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violetisreading's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
cindyc3689's review
3.0
Edited 28/02/12
Ya...amplop, baru sadar kalau udah dapat buntelan dari Penerbit Esensi dari kemarin. Terima kasih Penerbit Esensi, buku asli-nya sudah saya terima dng baik. Covernya keren!!
====================================================
Di suatu masa, di tengah-tengah peperangan keluarga York dan Lancaster demi tahta kerajaan Inggris, seorang janda muda membawa dua orang putranya menghadang perjalanan sang Raja, mengharap kemurahhatiannya agar harta dan gelar suaminya dapat diwariskan pada putra sulungnya. Terpikat pada kecantikan wanita ini -atau mungkin juga pengaruh sihirnya- Raja Edward bukan hanya mengabulkan permintaannya namun juga memperistrinya, menjadikannya seorang Ratu Mawar Putih (lambang keluarga York).
Selama 20 tahun menjadi Raja dan Ratu, kekuasaan Edward dan Elizabeth tidak pernah sepi dari intrik, peperangan dan pengkhianatan. Kesetiaan berubah seperti angin yang berganti arah. Sepupu melawan sepupu, bahkan Saudara memusuhi saudara.
****
Membaca novel ini rasanya seperti tercebur dalam kolam intrik yang tidak jelas ujung pangkalnya. Layar dibuka di tengah-tengah kecamuk War of the Roses, periode perang saudara di Inggris pada pertengahan abad ke-15 antara Keluarga Lancaster dan Keluarga York. Di halaman awal buku memang tersedia sebuah silsilah singkat tokoh-tokohnya, namun sebagai orang awam sejarah Inggris, keterangan ini sangat minim, bahkan untuk mengerti siapa adalah siapa. Ditambah lagi dengan banyaknya nama yang sama, sekian banyak Edward, Richard, Henry, Elizabeth, Anne dan Margaret. *nggak kreatip ya, orang-orang Inggris kuno ini*
Namun dengan sedikit kesabaran, ritme penceritaan akhirnya dapat dipegang. Fakta sejarah dan intrik-intrik yang ada disajikan dengan cukup menarik, karena dipandang dari sudut pandang seorang Ratu. Terlebih lagi, Philippa Gregory memilih menjadikan Sang Ratu benar-benar seorang penyihir, yang mampu meramalkan masa depan, bermain guna-guna, mendatangkan hujan badai dan banjir atau bahkan mengutuk seseorang.
Menurut saya, sekitar 300 halaman pertama sedikit membosankan, karena pesona sang Ratu tertutupi oleh pribadi ibunya. Elizabeth seakan hanya menjadi perpanjangan tangan si Ibu dalam meraih ambisi kekuasaan, dan tempat Sang Raja memperoleh keturunan (dengan kalimat "Istriku, mari kita ke ranjang" setiap 5 bab sekali). Namun setelah kematian sang ibu, kepribadian Elizabeth lebih menguat, seperti juga ambisinya untuk mempertahankan tahta dan keinginannya untuk melindungi Edward dan keluarga besar mereka. Semua ini mencapai klimaks setelah kematian Raja Edward yang begitu tiba-tiba, yang memaksa Elizabeth mengerahkan segala upaya, adu siasat dan kejelian berpikir, juga sihir, mantra dan kutukan. Di sini Elizabeth benar-benar terlihat sebagai pribadi yang matang dan pantas menjadi Ratu.
Selain kisah Elizabeth, ada sesuatu yang menarik dan mencuri perhatian saya, yaitu penggalan-penggalan kisah Melusina, sang Dewi Air, yang dijalin masuk dalam cerita utama. Unik!
***
Yang saya baca ini adalah edisi advance uncorrected proof dari penerbit yang didapat dari http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/639373-modal-baca-review-dapat-novel-mau?. Terjemahannya lumayan oke, tapi catatan saja, typo masih bertaburan di sana-sini, smoga saat diterbitkan nanti sudah "typo free".
Covernya saya suka, dominasi white on white-nya cocok untuk judulnya. Apalagi wajah sang Ratu juga hanya sebagian, terserah pembaca untuk mengimajinasikan kecantikan beliau. Tapiiii..., resolusi gambarnya kok jelek sekali yaaa...
