Title: The White Queen: A Novel (Cousins' War)
Author: Philippa Gregory
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: * * *
Publishers Date: April 6, 2010
Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: Touchstone
ISBN: 1416563695
FTC Disclosure: Received a free copy from publisher for my unbiased review
Presenting a new series set amid the deadly feuds in England known as the Wars of the RosesBrother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize, the throne, in this dazzling account of the wars of the Plantagenets. They ruled before the Tudors, and now Philippa Gregory brings them to life through the dramatic and intimate stories of the secret players: the indomitable women.The White Queen tells the story of Elizabeth Woodville, a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition, who secretly marries the newly crowned boy king. While Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for the success of her family, her two sons become the central figures in a famous unsolved mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the lost princes in the Tower of London.
Even though I don’t ordinarily like a book written in 1st person POV, it did not bother me near as much as usual. The White Queen was a vast improvement over The Other Queen although still not as great as her books on Henry VIII’s wives or the royal gardener books which I though were 5 star reads. Even though the novel took place over 20 years, I never reached the point where I really cared about the characters in this story. They seemed pretty flat and frankly not very interesting. This novel did not contain the rich details about the foods, clothing, and parties that I enjoyed so much in the Tudor series. These rich details was what kept me reading as much as the storyline. I loved the intrigue of the Tudor era and though there were some mention of politics in this book not nearly enough that you felt the danger that existed during this time. Gregory tells you about it but you never have that edge of your seat feeling that I got in the Boleyn books. The writing was repetitive to a fault about her ancestor Melusine and I didn’t think it really added anything to the storyline. It felt as though the editor said we need some paranormal to draw in the reader so witches and magic was thrown in the mix. It was an interesting read as I was unfamiliar with this era in English history but not a rush out and buy read. So for that reason I gave it a 3 star rating.
Cousins' War
1. The White Queen (2009)
2. The Red Queen (2010)
If you would like a chance at a copy of Gregory's next book due out on Aug 3, 2010, check out the giveaway that Simon and Schuster is hosting HERE. This is a WORLDWIDE competition to win 1 of 10 SIGNED copies of the UK hardback – the competition will run for the length of the blog tour, closing at the end of September.
I completely agree. I didn't care for this book. I didn't like how lots of important information was said in passing by. Like how many kids they had, how many years had gone by, that sort of thing. I also hated how she kept repeating the same thing over again. Like the stuff in the box or the water relative.
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