The White Queen

I have a hard time describing my feelings about The White Queen.
When I first started reading the book, I didn't think it was good. The writing style felt a bit different at first, but I enjoyed the imagined scenes of Edward and Elizabeth's relationship. The romance was a bit fairytale, but I could look past that, and I could dismiss the reeling in of the ring as superstition.

Gregory then begins skipping ahead, providing us with only a few short pages before skipping ahead again. Though I understand there are fewer sources from this period than from the Tudor times, shouldn't a good writer fill in the gaps and develop their characters instead of rushing ahead to the subsequent dramatic development? It feels like Edward is just riding off to the subsequent rebellion all the time: Gregory covers the same ground repeatedly, cutting out huge chunks of what is happening.

It was also difficult for me to get into the whole witchcraft angle. You shouldn't call it historical fiction if you're going to include curses and supernatural events. That is pure fantasy. It wasn't even cleverly used.

There is also the problem of not being able to keep track of who is who with White Queen. Everyone is named Richard, Edward, or Elizabeth. It should be noted that Gregory introduces us to many characters with the same name; in fact, there were other names in the 16th century.

Also, there are many court dramas that don't exist. This would have been more enjoyable if it dealt with a shorter time period and we had more time to grow attached to the characters. There isn't much information about the people or how their lives are. There are vague descriptions of who is fighting whom, who is marrying whom, and the political implications. There was a lot of drama and action, but I was bored.

This book and its predecessor have lost my interest despite my fascination with this period of history. There was a lot more going on at the French court.

The book feels rushed and hasty, with big chunks missing from the story. A fairytale romance between Edward and Elizabeth quickly deteriorates into repetitive goodbyes. A lack of story plot and too many characters with the same name kills my interest in this book.

I have a soft spot for historical fictions and this one satisfied my craving for one. The story was interesting enough and kept me captivated the entire time. It was an enjoyable read.

After not being massively excited to pick this one up, I ended up really enjoying it!

This one follows Elizabeth Woodville, who marries King Edward, throughout about 20 years of her life. The many children they have, the schemes and plotting of court, and the battles of York and Lancaster in the ongoing war.

I can't speak to the historical accuracy of the story but I just really enjoy Gregory's way of telling these historical tales in a compelling way for a modern audience.

The book was decent. In some aspects it was fantastic and connected the Rivers girls. It was incredibly interesting to see Jacquetta-Elizabeth interaction and then Elizabeth-Elizabeth of York action. It was a very odd book though. There wasn't enough development of the power to provide a stronger story. Elizabeth Woodville is horrible at magic and needs her mother to help her and then she's knows everything a chapter later. I do feel like the book dragged at some points. It was very interesting to see the protagonist also becoming a rudimentary villain to her daughter. There wasn't really a set manner of interacting between any of the children and their mother.
However, the story provided enough unique ideas and managed to keep a good plot overall. 3.75/5

A perfectly wonderful historical event ruined by romance, sloppy writing, and silly magic nonsense.

Liked this one well enough, though really, really could have done without all the Melusina stuff. Got to the point where just seeing the word caused me to roll my eyes and skim through whatever was italicized. Also not fond of the “wink, wink, nudge, nudge” moments every time Henry Tudor and how he would never be king was mentioned. I know Gregory wrote her Tudor series first. I get it. Stop dropping anvils on my head.

I listened to this in my car during the first week of my horrendous commute. I finished it much faster than I had anticipated due to the length of my horrendous commute. I read a couple of Philippa Gregory's a year or two ago and I always enjoy them even though I can't list them among my favorites. I can't believe the things people used to do to get themselves or their family on the throne. Casually killing people who were in line to the throne was commonplace. This book had the added dimension of a supernatural plot which at first I found annoying but gradually grew to appreciate in the context of the story.

Philippa Gregory did it again, this is an amazing book. This book meant more to me now that I myself am a mother. The love and sorrow expressed in this book for the Queens children is astounding. The female intuition touched upon in this book makes me more aware of what a mother is capable of. Needless to say this is one I would recommend to any historical fiction reader.

Everyone who reads Gregory knows she can be repetitious, and play fast and loose with facts, but they're fun reads.

I have been a huge fan of Phillipa Gregory's Tudor novels looking at the women affected through the reign of Henry VIII and his daughters after him. I have loved them all but read them already knowing much of the historical background and characters.

I don't however have any real background on the War of the Roses and thought that this time I would allow Greogry to enlighten me. This is a good book in that I did learn much more about the story of the Princes in the Tower and from the viewpoint of their mother Elizabeth Woodville. There are points of the book I was absolutely engrossed and then others where I found myself skim reading. Lots and lots of ups and downs - one minute their at peace - the next at war - the next at peace...it's difficult to keep track of who's fighting who and who's on which side as they all keep changing allegience.

This is probably very historically accurate but it doesn't always make for engrossing reading. I'm glad I read this book as it has helped me to put into context the years leading up to the time I was interested in - Tudor times - hoping the next book is slightly more compelling though.