Welcome to the Cousins War…

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory tells the story of Elizabeth Woodville and her

rise to power in King Edward’s Court.  I have to tell you how fascinated by history that is involved in this novel.

Synopsis:

Elizabeth has just grieved the loss of her husband in a battle between the Yorks and Lancasters.   One day the King Edward is riding by the side of the road near where Elizabeth lives.  Her hope is to ask if he will grant her the lands she lost after husband died.  The king grants her request, something else happens.  Elizabeth becomes wife and Queen of England of King Edward.  Her marriage is not with approval of Lord Warwick and others.  What will Elizabeth do to keep her family and her husband safe?

My Thoughts:

I remember studying the Cousins War or War of the Roses in school.  We did not go into a great amount of detail. I found a timeline helped me understand how the war came about and what happened to Queen Elizabeth and her family in time.  Writers of that time period paid a great deal of attention to military history.  I can’t help saying how much I love Philippa’s focus on the women which we do not know much about.

I had watched most of the White Queen on Starzs and was thrilled to finally have the chance to read the novel.  I actually listened to it.  The narrator for the audio did a great job of getting the character of Elizabeth down perfectly.  I was not surprised by her portrayal after seeing the television series.  My only negative is that the audio is abridged and would have preferred unabridged in my listening. 

Rating:  

4.75/5

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