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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
This was probably my least favorite of her books so far. Since I had read the one before it, I knew most of the historical facts that were retold through the eyes of Margaret Beauford.
I am not enjoying this series as much as the Tudor series.
I am not enjoying this series as much as the Tudor series.
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I get that she's pious but I don't need it drummed into my skull by force every third page. I got to the point of thinking she was a delirious nutbag and didn't deserve to have access to her son which is completely the opposite of how I really feel about children being separated from their mothers. I did like the book but would probably really like it if the over-the-top religious element was removed. I understand it's a big part of her life, but the way it was written meant Margaret just came across as immature and crazy instead.
This was one of the first Philippa Gregory books I ever read and with The White Princess tv adaptation coming out I thought I'd reread this and The White Queen as I remembered very little about them. Now that I'm more familiar with the history of the Wars of the Roses this was a lot easier to follow, although there were some issues with it. Firstly there's the usual Tudor bashing (from the way Margaret/house of Lancaster/Tudor is portrayed in this novel, it's still possible to see her York bias), her use of repetition (this time it was Joan of Arc instead of Melusina). As this runs roughly along the same time as The White Queen, there's a lot of the same events, just from a different perspective. At one point the novel just jumps along 10 years and it's a bit jarring. There were times when this was slightly better than The White Queen but I would say The White Queen is that bit more readable. As irritating as Margaret's characterisation in this could be, I agreed with her over the Elizabeth of York/Richard III "relationship".
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Margaret Beaufort was one scary lady. Scary child too. That is largely what I took away from this book. Generally the Philippa Gregory books leave me sympathetic towards the protagonist, but not this one. Sure, were it not for her my obsession with the Tudors would not be possible. Still, scary...
3.5/5
3.5/5
This book is about one of my least favorite people in this storyline so I just didn’t enjoy reading her story. While I felt some sympathy for her that I wouldn’t have experienced otherwise, I just didn’t love reading this.
I read this book immediately after reading The White Queen and I am stuck comparing the two books and the two women, Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort.
I liked this book slightly more than The White Queen simply because Margaret is more fascinating to me than Elizabeth. Margaret is a hard-riding bitch that has combined her hero worship of Joan of Arc with her hatred of the Yorks and has concluded that she is ordained to choose the rightful King of England (who happens to be her only child, Henry Tudor). It was fun to see her nurture each slight and turn it into another sign that she is chosen by God to do something...to be someone special. Elizabeth Woodville seems milky in comparison to Margaret.
I hope the next book in this series comes out soon and is about Elizabeth Woodville's daughter, Elizabeth of York. This book was a good time.
I liked this book slightly more than The White Queen simply because Margaret is more fascinating to me than Elizabeth. Margaret is a hard-riding bitch that has combined her hero worship of Joan of Arc with her hatred of the Yorks and has concluded that she is ordained to choose the rightful King of England (who happens to be her only child, Henry Tudor). It was fun to see her nurture each slight and turn it into another sign that she is chosen by God to do something...to be someone special. Elizabeth Woodville seems milky in comparison to Margaret.
I hope the next book in this series comes out soon and is about Elizabeth Woodville's daughter, Elizabeth of York. This book was a good time.
I'm all about Tudor history so, for me, this was a great read. It sheds an interesting light on Margaret Beaufort as a very obsessive, zealous and kinda crazy lady, which may have been true...or not. Phillipa Gregory does well in her storytelling but I can't vouch for her accuracy as I obviously wasn't there, but it's a great book either way.
medium-paced