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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
This was another book club read, but Philippa Gregory is one of my favourite authors so I knew I would enjoy the book anyway. I was not disappointed. It was interesting to hear contrasting responses from my book club friends, but personally I enjoy the author’s style of writing. In The White Queen she writes from the perspective of a woman who was by all accounts hugely ambitious and totally wrapped up in a love for her king that she never expected to feel. The novel brought to life a lot of English history that I was never really interested in during school classes, and so for that I appreciate it. Well written, with a decent amount of dramatic flair to present what is known as historical fact.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As I work my way through Philippa Gregory's Plantagenet/Tudor series (slightly out of order), I think The White Queen, my third read so far, is the book that I've enjoyed the most. I'm not sure if that's because I now have more historical context, or maybe it's because I watched the Starz miniseries prior to reading the book and so was able to place faces with names. But whatever the reason may be, I'm certainly hooked on the series. I acknowledge the historical liberties that Gregory takes in her writing; it's worth noting that she, too, recognizes these liberties in her afterword. So I wouldn't necessarily recommend these books to someone who is looking for peak historical accuracy. But I'm loving the series as a highly readable introduction to the characters in the War of the Roses.