1.49k reviews for:

La reina blanca

Philippa Gregory

3.71 AVERAGE


i started reading philippa gregory's work from the white princess actually (which is to say backwards) and i think her writing actually got better with time. this book was very repetitive sometimes, which was annoying.
adventurous emotional informative medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Is this Philippa's best novel? No? Is it her worst? Not by a long shot!

The House of the Plantagenet's were something to behold. The history seems to of constant war fare between brothers. Christmas in the Plantagenet home would have involved more than a nasty food fight.

The White Queen looks at the last of the Plantagenet's, the house or York and the house of Lancaster, or as it is known in history the war of the roses. Elizabeth Woodville the White Rose Queen of York is in the centre. She is incredibly interesting, gentry rising to that of queen, rumours of witch craft following her around. Which Gregory uses to the hilt.

Gregory still hasn't moved away from the tepid repetition of the "Other Queen" which actually made me want to go back and see Queen Mary of Scots and slap the silly woman. But it is more toned down, and Elizabeth is interesting and often contradictory enough to be interesting.

If you like Gregory already, you should read it.

Loved it! Loved it! Loved it! Can't wait to read next book.
adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I have loved every book in this series so far and this book was no different. I loved learning more about Elizabeth Woodville, her lifestory and her family. I loved learning about how she ruled as queen during the War of the Roses and how she raised her children during that time. I also loved learning more about the princes in the tower (her sons), how she dealt with the situation and how she tried to save them from the Tower of London. I highly recommend this series and book to people who want to learn more about key figures from the War of the Roses and about their general lifestory.

Quotes:
- “He promised her that he would give her everything, everything she wanted, as men in love always do. And she trusted him despite herself, as women in love always do.”
- “The sons of York will destroy each other, one brother destroying another, uncles devouring nephews, fathers beheading sons. They are a house which has to have blood, and they will shed their own if they have no other enemy.”
- “To save my son, I would plot with the devil himself.”
- “I am not a yard of ribbon. I am not a leg of ham. I am not for sale to anyone.”
- “We have to be more royal than royalty itself or nobody will believe us.”
- “It’s a fool who is afraid of nothing,” I say. “And a brave man is one who knows fear and rides out and faces it.”
- “He may make me feel like a fool, and like a woman who can do nothing, but what I can do I will. In my jewellery box is a dark locket of black tarnished silver and inside it locked in the darkness, I have his name: Richard Neville and that of George, Duke of Clarence, written in my blood on a piece of paper from the corner of my father's last letter. These are my enemies, I have cursed them. I will see them dead at my feet.”
- “I won't forgive this wrong done to me and my house, whoever it was that killed my boys, I shall put a curse on their house that they will have no first born son to inherit. Whoever took my son will lose his son. He will spend his life longing for an heir. He will bury his first born and long for him, for I cannot even bury mine.”
- “I am a woman who makes things happen, and I am not defeated yet. I am not defeated by a boy with a newly won crown, and no man will ever walk away from me certain that he won't walk back.”
- “Ah, my dear, you are a good wife. You are my beauty. You are my only love.”

Not as good as The Other Boleyn Girl.

2.5/5
I read this after watching the show adaptation and I have to be honest, I much preferred the show. I love the way that the author tells these stories, they’re based on history but made much more entertaining and enjoyable. However, this one was particularly hard to read as it just didn’t seem to flow well. The jumps between time were quite jarring, something I found less in the next book (the red queen) which I enjoyed much more. I found the romance between Edward and Elizabeth quite bland too, which may be more realistic, but after the tv show it was a bit sad. Overall not a bad book, but took me way longer than it should have to get through, and sometimes the jumps were confusing.
dark emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
emotional informative inspiring reflective tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
informative mysterious slow-paced