Review: The Red Queen

The Red Queen

The Cousins’ War #2

by Philippa Gregory

Why did you choose this book? I am working my way through The Cousins’ War series

When did you read this book? September 2013

Who should read this book? fans Luanne Rice

Source: library

Here is a synopsis of The Red Queen from Goodreads

The second book in Philippa's stunning new trilogy, The Cousins War, brings to life the story of Margaret Beaufort, a shadowy and mysterious character in the first book of the series - The White Queen - but who now takes centre stage in the bitter struggle of The War of the Roses.

The Red Queen tells the story of the child-bride of Edmund Tudor, who, although widowed in her early teens, uses her determination of character and wily plotting to infiltrate the house of York under the guise of loyal friend and servant, undermine the support for Richard III and ultimately ensure that her only son, Henry Tudor, triumphs as King of England.

Through collaboration with the dowager Queen Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret agrees a betrothal between Henry and Elizabeth's daughter, thereby uniting the families and resolving the Cousins War once and for all by founding of the Tudor dynasty.

My Review 

I am slowly working my way through The Cousins’ War series, Philippa Gregory’s series based on the War of Roses. The Red Queen is the second book in the series, and covers the same period in time as The White Queen. This book is told from the point of view of Margaret Beaufort, and gives the Lancaster side of the story, while The White Queen told the story of the York side of the story through the voice of Elizabeth Woodville. I really enjoyed this, and it actually made me a bit more sympathetic to some of the characters than I had been after the first book. I can better understand why the Lancasters felt they had the rights to the throne.

The book begins when Margaret is nine years old and continues until after the death of King Richard III. (I don’t think I’m giving away any spoilers here. If you know much about the War of Roses, and I admit I did NOT until this year, you already know the fates of the main characters.) Having said that, I know many people have issues the Philippa Gregory’s writing and feel she tells an alternate version of history, so don’t let this be your only source of information if you truly want to know the history of the War of Roses.

Even though I enjoyed the story, I did NOT enjoy the character of Margaret Beaufort at all. She was sanctimonious, and quick to point out she was ‘holier than though’, taking great pride in her ‘Saints knees’, calloused through hours on her knees in prayer. She fancied herself another Joan of Arc, fighting to put the rightful king, her son, on the throne. While her attittude was amusing and forgivable when she was nine years old, it was quite annoying as she continued with this attitude as an adult. She also was manipulative and willing to betray or side with whoever she thought was most likely to help her accomplish her goals, even to the point of endorsing the murder of children, if necessary. As annoying as she was though, I still found myself on her side a lot more than I’d expected. I think that is what I enjoyed most about this book; the way that it made me understand that there was more than one side to the story and more than one way to interpret the ‘facts’.

I did not like this book quite as much as I liked The White Queen, probably because I so much disliked Margaret. However I did like the book and plan to continue the series. And if you are wondering, I really don’t think it matters which of these you read first. They cover the same period of time but from different points of view.

My Rating:  ★★★★   4 Stars

You can find my review of The White Queen here.

Review: The White Queen

The White Queen

The Cousins War #1

by Philippa Gregory

Why did you choose this book? I’ve been wanting to read this for a long time

When did you read this book? Aug 2013

Who should read this book? fans of historical fiction; especially early England

Source: library

Here is a synopsis of The White Queen from Goodreads

Brother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize, the throne of England, in this dazzling account of the wars of the Plantagenets. They are the claimants and kings who ruled England before the Tudors, and now Philippa Gregory brings them to life through the dramatic and intimate stories of the secret players: the indomitable women, starting with Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen.

The White Queen tells the story of a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition who, catching the eye of the newly crowned boy king, marries him in secret and ascends to royalty. While Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for the success of her family, her two sons become central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the missing princes in the Tower of London whose fate is still unknown. From her uniquely qualified perspective, Philippa Gregory explores this most famous unsolved mystery of English history, informed by impeccable research and framed by her inimitable storytelling skills.

With The White Queen, 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.

My Review 

I’ve been planning to read this book for a long time. I’ve always enjoyed historical fiction from based on the royal dynasties of England. I actually added this book to my TBR almost 4 years ago! So I don’t really know why I haven’t read it before now. But I happened to be in the library and saw it laying there and figured ‘it’s time!’

I really enjoyed this one. It is a long read full of detail, but well worth it. I really didn’t know much at all about the history before Henry VIII until earlier this year when I read ‘The Stolen Crown’ by Susan Higgenbotham, which I loved! The White Queen is actually the same story, but told from Elizabeth Woodville’s point of view. (The Stolen Crown was told from her sister, Katherine’s point of view.) As some reviewers have mentioned, there were an awful lot of Richards and Edwards and Henrys and Elizabeths running around England in those days, and reading both books helped me nail down how they were all related.....kind of anyway.

One thing I liked was how both authors started at the same place, with a set of facts and histories, and then used their imagination to fill in the blanks. This led to a lot of very similar stories in the book; for example, how Elizabeth and Edward were married in secret and how the marriage was revealed. But there were also some major points of difference; who was responsible for the disappearance of the ‘little princes’. At the end of this book, in the author notes, the author did clue us in a bit on what was fact and what was filled in with her imagination. This is always something I appreciate from an author when I read historical fiction!

Coincidentally, shortly after I finished this book, I learned that there is a STARZ mini-series based on the book. The first episode was free, and though not as good as the book (when are adaptations EVER as good?) it was pretty good. So you might want to look for it if you enjoy this period of history.

Now I can’t wait to get to The Red Queen!

My Rating:  ★★★★   4 Stars