Ya...amplop, baru sadar kalau udah dapat buntelan dari Penerbit Esensi dari kemarin. Terima kasih Penerbit Esensi, buku asli-nya sudah saya terima dng baik. Covernya keren!!
====================================================
Di suatu masa, di tengah-tengah peperangan keluarga York dan Lancaster demi tahta kerajaan Inggris, seorang janda muda membawa dua orang putranya menghadang perjalanan sang Raja, mengharap kemurahhatiannya agar harta dan gelar suaminya dapat diwariskan pada putra sulungnya. Terpikat pada kecantikan wanita ini -atau mungkin juga pengaruh sihirnya- Raja Edward bukan hanya mengabulkan permintaannya namun juga memperistrinya, menjadikannya seorang Ratu Mawar Putih (lambang keluarga York).
Selama 20 tahun menjadi Raja dan Ratu, kekuasaan Edward dan Elizabeth tidak pernah sepi dari intrik, peperangan dan pengkhianatan. Kesetiaan berubah seperti angin yang berganti arah. Sepupu melawan sepupu, bahkan Saudara memusuhi saudara.
****
Membaca novel ini rasanya seperti tercebur dalam kolam intrik yang tidak jelas ujung pangkalnya. Layar dibuka di tengah-tengah kecamuk War of the Roses, periode perang saudara di Inggris pada pertengahan abad ke-15 antara Keluarga Lancaster dan Keluarga York. Di halaman awal buku memang tersedia sebuah silsilah singkat tokoh-tokohnya, namun sebagai orang awam sejarah Inggris, keterangan ini sangat minim, bahkan untuk mengerti siapa adalah siapa. Ditambah lagi dengan banyaknya nama yang sama, sekian banyak Edward, Richard, Henry, Elizabeth, Anne dan Margaret. *nggak kreatip ya, orang-orang Inggris kuno ini*
Namun dengan sedikit kesabaran, ritme penceritaan akhirnya dapat dipegang. Fakta sejarah dan intrik-intrik yang ada disajikan dengan cukup menarik, karena dipandang dari sudut pandang seorang Ratu. Terlebih lagi, Philippa Gregory memilih menjadikan Sang Ratu benar-benar seorang penyihir, yang mampu meramalkan masa depan, bermain guna-guna, mendatangkan hujan badai dan banjir atau bahkan mengutuk seseorang.
Menurut saya, sekitar 300 halaman pertama sedikit membosankan, karena pesona sang Ratu tertutupi oleh pribadi ibunya. Elizabeth seakan hanya menjadi perpanjangan tangan si Ibu dalam meraih ambisi kekuasaan, dan tempat Sang Raja memperoleh keturunan (dengan kalimat "Istriku, mari kita ke ranjang" setiap 5 bab sekali). Namun setelah kematian sang ibu, kepribadian Elizabeth lebih menguat, seperti juga ambisinya untuk mempertahankan tahta dan keinginannya untuk melindungi Edward dan keluarga besar mereka. Semua ini mencapai klimaks setelah kematian Raja Edward yang begitu tiba-tiba, yang memaksa Elizabeth mengerahkan segala upaya, adu siasat dan kejelian berpikir, juga sihir, mantra dan kutukan. Di sini Elizabeth benar-benar terlihat sebagai pribadi yang matang dan pantas menjadi Ratu.
Selain kisah Elizabeth, ada sesuatu yang menarik dan mencuri perhatian saya, yaitu penggalan-penggalan kisah Melusina, sang Dewi Air, yang dijalin masuk dalam cerita utama. Unik!
***
Yang saya baca ini adalah edisi advance uncorrected proof dari penerbit yang didapat dari http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/639373-modal-baca-review-dapat-novel-mau?. Terjemahannya lumayan oke, tapi catatan saja, typo masih bertaburan di sana-sini, smoga saat diterbitkan nanti sudah "typo free".
