Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Loved it! Haven't read historical fiction in awhile. Very sad chapter about the death of her toddler son..hit a little close to home and had to go in and interrupt naptime to go kiss my skinny, blonde, blue-eyed toddler:)
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
I can’t. I can’t finish this. I got through 65%, and now I can’t believe I put myself through that much. Watching paint dry would have been a better way to have spent my time. I’d probably be less resentful. Since I can't get that time back I’m going for a bit of revenge and am going to make fun of it.
It’s the writing. Holy shit. She relies on history for the plot so that’s mostly OK. And her sentences are grammatically correct. But it's so bad, and so full of bad writing clichés, that at about 15 pages in I thought it had to be a parody. The first part of the book is a straight up romance novel, but apparently it’s for the family values crowd because there isn’t any sex. I can't quote all the passages that made me roll my eyes and/or laugh, but here are a few choice ones:
"His kiss is as gentle as the brush of a feather on my soft mouth."
“I have a longing for you, Lady Elizabeth Grey, that I have never felt for any woman before. Will you come to me? I ask it not as a king, and not even as a soldier who might die in battle, but as a simple man to the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. Come to me, I beg you, come to me. It could be my last wish. Will you come to me tonight?”
I shake my head. “Forgive me, your Grace, but I am a woman of honor.”
“I may never ask you again. God knows, I may never ask any woman again. There can be no dishonor in this. I could die next week."
…As slowly as I can, I let my eyes rise to his face. My gaze lingers on his mouth, then I look up.
“Dear god, I have to have you,” he breathes.
“I can’t think of anything but you. I can’t go on another moment like this; I can’t ride out into battle like this. I am as foolish as a boy. I am mad for you, like a boy. I cannot be without you; I will not be without you. Whatever it costs me.”
“Your Grace…” I start, and then I correct myself. “My lord. Husband.”
“Wife,” he says with a quiet satisfaction. “To bed."
"… his body is perfect. I look him over with satisfaction, like a horse dealer looks at a beautiful stallion."
OK, drum roll for this one:
“Anthony—you know you are a wise man, a philosopher, and death and life are alike to you?”
Anthony grimaces. “I have only a little learning, but I am very attached to my life, Sire. I have not yet risen to detachment.”
“Me too,” Edward says fervently. “And I am much attached to my cock, brother. Make sure your sister can put another prince in the cradle,” he says baldly. “Save my balls for her, Anthony!"
Sooo… yeah. The couple gets together, they have a gaggle of kids, take power of England, and power struggles and battles for the throne ensue. Oh, and Lady Elizabeth has “the Sight” and some mysterious abilities, owing to the fact that she is a descendant of Melusina, a mermaid-ish goddess. The writing doesn’t get any better after the romance part (see the “save my balls” quote), but it does stop being so funny. You could watch a production of Richard III and get an idea of what happened here. Or read Wikipedia. It’s better written.
It’s the writing. Holy shit. She relies on history for the plot so that’s mostly OK. And her sentences are grammatically correct. But it's so bad, and so full of bad writing clichés, that at about 15 pages in I thought it had to be a parody. The first part of the book is a straight up romance novel, but apparently it’s for the family values crowd because there isn’t any sex. I can't quote all the passages that made me roll my eyes and/or laugh, but here are a few choice ones:
"His kiss is as gentle as the brush of a feather on my soft mouth."
“I have a longing for you, Lady Elizabeth Grey, that I have never felt for any woman before. Will you come to me? I ask it not as a king, and not even as a soldier who might die in battle, but as a simple man to the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. Come to me, I beg you, come to me. It could be my last wish. Will you come to me tonight?”
I shake my head. “Forgive me, your Grace, but I am a woman of honor.”
“I may never ask you again. God knows, I may never ask any woman again. There can be no dishonor in this. I could die next week."
…As slowly as I can, I let my eyes rise to his face. My gaze lingers on his mouth, then I look up.
“Dear god, I have to have you,” he breathes.
“I can’t think of anything but you. I can’t go on another moment like this; I can’t ride out into battle like this. I am as foolish as a boy. I am mad for you, like a boy. I cannot be without you; I will not be without you. Whatever it costs me.”
