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Overview
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory, a TV tie-in edition of The White Queen, adapted for the Starz drama series The White Queen, premiering in 2013.
Presenting a new series set amid the deadly feuds in England known as the Wars of the Roses
Brother 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. Philippa Gregory brings the artistry and intellect of a master writer and storyteller to a new era in history and begins what is sure to be another bestselling classic series from this beloved author.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
"The most beautiful woman in the island of Britain" is how one of her contemporaries described Elizabeth Woodville (c.1437-1492), the Queen consort of England's Edward IV. The royal couple had ten children together, but as Philippa Gregory's carefully researched, deeply textured historical novel dramatically shows, their shared lives had ramifications far beyond castle bedrooms. For Elizabeth, matters became even more complicated after Edward's death in 1483. Parliament declared her marriage null and void, leaving the former Queen Mother and her ill-fated sons powerless in the reign of Richard III, the new monarch. The White Queen demonstrates decisively that Gregory, the historical novelist who gave us The Other Boleyn Girl and The Other Queen, remains at the top of her form. A total-immersion experience into the 15th century.USA Today
“Gregory returns with another sister act. The result: her best novel in years.”Historical Novels Review
“Gregory is one of historical fiction’s superstars, and The Kingmaker’s Daughter shows why . . . providing intelligent escape, a trip through time to a dangerous past.”Historical Novels Review (Editor's Choice Review)
“Gregory is one of historical fiction’s superstars, and The Kingmaker’s Daughter shows why . . . providing intelligent escape, a trip through time to a dangerous past.”
From the Publisher
'It would be hard to make history more entertaining, lively or engaging' Sunday Express
'Queen of the historical novel' Mail on Sunday
'Gregory brings to life the sights, smells and textures of 16th-century England' Kate Mosse, Financial Times
'Rollicking, page-turning stuff' Metro
'Of Woodville herself, Gregory makes a fascinating heroine; strong, ambitious, vengeful, beautiful and tinged with more than a hint of witchcraft. Popular history at its best' Daily Mail
‘History comes gloriously alive as widowed Elisabeth Woodville of the House of Lancaster seduces and marries Yorkist King Edward IV. From then on conflict, betrayal and murder stalk her life as the Queen of England’ Mirror
‘As with The Other Boleyn Girl, Gregory’s clever blend of fact and fiction is a lot racier than the average historical biography ... her tale of Elizabeth Woodville’s tenacious fight for her family’s position during the Wars of the Roses oozes sex appeal and suspense’ Glamour magazine
‘Lady Margaret Beaufort – cold, clever, calculating – will stop at nothing to put her son Henry Tudor on the throne. Gregory is very good at describing the bitchiness of the women in this tale of dynastic rivalry’ Telegraph
'Entrancing' Telegraph
'an informative and riveting read from start to finish' Edinburgh Evening News
'Gregory brings this period of history and another strong female character to life with the same colour and intrigue she applies to all her novels' Glasgow Evening Times
'A gripping read' South Wales Echo
'...whips along with lashings of historical intrigue' Company
'Gregory's novels are, in fact, meticulously researched pieces of historical scholarship. For each novel she immerses herself in dozens of primary and secondary sources, before transforming them into vivid fiction' Sunday Telegraph
Diana Gabaldon
…engrossing…Most of the story is blunt, brutal and bloody, but Gregory has a deft hand with historical imagination, making the most of ancient mysteries…Elizabeth is narrow and stubborn, but not altogether oblivious. She realizes what her husband and his brothers have done in their rise to power: They broke the law. By which I don't mean that they contravened some statute, though they certainly do that. I mean they broke the whole concept of law, to such an extent that it didn't work anymore. Edward IV ignored the law of sanctuary and murdered the innocent. Now his wife and daughters may be humiliated, his small sons kidnapped and murdered because they stand between the throne and someone who wants it. Good historical fiction always provides at least incidental commentary on the present (if not outright warnings). In this case, the warning is clear: Turning your back on morality for the sake of political gain will come back and bite you in the bum.—The Washington Post
Publishers Weekly
Gregory applies her romantically written fictionalization of history to the powerful story of Elizabeth Woodville, the first English born commoner to become Queen of England. Her marriage to King Edward IV became part of the aristocratic battle of kin against kin for the crown during the turbulent and tragic years of the War of the Roses. From the fairytale-like introduction to the loss of her two young princes in the Tower of London, Elizabeth tells her own tale of joy and grief. Bianca Amato narrates the story with little vocal embellishment. It is a reading rather than a performance, and, in this instance, wholly successful. Rather than a creating a host of character voices, Amato uses her strong, haunting and cultured tone and accent so that listeners hear Elizabeth herself. A Touchstone hardcover (Reviews, Jun. 29).Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.