Covernya saya suka, dominasi white on white-nya cocok untuk judulnya. Apalagi wajah sang Ratu juga hanya sebagian, terserah pembaca untuk mengimajinasikan kecantikan beliau. Tapiiii..., resolusi gambarnya kok jelek sekali yaaa...
mdemanatee's review
4.0
Despite my year-long wait from the publish date to read this title, this was the Cousin's War novel I was most eagerly anticipating. The White Queen had been my favorite so far, and I eagerly awaited picking back up Elizabeth York's story. Mostly, I wanted to know the reasoning behind her falling in love with King Richard, which was depicted in its early stages in the White Queen.
I was disappointed on a lot of levels with this book. For one, Elizabeth's love of Richard is never explained, but we open the book with her in mourning for Richard. We are then forced to deal with her anger at the Tudors for slaying Richard. The grudges she is able to forgive while holding on to this one make it hard to swallow. Especially because ware are only incessantly told of her love for Richard, we are given no real sense of their relationship or why she loves him.
Elizabeth's relationship with Henry is not sunshine and rainbows obviously, but it starts off in a way that made it incredibly difficult for me to ever have sympathy for him, especially as he spent the rest of the novel paranoid and petulant. It's fine to have those moments of darkness, but I saw no redeeming qualities in Henry's character. It's one thing to complicate the Tudor forwarded narrative of history, and another to present a flat, uninteresting character that dominates the novel.
In terms of the rewriting of history, the book focuses on the challenges Henry faces in keeping his crown after winning it from Richard III. Except, after four previous books the fight for the crown is well-trodden territory, and I really need a new angle to keep me going. Usually this angle is the relationships, something that didn't really pan out for me in this go-around. It might have been interesting from the boys in the tower angle. Is this really young Richard of York? Except, Gregory keeps information away from Elizabeth, and Elizabeth is apparently unable to draw her own conclusions even in her own mind. While the previous women of the Cousin's War series have been largely proactive forces, Elizabeth comes off as extremely passive and uninteresting. Despite the number of battles and uprisings, I feel as if nothing is happening, or as if the same events are happening over and over. The state of Henry's hold on the kingdom barely changes. Her relationship with Henry barely changes. Indeed, it got to the point where even barely there supporting characters felt more interesting.
Also, the hints of prophecy here are utterly ridiculous. The White Queen has the mystic throughout in a way, that while stretches credibility at times, is a central part of the tone and the narrative. In the White Princess, Elizabeth's premonitions about the future of the Tudor line, especially Elizabeth I, come out of nowhere and feel heavy handed and cheap.
I desperately wanted to love this book. Overall, I have enjoyed the Cousin's War series, and I was primed for Elizabeth to be my favorite. She was part of such an exciting time, a bridge between the York and Tudor houses. Unfortunately, I hope, this book did not seem to do her justice.
I was disappointed on a lot of levels with this book. For one, Elizabeth's love of Richard is never explained, but we open the book with her in mourning for Richard. We are then forced to deal with her anger at the Tudors for slaying Richard. The grudges she is able to forgive while holding on to this one make it hard to swallow. Especially because ware are only incessantly told of her love for Richard, we are given no real sense of their relationship or why she loves him.
Elizabeth's relationship with Henry is not sunshine and rainbows obviously, but it starts off in a way that made it incredibly difficult for me to ever have sympathy for him, especially as he spent the rest of the novel paranoid and petulant. It's fine to have those moments of darkness, but I saw no redeeming qualities in Henry's character. It's one thing to complicate the Tudor forwarded narrative of history, and another to present a flat, uninteresting character that dominates the novel.
In terms of the rewriting of history, the book focuses on the challenges Henry faces in keeping his crown after winning it from Richard III. Except, after four previous books the fight for the crown is well-trodden territory, and I really need a new angle to keep me going. Usually this angle is the relationships, something that didn't really pan out for me in this go-around. It might have been interesting from the boys in the tower angle. Is this really young Richard of York? Except, Gregory keeps information away from Elizabeth, and Elizabeth is apparently unable to draw her own conclusions even in her own mind. While the previous women of the Cousin's War series have been largely proactive forces, Elizabeth comes off as extremely passive and uninteresting. Despite the number of battles and uprisings, I feel as if nothing is happening, or as if the same events are happening over and over. The state of Henry's hold on the kingdom barely changes. Her relationship with Henry barely changes. Indeed, it got to the point where even barely there supporting characters felt more interesting.
