Whom You Know: READ THIS: The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

READ THIS: The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

As you may remember, we reviewed The White Queen by Philippa Gregory previously, and loved it:
http://www.whomyouknow.com/2010/01/read-thisthe-white-queen-by-philippa.html

So, Peachy Deegan was counting down the days until The Red Queen arrived. We love the War of the Roses in the House of Tudor. Yes, Peachy is a little bit English. You should be counting down the days until August 3rd, the day The Red Queen arrives to the public. The skill of a writer is determined by his or her versatility, imagination, and complete wit about them, and Gregory proves again just how talented she is in The Red Queen, turning England around to the other side in the Cousins War, now taking a look at Margaret Beaufort of Lancaster.

Again, the amazing amount of research that goes into a work this historical is both daunting and impressive, and Gregory captures the moment as if we all might have been there. Though of course we live in New York, not New Lancaster, at first we had trouble sympathizing with the red side (for those of you that need a history brush up: the war is between the Lancasters, red, and Yorks, white and they are the royal cousins).

We love the map and the family tree in the beginning, and of course it reminds us of one of our favorite places in London, the National Portrait Gallery, where you can see portraits of all the rulers of the crown chronologically, but what we love most is the succinct, snappy style of Gregory as she weaves a tale of intrigue and drama, bringing us back in time and making the nearly 400 pages fly by. We were so enraptured we read this in a day. We won't delve into the plot too much, but you should know Margaret was so influential as the mother of Henry VII and grandmother of Henry VIII, who certainly changed the course of history. More importantly, she was great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth, as we see it.

You'll see that Margaret Beaufort, who has been historically portrayed as a bit of an ice queen, (actually we like that type; people say that about Anna Wintour, if you said it about Peachy it wouldn't be the first time she's heard that...) actually is quite human, so you might say in this regard it is like watching the movie the September Issue. This book gives life to the bigger character.

The lack of opportunities for women and Margaret's total frustration with it will make you happy you are alive in the age of feminism, not that we are feminists- we are for total equality, and the lack of modern conveniences of course will leave you longing for Gotham Gadgets and make you happy you live in the modern age, but it is always fun to go back in time inbetween two covers filled with as much excitement as The Red Queen. Whom You Know highly recommends The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory!!!

***

New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory, dubbed the “queen of rollicking royal fiction,” (USA Today) is back with her eagerly anticipated new book in The Cousins’ War series. THE RED QUEEN(Touchstone / Simon & Schuster; August 3, 2010; $25.99/cloth; 1-4165-6372-5) shifts to the Lancaster family to tell the story of a woman determined to shape the course of history during the English War of the Roses.

At age twelve, Margaret Beaufort has convinced herself that it is the will of God, and her own determined ambition that her son, Henry, take the throne of England – regardless of the cost. Through years of violent civil war in England, as cousin turns against cousin and brother against brother, Margaret marries, plots and manipulates to keep her son safe.

Sending Henry into exile for his protection and betrothing him to her enemy, Elizabeth Woodville’s daughter, Margaret feigns loyalty to King Richard III and marries one of his faithful supporters – all while laying secret plans for the battle between the houses of York and Lancaster that will see her son crowned.

When King Richard’s son and heir dies, Margaret launches her plan with a deadly command that strikes to the heart of the White Queen. Henry invades from France and with the support of Margaret’s husband, defeats the King’s army, gains the throne and seals his marriage to the White Rose princess.

The ultimate triumph, however, belongs to Lady Margaret; she has founded the greatest dynasty that England will ever know: the Tudors.

Combining years of research and her remarkable storytelling skills, Gregory brings this ambitious and unforgettable heroine to vivid life. THE RED QUEEN is sure to win the hearts of literary fans throughout the world.

Philippa Gregory is the author of several New York Times bestselling novels, including The Other Boleyn Girl, The Queen’s Fool, The Virgin’s Lover, The Constant Princess, The Boleyn Inheritance, The Other Queen, and the first book in The Cousins’ War series, The White Queen. She lives in England.

For more information about Philippa Gregory and her novels:

www.simonandschuster.com or www.PhilippaGregory.com

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