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The White Queen (2009)

by Philippa Gregory(Favorite Author)

3.83 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1416563687 (ISBN13: 9781416563686)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Touchstone

series

The Cousins' War

review 1: I bought the abridged audio version of Philippa Gregory's 2011 book, "The White Queen". It tells the story of Elizabeth Woodville, the mother of the Princes in the Tower, and also Elizabeth of York, Henry VIII's mother. I really liked it. However, I felt that the battle sequences made the book a little disjointed, detracting from the strong characterisation - a trademark of Philippa Gregory's books. Of course, it is in the genre of historical fiction, so battles are to be expected, but I still got a little confused- who was fighting who etc. That aside however, I really enjoyed it. The reader really got a sense of the personality of Elizabeth Woodville. A woman who ascended to royalty, by virtue of her beauty - who had to fight & scheme to keep her family together & the Yo... morerk name on the English Throne. A very promising start to the new series of books, known as the "Cousins' War"
review 2: **4 1/2 stars** I've read Philippa Gregory before, but I'd have to say, The White Queen is my favorite to date. Perhaps it's because it addresses one of my favorite periods in English history -- The War of the Roses. Most readers know Gregory as an authority on all things Tudor. My interests lie in the period right before the Tudor reigns. The White Queen tells the story of Queen Elizabeth (nee Woodville), consort to King Edward IV; the mother of the famed Princes in the Tower, who disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again. She also is ironically, the maternal grandmother of the most notorious Tudor King, Henry VIII. Her oldest daughter with King Edward married Henry's father, combining the Houses of York and Lancaster, officially ending the War of the Roses. Most students of this period in history tend to fall into two camps -- pro-Elizabeth and those against. I happen to fall into the former category. I found Philippa Gregory's The White Queen to lean toward being more complimentary to Elizabeth's memory than many other historical descriptions that I've come to learn and believe are unjust. Indeed, Elizabeth is the clear protagonist of the story, at the center of what pulls the reader into this tale. Gregory does not shy away from more controversial aspects of Elizabeth's supposed character such as ambition and witchcraft (I tend not to believe either to the extent that even Gregory ventures), but the author does not disparage Elizabeth to the point where she is not likeable. In fact, the reader will find much to like about her. Gregory paints the story of a genuine love match between Elizabeth and her king. There are historians with whom I agree who find evidence for their belief that King Edward and Queen Elizabeth had a respectful, strong relationship that withstood threats to both their personal lives as well as their kingdom. I've always found it disappointing and unfair that Elizabeth has been placed at the root of all that was devious and wrong during Edward's otherwise positively viewed reign. Gregory fortunately takes the view that, despite her ambitions for her family, at the heart of her story, Elizabeth loved her king, her children, and was willing to fight for what she felt was just and right. Gregory's White Queen is courageous and strong. I know enough of the maligned King Richard III -- King Edward's younger brother -- to suspect that he was most probably the one behind his nephews' supposed murder in the tower. At the least, Richard placed the princes in danger by placing them in the Tower of London, robbed them of their birthright, and maliciously denied Elizabeth's marriage to his brother (effectively bastardizing her children with King Edward). Gregory takes a unique approach in her own assumptions about what truly occurred to the princes. I'm not sure I buy what she lays out in the book, but her arguments and suppositions are rooted in her own conjectures of what makes the most sense to her based on her own knowledge and understanding of the time in which she writes. This book has gotten me excited again about this period in English history. I plan to follow-up this read with a biography (hopefully unbiased and thorough) of Queen Elizabeth, this White Queen of the House of York, the tragic figure that has been slandered by the propaganda of the period of her day. I thank Philippa Gregory for the interesting perspective she chose to take on the tragic Queen who won the heart of the 1st York King. less

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Reviews (see all)

coolcandy18

Phillipa Gregory puts an interesting spin on history with lively and brilliant characters, turning the dusty libraries of historical fact into something tangible and alive. Her trail of research is impressive and grants the reader further venues in which to continue the search into the lives of these historic figures. The White Queen is represented as a strong woman with courage and intelligence and strength. Even through there are some fanciful elements to the narrative, she still faces heart ache and treachery. She is an admirable figure, and while the book doesn't take a scientific front on what happened to the two princes in the tower that vanish, the book is satisfying and gives a general understanding of the elements involved concerning the reality. All in all, this was an excellent read.

alex

I must preface this review with, "I did not finish this book". I just couldn't. I was hoping for historical fiction, not a romance novel with historical characters, more Sharon Kay Penman or Conn Iggulden, less Harlequin. I honestly don't know if the book gets better after the first 100 pages. I can't bear to stick with it to find out. Needless to say, this is my first and last Philippa Gregory novel. I'll wait for the second book in Mr. Iggulden's War of the Roses series to be released in the U.S.

grace

Good writing based on sound historical evidence. Very interesting from Queen's perspective.

AJLSka22

I love it so far!!!!! LOVE IT!

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