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A review by slippy_underfoot
The King's Mother by Annie Garthwaite
5.0
“But there are men – ‘Always, there are men,’ complains Cecily – who jostle and push for power.”
This brilliant book (UK release 11 July) follows Cecily with the same clarity and vigour as Garthwaite’s prior book, taking us through the triumphs and tragedies of the final years of Plantagenet rule.
@anniegarthwaite performs a miraculous alchemy in these books: the human stories at their heart ebb and flow with the tide of history, but are never swept under by the weight of it. She brings us a pacy, gripping, story of real people trying to do the best for their families and their country in unstable times.
Though Cecily is the protagonist of both books, and we admire her capability and resilience, the same qualities are present in the women who stand against her, something Cecily acknowledges. The sins of her enemies are so very often sins of her own.
These books are promoted as feminist retellings of the Wars of the Roses. I’m not qualified to assess that either way, but the author doesn’t approach this by depicting her characters as temporally displaced 21st century people. Her characters are wholly of their time: a time constitutionally patriarchal and where dynasties are forged through advantageous marriages and the children they produce.
It is here that Annie Garthwaite foregrounds the intelligence, durability, and influence of the women in the rival families as they circle each other: testing, observing, vying for dominance. We are shown the ways in which wives, mothers, and sisters use their skills and familial bonds to press an advantage. We also see the ways men can bring crashing defeat to the jaws of victory because of their lust, greed, and pride.
This is the story of the ruling class. Though we don’t spend much time with the commoners we feel their weariness with endless years of war. Every triumph brings a challenger, every truce sits uneasily. The people want peace, but a peace that is definitively won, not parleyed and strained.
This is a gripping, moving, tale, even if you know the history going in, and a stellar sequel to Cecily.
Marvellous.
Thanks to @netgalley and @vikingbooksuk, title reviewed at my request.
This brilliant book (UK release 11 July) follows Cecily with the same clarity and vigour as Garthwaite’s prior book, taking us through the triumphs and tragedies of the final years of Plantagenet rule.
@anniegarthwaite performs a miraculous alchemy in these books: the human stories at their heart ebb and flow with the tide of history, but are never swept under by the weight of it. She brings us a pacy, gripping, story of real people trying to do the best for their families and their country in unstable times.
Though Cecily is the protagonist of both books, and we admire her capability and resilience, the same qualities are present in the women who stand against her, something Cecily acknowledges. The sins of her enemies are so very often sins of her own.
These books are promoted as feminist retellings of the Wars of the Roses. I’m not qualified to assess that either way, but the author doesn’t approach this by depicting her characters as temporally displaced 21st century people. Her characters are wholly of their time: a time constitutionally patriarchal and where dynasties are forged through advantageous marriages and the children they produce.
It is here that Annie Garthwaite foregrounds the intelligence, durability, and influence of the women in the rival families as they circle each other: testing, observing, vying for dominance. We are shown the ways in which wives, mothers, and sisters use their skills and familial bonds to press an advantage. We also see the ways men can bring crashing defeat to the jaws of victory because of their lust, greed, and pride.
This is the story of the ruling class. Though we don’t spend much time with the commoners we feel their weariness with endless years of war. Every triumph brings a challenger, every truce sits uneasily. The people want peace, but a peace that is definitively won, not parleyed and strained.
This is a gripping, moving, tale, even if you know the history going in, and a stellar sequel to Cecily.
Marvellous.
Thanks to @netgalley and @vikingbooksuk, title reviewed at my request.