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A review by angelqueen04
The Women of the Cousins' War: The Duchess, the Queen, and the King's Mother by Philippa Gregory
3.0
An interesting attempt to catalog the lives of three influential women who lived and thrived in the era called the "Cousin's War" (as evidenced by the book's title).
The essay about Elizabeth Woodville was very informative. The author was good at pointing out that the actions of the Woodvilles (their gathering of political and financial power) were not necessarily ill-intentioned, but rather what was considered normal behavior. It was their enemies who cast the negative light on them at a later date.
The essay on Margaret Beaufort was, to be honest, a bit frustrating. Constantly pointing out how amazing Margaret was, how pragmatic she was and how she never let emotion sway her good sense became really tiresome. I was at the point where I was skimming just to get through it.
Overall, very informative, though be prepared for constant disclaimers about how the subjects "might" have done this, or "would have" felt that.
Spoiler
The essay on Jacquetta was interesting, but, as another reviewer pointed out, it also read basically as a summary of Philippa Gregory's fictionalized novel about Jacquetta, The Lady of the Rivers. Though, the upside is that the essay goes beyond the fiction and takes in the rest of Jacquetta's life (her daughter's marriage to Edward IV, the ups and downs of the civil wars, the murders of her husband and son, etc).The essay about Elizabeth Woodville was very informative. The author was good at pointing out that the actions of the Woodvilles (their gathering of political and financial power) were not necessarily ill-intentioned, but rather what was considered normal behavior. It was their enemies who cast the negative light on them at a later date.
The essay on Margaret Beaufort was, to be honest, a bit frustrating. Constantly pointing out how amazing Margaret was, how pragmatic she was and how she never let emotion sway her good sense became really tiresome. I was at the point where I was skimming just to get through it.
Overall, very informative, though be prepared for constant disclaimers about how the subjects "might" have done this, or "would have" felt that.