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mbenzz 's review for:
The White Queen
by Philippa Gregory
I've been putting off reading this book for a long time, mainly because of all the negative reviews it had received. I'm so glad I finally just gave it a go. I was absolutely expecting to hate this book, but I ended up really enjoying it! Is it her best work? No, I don't think so, but I also don't think it's as horrible as some people have made it out to be. To enjoy this book, you DO have to be interested in this time period...if you're not, then yes, the story will be quite a bore.
Elizabeth Woodville is quite a figure in English history. I knew a little about her and Edward IV, but not much. My favorite part of history begins with her daughter Elizabeth Tudor (mother of Henry VIII). I thought much of the story seemed pretty accurate, though I don't put too much stock in the whole 'magic' thing. And while the 'Melusina Water Goddess' story was interesting in the beginning, by the end it did start to wear on me. I really like her take on the Princes in the Tower though. I realize there is no proof to back up her suggestion for what happened, but there's no proof to back up ANYONE'S suggestion. Even today, no one knows what happened to them...it's all speculation. I thought Ms. Gregory's theory made just as much sense as anyone else's.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book if you're interested in this time in history. Yes, it probably could have been about 70 pages shorter...yes, she tends to repeat some things over and over (Melusina and the locket come to mind), but some of the little nit-picky things aside, I thought the story itself was very good, and I look forward to 'The Red Queen'.
Elizabeth Woodville is quite a figure in English history. I knew a little about her and Edward IV, but not much. My favorite part of history begins with her daughter Elizabeth Tudor (mother of Henry VIII). I thought much of the story seemed pretty accurate, though I don't put too much stock in the whole 'magic' thing. And while the 'Melusina Water Goddess' story was interesting in the beginning, by the end it did start to wear on me. I really like her take on the Princes in the Tower though. I realize there is no proof to back up her suggestion for what happened, but there's no proof to back up ANYONE'S suggestion. Even today, no one knows what happened to them...it's all speculation. I thought Ms. Gregory's theory made just as much sense as anyone else's.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book if you're interested in this time in history. Yes, it probably could have been about 70 pages shorter...yes, she tends to repeat some things over and over (Melusina and the locket come to mind), but some of the little nit-picky things aside, I thought the story itself was very good, and I look forward to 'The Red Queen'.