The Lady of the Rivers: Cousins' War 3

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Her older husband eventually dies and Jacquetta waits for the King's councilers to choose another husband after her year of mourning. John's squire Richard Woodville has other ideas, and Jacquetta is willing to risk the king's wrath for the sake of true love. The marriage is a fruitful one and Jacquetta spends lots of time in the country producing one baby after another (yawn). The wheel of fortune spins again when the king marries Margaret of Anjou and Jacquetta is summoned to serve the new Queen, but that marriage isn't exactly smooth sailing, and one thing leads to another until a little dispute erupts between the houses of Lancaster and York.

The Lady of the Rivers is #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory’s remarkable story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, a woman who navigated a treacherous path through the battle lines in the Wars of the Roses. The Lady of the Rivers is a 2011 historical novel by Philippa Gregory, part of her series The Cousins' War. The story is narrated by Jacquetta of Luxembourg, mother of Elizabeth Woodville, and covers the reign of the Lancastrian King Henry VI. The novel serves as a prequel to Gregory's The White Queen (2009), the story of Elizabeth's reign as Queen consort of England. The protagonist in The Lady of the Rivers is Jacquetta of Luxembourg, who is not generally a well-known historical figure. The story covers Jacquetta's life from adolescence to middle age, and Gregory fans will realize that it ends with the beginning of Gregory's 2009 novel The White Queen. And yet there were some definite improvements over recent novels in the series. For one thing, Jacquetta gets to travel around quite a bit, and even though she's not in the battles I did get a better sense of being near to the action than I usually do. And the supporting cast was good; I particularly liked Margaret of Anjou, Henry VI's queen, and I found the account of Henry VI's mental illness compelling. There were several other memorable characters; in fact, I now understand the Wars of the Roses a whole lot better. So if you read historical fiction for the history, you'll be satisfied.

The Lady of the Rivers

The Lady of the Rivers is a 2011 historical novel by Philippa Gregory, part of her series The Cousins' War. The story is narrated by Jacquetta of Luxembourg, mother of Elizabeth Woodville, and covers the reign of the Lancastrian King Henry VI. [1] [2] The novel serves as a prequel to Gregory's The White Queen (2009), the story of Elizabeth's reign as Queen consort of England. [3] Plot [ edit ] When the young and beautiful Jacquetta is married to the older Duke of Bedford, English regent of France, he introduces her to a mysterious world of learning and alchemy. Her only friend in the great household is the duke’s squire Richard Woodville, who is at her side when the duke’s death leaves her a wealthy young widow. The two become lovers and marry in secret, returning to England to serve at the court of the young King Henry VI, where Jacquetta becomes a close and loyal friend to his new queen. Descended from Melusina, the river goddess, Jacquetta always has had the gift of second sight. As a child visiting her uncle, she met his prisoner, Joan of Arc, and saw her own power reflected in the young woman accused of witchcraft. They share the mystery of the tarot card of the wheel of fortune before Joan is taken to a horrific death at the hands of the English rulers of France. Jacquetta understands the danger for a woman who dares to dream.

That's about as much plot summary you'll get from me, I'd rather discuss the reading experience, starting with the repetitive text. The Melusine count exceeded twenty, and that's not counting the water/river/fishy woman references or the tally would be much higher. There are times when nothing much happens in Jacquetta and Richard's lives (making babies, cooling heels in Calais for a year waiting for the king to do something), and it would have served the story better just to fast forward a few years with a brief mention rather than more tedious detail on what isn't happening.first of all, the narration by Bianca Amato is stunning! Her mature use of accents, pausing, various voices, and tone are all to be commended. She kept me riveted throughout the 19 hours! Griffiths, Ralph A. (1991). "The Court during the Wars of the Roses". In Asch, Ronald G.; Birke, Adolf M. (eds.). Princes Patronage and the Nobility: The Court at the Beginning of the Modern Age, cc. 1450–1650. Oxford University Press. pp.59–61. ISBN 0-19-920502-7. I don't understand the great need to repeat same words three times in a single sentence, over and over and over again (can't quote examples from the ARC, sorry). Then there are the mind-numbing reminders to the reader of who is who via the *as you know, Bob* method. Any time Jacquetta mentions her first husband in a conversation he is always my Lord John, Duke of Bedford. Margaret will mention her uncle in a conversation with an intimate friend as my uncle, the king of France (I think everyone at court would know that she was niece to the king of France). And Richard of York, reviled by all the Lancastrians is always always always (see, I can do things in threes) Richard Duke of York. Every time. I got it the first time, and did not need to be clubbed over the head with it :( Hands down, Philippa Gregory is my favorite English historical novelist. She brings the era she is exploring to life and always tells the story from such a personal point of view that you feel you are, or at least know, the main character. I also love that she takes historical women who have been literally overlooked by historians and brings their stories, their stuggles, into the light. Gregory, Philippa; Baldwin, David; Jones, Michael (2011). The Women of the Cousins' War. London: Simon & Schuster.