Summary
The inspiration for the critically acclaimed Starz miniseries The White Queen , #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory brings to life the extraordinary story of Elizabeth Woodville, a woman who rises from obscurity to become Queen of England, and changes the course of history forever.
Elizabeth Woodville is a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition. Her mother is Jacquetta, also known as the mystical lady of the rivers, and she is even more determined to bring power and wealth to the family line. While riding in the woods one day, Elizabeth captures the attentions of the newly crowned King Edward IV and, despite her common upbringing, marries him in secret.
When she is raised up to be his queen, the English court is outraged, but Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for her family's dominance. Yet despite her best efforts, and even with the help of her mother's powers, her two sons become pawns in a famous unsolved mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the lost princes in the Tower of London.
In this dazzling account of the deadly Wars of the Roses, brother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize: the throne of England.
Published Reviews
Booklist Review:
"The fifteenth-century Wars of the Roses, during which the two branches of the mighty Plantagenet royal line fought one another for the throne, once again proves fertile ground for historical fiction. Gregory, one of today's most popular historical novelists, inaugurates a new series set in that tumultuous period of English history, focusing on the lives of important women. The title of this series debut refers to Elizabeth Woodville, who was born into minor nobility but, thanks to her stunning beauty, caught the eye of the devastatingly handsome Yorkist king Edward IV and married him (despite her family's support of his enemy-cousins) in what began and remained a controversial marriage. The king's roving eye aside, the new Queen Elizabeth struggled year after year to advance her brothers and sisters and to protect, in this backstabbing environment, the children of her previous marriage as well as her sons by the king. It is a well-told story, a kind of royal soap opera (but with strong factual underpinnings), richly detailed and fast moving. Gregory's legion of fans will be delighted.--Hooper, Brad Copyright 2009 Booklist"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review:
"The queen of British historical fiction (The Other Boleyn Girl) kicks off a new series with the story of Elizabeth Woodville Grey, whose shifting alliances helped the War of the Roses take root. The marriage of 22-year-old Yorkist King Edward IV to 27-year-old widow Elizabeth brings a sea change in loyalties: Elizabeth's Lancastrian family becomes Edward's strongest supporters, while Edward's closest adviser, the ambitious earl of Warwick, joins with Edward's brother George to steal the English crown. History buffs from Shakespeare on have speculated about this fateful period, especially the end of Edward and Elizabeth's two sons, and Gregory invents plausible but provocative scenarios to explore those mysteries; she is especially poignant depicting Elizabeth in her later years, when her allegiance shifts toward Richard III (who may have killed her sons). Gregory earned her international reputation evoking sex, violence, love and betrayal among the Tudors; here she adds intimate relationships, political maneuvering and battlefield conflicts as well as some well-drawn supernatural elements. Gregory's newest may not be as fresh as earlier efforts, but she captures vividly the terrible inertia of war. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved"
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Additional Information
| Series |
Gregory, Philippa. Cousins' war ; bk. 1.
|
| Subjects |
Elizabeth,
-- Queen, consort of Edward IV, King of England,
-- 1437?-1492
-- Fiction.
Edward
-- V,
-- King of England,
-- 1470-1483
-- Fiction.
Richard,
-- Duke of York,
-- 1472-1483
-- Fiction.
Edward
-- V,
-- King of England,
-- 1470-1483
-- Death and burial
-- Fiction.
Richard,
-- Duke of York,
-- 1472-1483
-- Death and burial
-- Fiction.
Richard
-- III,
-- King of England,
-- 1452-1485
-- Fiction.
Murder
-- England
-- History
-- To 1500
-- Fiction.
Queens
-- Great Britain
-- Fiction.
Great Britain
-- History
-- Edward IV, 1461-1483
-- Fiction.
Great Britain
-- History
-- Richard III, 1483-1485
-- Fiction.
Great Britain
-- History
-- Wars of the Roses, 1455-1485
-- Fiction.
Biographical fiction.
Historical fiction.
|
| Publisher |
New York :Simon & Schuster,2009
|
| Edition |
1st Touchstone hardcover ed. |
| Language |
English
|
| Notes |
"A Touchstone book."
Includes an Author's note : "This new novel, the first of a series about the Plantaganets."-- p. 409.
|
| Description |
415 pages : map, genealogical table ; 24 cm.
|
| Bibliography Notes |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 413-415).
|
| ISBN |
9781476735481 (paperback)
9781416563686 (hardcover)
1416563687
|
| Other |
Classic View |