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The White Queen (Cousins War Trilogy 1) |  | Author: Philippa Gregory
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
Category: Book
List Price: £18.99
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Seller: TT Books
Rating:  reviews
Sales Rank: 5124
Media: Hardcover
Edition: First Edition
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 1847374557
EAN: 9781847374554
ASIN: 1847374557
Publication Date: August 18, 2009
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| • | New | | • | Mint Condition | | • | Dispatch same day for order received before 12 noon | | • | Guaranteed packaging | | • | No quibbles returns |
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Product Description
The tale of one woman's ambitious ascent to royalty during the Wars of the Roses and the unsolved mystery around her sons' imprisonment in the Tower
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| Customer Reviews:
 Fantastic! September 8, 2010
Alana (England)
I found The White Queen a refreshing read, the plot and characters were gripping. A great change from some of gregory's other historical novels that I enjoyed less.
Can't wait to read The Red Queen.
Creative August 24, 2010
J. Gold
I really enjoy Phillipa Gregory and was particularly enthusiastic that The White Queen describes the period prior to the commencement of the Tudor Dynasty of 1485, an area I am not too familiar with. Ms Gregory brings this book to life, providing a colourful insight into the traumatic and tumultuous life of Elizabeth Woodville, queen to Edward IV and mother to many children including the 'Princes in the Tower', Edward V and Richard.
I particularly liked how each of the personalities of the main characters surrounding the life of Elizabeth Woodville were cleverly woven into the fabric of this book. I found myself actually really having a change of view regarding Richard III who I always perceived as being a mirror of the fictional character Edmund Blackadder! But not so, and although I appreciate that the interpretation of the fate of 'The Princes in the Tower' was just that, an interpretation, it was interesting and fitting to the creativity of this book.
I had sympathy with Elizabeth Woodville but learnt that actually she was perhaps stubborn and absolutely intent on following a particular course of action, no matter what the cost. Having said that, her strength of character and love of her children showed an endearing quality.
I would particularly recommend this book to those readers familiar with The Tudor Dynasty but would like to learn a little more about the preceding line of succession. A really enjoyable read and I look forward to reading the next book and particularly comparing the opposing point of view from the House of Lancaster, The Red Queen.
Start of another great series August 23, 2010
Dawn (Derby)
Another great book from Philippa Gregory, once started difficult to put down. Whilst mainly adhering to the facts of the not overtold history of Henry VIII's grandmother, and her times, Philippa incorporates just enough of her own slant on events to make the novel an entertaining read. Being the firsts of her new series I am now very much looking forward to the continuation of the history being told through her next book 'The Red Queen'.
Philippa Gregory is back again with a very enjoyable and exciting story! August 19, 2010
Stella (Ex Libris) (Budapest, Hungary)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I discovered Philippa Gregory a few years ago when I spotted the eye gripping and truly gorgeous cover of The Other Boleyn Girl at my local library, and which I had to read right away of course. Though I knew it wasn't historically accurate in many places, I found Philippa Gregory's storytelling enchanting: the way the Tudor court took shape before my eyes and how she wrote about every day details like what kind of food people ate, what dresses they wore, how they spent their daya all made that ancient period of history more human and easier to imagine. Once I discovered Philippa Gregory's writing I wanted to read more. However, unfortunately I found both The Boleyn Inheritence and The Constant Princess disappointing. So it was with trepidation that I started reading The White Queen, not knowing if it would be like the gripping historical tale that The Other Boleyn Girl was or repetitive, dull and not too interesting like the other two novels. I have to say The White Queen didn't disappoint, Philippa Gregory is definitely back with an even more excitiong story to tell!
The White Queen is the first book in Philippa Gregory's new series about the Wars of the Roses. It tells the story of Elizabeth Woodville, wife to Edward of York, mother of the Princes in the Tower and of Elizabeth of York, who later became the wife to Henry VII and mother of Henry VIII.
I have to admit that I was not familiar with the details of this time period and didn't know much about the details of the wars and tugs for power. And especially because of this it was very refreshing to read a novel and not knowing how it would end (not like with The Other Boleyn Girl, where one could never ignore the fact that Anne would be executed).
The White Queen is a love story at its core, the sweet and romantic love story between Elizabeth and Edward weaves through the historical events and wars, and we have to reckon that their love is not something Philippa Gregory created to suit her novel, since they had ten children together!
The novel is narrated by Elizabeth Woodville, a young widow and mother of two at the beginning of the novel, telling the reader how she met and fell in love with the king of England. Elizabeth Woodville is a sympathetic character (most of the time), she is charming, stunningly beautiful and had a very eventful and interesting life. Philippa Gregory used part of the legend about Elizabeth Woodville's heritage which claimed that her family was the descendants of Melusina the water goddess, and Ms. Gregory wove this part of historical legend together with mystical elements of witchcraft to make the story more interesting.
My only problem with the novel was the repetitive writing style of Philippa Gregory which appeared at certain times. I understand that this tool can be used to emphasize some aspects and may even make the novel sound more archaical and historical, but it irritated me to read the same few sentences for the seventh time (the locket scene for example). My other critique is that sometimes I felt Philippa Gregory made Elizabeth too similar to Anne Boleyn in certain aspects (using witchcraft to revenge her loved ones with the locket, and how the sweet natured woman would sometimes turn quite vicious and cruel), which I felt was quite out of character for the Elizabeth she created all along the novel.
Verdict: Philippa Gregory is back again with a very enjoyable and exciting story. Thankfully the heroine/narrator is an interesting and sympathetic character and the times and events Ms. Gregory chose to write about are definitely exciting. I'm sure that those who love historical fiction or period dramas will enjoy The White Queen very much!
Plot: 8/10
Characters: 7/10
Ending: 8/10
Writing: 6/10
Cover: 9/10
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