“Your Grace…” I start, and then I correct myself. “My lord. Husband.”
“Wife,” he says with a quiet satisfaction. “To bed."
"… his body is perfect. I look him over with satisfaction, like a horse dealer looks at a beautiful stallion."
OK, drum roll for this one:
“Anthony—you know you are a wise man, a philosopher, and death and life are alike to you?”
Anthony grimaces. “I have only a little learning, but I am very attached to my life, Sire. I have not yet risen to detachment.”
“Me too,” Edward says fervently. “And I am much attached to my cock, brother. Make sure your sister can put another prince in the cradle,” he says baldly. “Save my balls for her, Anthony!"
Sooo… yeah. The couple gets together, they have a gaggle of kids, take power of England, and power struggles and battles for the throne ensue. Oh, and Lady Elizabeth has “the Sight” and some mysterious abilities, owing to the fact that she is a descendant of Melusina, a mermaid-ish goddess. The writing doesn’t get any better after the romance part (see the “save my balls” quote), but it does stop being so funny. You could watch a production of Richard III and get an idea of what happened here. Or read Wikipedia. It’s better written.
Overall this was a good book. A bit long in places to go over the battles.
First experience in English history that want the tudors.
First experience in English history that want the tudors.
Loved this book! Only thing that slowed me down was the fact that I kept pausing to look up the history of the Wars of the Roses. I am captivated by this period because of this book and cannot wait to read the others in this series!
Gregory does not start at the beginning of the War of the Roses so you have to know what was going on to pick up the story. She does a bit of background but it does help to know how the war started and how it was progressing. The main character is fueled by power and only wants to be Queen, even after her husband, the King, is killed. She sacrifices her children to no avail and ends up disappointed at the end. It was okay but not one of her best works. I am curious to see how she continues the series though.
All I can say is I hope her other books are better than this one. I've heard a lot about Philippa Gregory and had been looking forward to this book but it was disappointing. Once I started it, I went up on Wikipedia to learn what I could about Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodeville and was swept up immediately in the war of the roses, the princes in the tower, Richard III and Henry Tudor - great story, wonderful part of history. If only, I thought, the monarchy today could be this much fun.
Once I'd read Wiki, however, I'd pretty much read The White Queen as well. She leapt from known event to known event, skipping merrily over weeks, months and even years to advance to the next thing we knew about the rise and fall of Edward IV. When she did stop and spend some time on events, it was generally to give a glimpse of sex, witch-craft and, most of all, angst. Unlike some other historical fiction that I've read, she didn't really give a sense of the time (what did people look like, smell like, do?) or place (what were the rooms like, what did the buildings look like). I wanted to know more and found myself referring to wiki more often than not to flesh out what Gregory was sort of implying.
Are the rest of her books like this, or does she get better? Worth another punt, or no?
Once I'd read Wiki, however, I'd pretty much read The White Queen as well. She leapt from known event to known event, skipping merrily over weeks, months and even years to advance to the next thing we knew about the rise and fall of Edward IV. When she did stop and spend some time on events, it was generally to give a glimpse of sex, witch-craft and, most of all, angst. Unlike some other historical fiction that I've read, she didn't really give a sense of the time (what did people look like, smell like, do?) or place (what were the rooms like, what did the buildings look like). I wanted to know more and found myself referring to wiki more often than not to flesh out what Gregory was sort of implying.
Are the rest of her books like this, or does she get better? Worth another punt, or no?
All I know about the War of the Roses I learned from Shakespeare. So this is a great book to give a different perspective! Very female focused, filling in the gaps of the historical stories. Elizabeth and her family are woven into the the royal lineage. If you ever wonder about what is going on in the background of great historical events, you’ll love the book. I also love the new interpretation of what might have happened to the boys in the tower.
Overall, I thought this was a good read. I liked it better than the book published before this, The Other Queen, which I thought was not her strongest book. Personally, I could have gone without the witchcraft that is portrayed in the story, although there is very little of it throughout the book. The book moved along at a good pace, and the story kept me interested. I am looking forward to the next book in this new trilogy.