Also, the hints of prophecy here are utterly ridiculous. The White Queen has the mystic throughout in a way, that while stretches credibility at times, is a central part of the tone and the narrative. In the White Princess, Elizabeth's premonitions about the future of the Tudor line, especially Elizabeth I, come out of nowhere and feel heavy handed and cheap.
I desperately wanted to love this book. Overall, I have enjoyed the Cousin's War series, and I was primed for Elizabeth to be my favorite. She was part of such an exciting time, a bridge between the York and Tudor houses. Unfortunately, I hope, this book did not seem to do her justice.
stephybara's review
2.0
This was OK. The narrative was a bit repetitive in places.
It's nice to get a story told from Elizabeth Woodville's point of view, but I am not really on board with the decision to have Elizabeth (and her mother) actually be practicing witchcraft. It seemed unnecessary to me.
The family tree at the beginning of the book was close to useless since it didn't clearly explain the relationships the reader would need explained.
And as I know 'What Happens Next' there is some awfully heavy foreshadowing that I found annoying.
Somehow I'll probably read more Philippa Gregory, though. The lovely covers of her books always drag me in - against my will.
It's nice to get a story told from Elizabeth Woodville's point of view, but I am not really on board with the decision to have Elizabeth (and her mother) actually be practicing witchcraft. It seemed unnecessary to me.
The family tree at the beginning of the book was close to useless since it didn't clearly explain the relationships the reader would need explained.
And as I know 'What Happens Next' there is some awfully heavy foreshadowing that I found annoying.
Somehow I'll probably read more Philippa Gregory, though. The lovely covers of her books always drag me in - against my will.
bookishjenn's review
5.0
Lowering my rating to 4 stars after reading this 3.5 years ago. I'm just not obsessed with Philippa Gregory's writing anymore, but I still think this is one of her best books. I also read this in French this time!
banana29's review
4.0
I used my first free credit at audible.com to download the audiobook of The Lady of the Rivers. I absolutely love the myths of the French royal families who descended from merpeople and the story of Melusina is evident throughout this book. The audiobook was well-performed and I really enjoyed this book overall. It's a different feel from The Tudor series, but once again, Philippa Gregory doesn't disappoint. One of the strangest side effects of reading this book, is that it affected my gardening....the main character, Jacquetta, gardens according to astronomy....then later this year I found out about biodynamic agriculture...suddenly I'm much more concerned what phase the moon is when I'm planting.
amtl73's review
2.0
Overall I didn't like this one! I felt like Elizabeth was obtuse and it got on my nerves. The amount of times she said "I don't know" was beyond ridiculous! At what point was she going to attempt to find out? Jeez. I know these are real people and a fictionalized account but I find it really hard to believe Elizabeth know nothing about everything all the time!
"I don't know" was only exceeded by "The Boy". By halfway through the book, I hated those words together. At this time, the boy is a young man and for some reason it irked me how they kept referring to him as the boy.
I am a full fledged Philippa Gregory stan and wouldn't hesitate to purchase her books. This one was just....not as good as the other ones. I listened to it and still finished it in like 4-5 days because I wanted to listen as much as possible. That's the beauty of this particular subject...just so intriguing.
I wanted to learn more about Henry Tudor and it lacked that. Of course the POV is Elizabeth and she maybe never got to know her husband very well.
If you are interested in the cousins war, this is another vantage point but it could be missed because very little is revealed that you don't know from other Gregory books about the Tudors.
"I don't know" was only exceeded by "The Boy". By halfway through the book, I hated those words together. At this time, the boy is a young man and for some reason it irked me how they kept referring to him as the boy.
I am a full fledged Philippa Gregory stan and wouldn't hesitate to purchase her books. This one was just....not as good as the other ones. I listened to it and still finished it in like 4-5 days because I wanted to listen as much as possible. That's the beauty of this particular subject...just so intriguing.
I wanted to learn more about Henry Tudor and it lacked that. Of course the POV is Elizabeth and she maybe never got to know her husband very well.
If you are interested in the cousins war, this is another vantage point but it could be missed because very little is revealed that you don't know from other Gregory books about the Tudors.