The Red Queen

It must have been a challenge to write from the point of view of such an unlikable character, although I spent a lot of the book feeling sorry for Margaret. Shunned by her mother, married off at twelve, nearly dying of childbirth at thirteen, and used as a pawn in chess, like many women of reasonably high birth at the time. Margaret triumphs and is defeated and humiliated and triumphs again. I loved the mockery from her third husband, Thomas Stanley, who pointed out that if she were really a woman of love, she would have joined her son and Jasper in exile. But she stuck to what she thought was God’s plan and of course, ultimately succeeded. Since most of the book is from Margaret’s POV, a lot of the information is told to us through letters and conversations. That’s with the exception of the epic final battle, which was thrilling despite me knowing the outcome, and bumped this rating up to 3.5. Margaret, bitter and jealous of the beloved Elizabeth Woodsville (the awesome main character of the previous book, The White Queen), pious to the point of nauseating, and thoroughly deserving of many of the things that happened to her (no spoilers though). Another historically rich and interesting tale by Philippa Gregory. I’ll be buying the next one.

Comme toujours, j'ai été emballée par le talent de Philippa Gregory. Ce livre permet de mieux comprendre l'histoire d'Angleterre (ici, la naissance de la dynastie des Tudor). Bravo pour le point de vue croisé avec l'ouvrage précédent (The White Queen). Bravo pour avoir réussi à rendre humaine une personnalité si austère. Bref, formidable (comme d'habitude !!).

It was a brilliant read

I have not missed a novel of Ms. Gregory's and I was once again eagerly waiting and perfectly satisfied with her portrayal of Margaret Beaufort. I didn't put the book down once I began the read. Beautifully, I believe she has done the best she can with the limited information from the great women who worked diligently from behind the scenes to promote their families. It's sad to see a 13 year old sent away to harvest a lineage, however, historically we know, this is the drive and desire that fueled the beginning of the Tudor line. I love how Ms. Gregory has given us so many perspectives to all the families involved in this era (see The White Queen). Nicely done as well was no definitive conclusion as to King Richards role in the missing princes. She excellently lets the intrigue and all theories ride themselves out in this story. Reader, if you've already been a fan, you will remain one!

Mi sono appassionata a Philippa Gregory, mi ricorda la nostra Bellonci. I racconti sono sempre appassionanti e la prospettiva femminile impagabile. Bellissimi tutti i suoi libri.