READ THIS: THE WOMEN OF THE COUSINS’ WAR The Duchess, the Queen, and the King’s Mother By Philippa Gregory, David Baldwin, and Michael Jones. Count Down The Days Until September 13th When It Goes On Sale You Will Love It!
As you know, we read many, many books at Whom You Know. We don't repeat authors often unless we are totally impressed. Phillipa Gregory blew us away with the white queen in january 2010:
& the red queen in july 2010:
It has been far too long since we've reviewed another one of her hit books and we are pleased to highly recommend The Women of the Cousins' War. We also love that the apostrophe is in the right place too. If The White Queen and The Red Queen are like 10 year scotch, this book is like the 18 or 21 year. It is intense English history that you will not be able to put down. Well-written, documented to a T, and totally a requirement if you are to read any of the three historical fiction books that it surrounds (The White Queen, The Red Queen, The Lady of the Rivers (which is in our review to-do list at the moment)) as it will be priceless reference for clearing up any points when you need to sort out any historical reference, and it can be confusing even for the brightest of readers. You will become highlighter happy as you go through The Women of the Cousins' War, from one drama to the next, and certain events are repeated in each of the three biographies, each from their own perspective, which is terribly fascinating. Each of the three women is written by a different author, and even though these are three different voices the tone of The Women of the Cousins' War flows very well. By now you know Peachy Deegan has a B.A. in History so this is totally up her alley. She also is part English and has lived in England, however, she did not study English history in any detail so this knowledge is a welcome addition to her cocktail party conversation arsenal.
Phillipa Gregory's embracement of chronicling the lives of these three key women in history is highly admirable and it is a shame that it has taken this long for the world to begin recognizing the incredible role that these and many other women have played in history throughout the ages. Of course, the actual recording of history is something that was traditionally done by men...and we are impressed that Tudor historian Edward Hall's work has endured since 1550 and was used as a reference. We'd like to know more about the P&L involved with the buying and selling of ransom rights during the Hundred Years War...perhaps that was an early stage of a hedge fund.
If you liked the movie "The Other Boleyn Girl" you should know it was based on the book by Phillipa Gregory. If you like Alice in Wonderland, you should be well-aware that the War of the Roses (how annoying in the Wiki reference that no women are pictured and rarely mentioned), which is another name for this war between the cousins, is part of the story: remember The White Queen and The Red Queen here. Even Lewis Carroll was influenced by this subject matter. And you of course know that a statue of Alice can be found in Central Park...and if you are even questioning the historical significance of The Cousins' War, for our readers in New York especially, consider where you are living and what language you are speaking. New York is of course named after the Duke of York, and this Duke of York came after this history we are talking about in this book. (Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Walter Raleigh of course were influential first in English history in the New World, to be followed by the English taking over New Amsterdam....but that is another story.)
One thing you should know about the three women in The Women of the Cousins' War is how dedicated they are to learning and literature. Note that this was before the age of printing, and books were handwritten illuminated manuscripts, such as the one willed to Jacquetta from the Duke of Bedford. And did you know Jacquetta's son Anthony sponsored the first-ever published book in England, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales? (Everyone that was at Miss Porter's when Peachy was will remember how we all had to memorize "Whan that Aprille..." thank you Mr. Fountain) Everyone will be thrilled to know Jacquetta in greater detail; we have some idea from The White Queen, as she is of course the mother of The White Queen....the adventures, both uplifting and tragic, will envelop you, the reader, as you will become happily sucked in. We still want to know what happened to the two princes in the Tower...and did you know that blue is the royal color of mourning? When you hear of Prince Richard, age 4, marrying a five-year-old bride, the show Toddlers in Tiaras may come to mind, although we can assure you this work is of a much higher caliber. People grew up much faster back then, even when compared to the standards of how quickly children grow up in Manhattan.
Additionally, this book will show you that all families have problems of some sort or another, and some issues that come up endure century after century regardless of country, language or other variable, including: who marries whom, when an elder dies (or not! Poor Countess of Warwick, declared legally dead so her daughters and their husbands could inheirit her properties without having to wait for her to die!) who gets what, the realities of war, pecking order in a family, the list could go on and on. If you think of the broader picture here you will see that the more things change, the more things can in fact stay the same. A side note: we like how at the end of each section we can see the signature of the woman featured. Remarkable that this exists! The family trees are also an incredible help and reference point for clarification along the way.
You will find yourself wanting to reread The White Queen and The Red Queen because you will get even more out of them now, with the background you'll soak in from The Women of the Cousins' War. This is not only a history of England, but also a history of France-you should be aware, francophiles! Summer may be winding down, and the sandcastles will need to be "put away," but the castles found within the pages of this book need to be discovered by you! And, if you put the white rose together with the red rose and read this, we are confident you will be in the pink! We are certain this will shoot to #1 on the New York Times List too.
It is at the top of ours!
***
From #1 New York Times Bestselling Author PHILIPPA GREGORY,
David Baldwin, and Michael Jones
THE WOMEN
of the
COUSINS’ WAR
The Duchess, the Queen,
and the King’s Mother
“An engrossing introduction to three courageous matriarchs
who shaped English history.”
—Publishers Weekly
#1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory drew readers around the world into the legendary Tudor court with novels including The Other Boleyn Girl. Her new The Cousins’ War series brings vibrant life to the noble family that preceded the Tudors, the magnificent Plantagenets, and chronicles the years of battles and political infighting most commonly known as the Wars of the Roses.
Now, in THE WOMEN OF THE COUSINS’ WAR, Gregory teams with two eminent historians, David Baldwin and Michael Jones, to explore the true lives of the extraordinary heroines of The Cousins’ War series: Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford (The Lady of the Rivers), Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of England (The White Queen), and Margaret Beaufort, founder of the Tudor dynasty (The Red Queen).
THE WOMEN OF THE COUSINS’ WAR (On-sale September 13, 2011; A Touchstone Hardcover; 978-1-4516-2954-5; $26.00) offers three fascinating biographical essays about the inspirations behind Philippa Gregory’s fiction and a sweeping picture of one of the most intriguing periods in English history. This unique project incorporates beautiful illustrations of rare portraits and source materials, making it a must-have volume for both scholars and historical fiction readers alike.
In her essay on Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, