politics
that ever happen in the British Monarch history. It starts off with the
questionable meeting of Elizabeth Woodville and King Edward of York. One might
think it was not so much a chance meeting but a highly political driven meeting
by Elizabeth.
The author draws you into a story that is full of greed and blood, sex, social climbing and the ultimate betrayal of death. I found the story so riveting of the commoner Elizabeth Woodville and her rise to power to become the Queen Consort of the Plantagenet Reign! Nothing will stop her from becoming one of the most powerful women in British history, not even the death of her loved ones.
The author draws you into a story that is full of greed and blood, sex, social climbing and the ultimate betrayal of death. I found the story so riveting of the commoner Elizabeth Woodville and her rise to power to become the Queen Consort of the Plantagenet Reign! Nothing will stop her from becoming one of the most powerful women in British history, not even the death of her loved ones.
I was very
happy that the author chose Elizabeth as the main character because her life
was filled with such angst, power and greed and it was time someone wrote about
her. Whether you like her or hate her, you cannot take away the fact that she
was a very big piece of the Plantagenet Reign, if not the most important.
Elizabeth's and King Edward IV many children became some of the most powerful
and entitled people of the British Monarch. (Their
daughter Elizabeth of York was the mother of King Henry VIII, the most talked
and written about King!)
One of my favorite relationships in the book is Elizabeth and her mother, Jacquetta of Luxembourg. They share a special bond and also their need for power. The author brings you into their lives of witchcraft which can't be denied and the ways they use it to rise to the most powerful family in history. I just loved how the author brought their special connection too life, I could read and read about their relationship.
Now I come to the part of the book that disturbed me and I can't give anything away as this is all historical knowledge. The truth is that King Edward IV's two sons; Edward V, who was in line for the throne and Richard the 1st Duke of York, were murdered by their fathers brother Richard III after King Edward IV died. This is a very big part of the Plantagenet Monarch fall. Richard III had the boys, aged 14 and 13 killed in the Tower of London so he could become King. The author chose to take liberties with this part and write that Edward V was killed but his brother, who then would be in line, survived the killing. She explained that the boy’s mother switched her son; Richard with a commoner who she indicates was killed in his place. There has never been any mention of this in the history of this family. So basically she is now saying that a future King of England survived but never took the throne. This was the only part of the book that disturbed me, other than that The White Queen is an amazing read with suspense and intrigue.
One of my favorite relationships in the book is Elizabeth and her mother, Jacquetta of Luxembourg. They share a special bond and also their need for power. The author brings you into their lives of witchcraft which can't be denied and the ways they use it to rise to the most powerful family in history. I just loved how the author brought their special connection too life, I could read and read about their relationship.
Now I come to the part of the book that disturbed me and I can't give anything away as this is all historical knowledge. The truth is that King Edward IV's two sons; Edward V, who was in line for the throne and Richard the 1st Duke of York, were murdered by their fathers brother Richard III after King Edward IV died. This is a very big part of the Plantagenet Monarch fall. Richard III had the boys, aged 14 and 13 killed in the Tower of London so he could become King. The author chose to take liberties with this part and write that Edward V was killed but his brother, who then would be in line, survived the killing. She explained that the boy’s mother switched her son; Richard with a commoner who she indicates was killed in his place. There has never been any mention of this in the history of this family. So basically she is now saying that a future King of England survived but never took the throne. This was the only part of the book that disturbed me, other than that The White Queen is an amazing read with suspense and intrigue.
While I do
understand that this is a book, with how much information in the story was
factual, I was really disappointed that there were parts that didn’t match
up.
If you want to read about what the British Monarch had to go through too become King and Queen then this is the book for you. I highly recommend this book by Philippa Gregory!
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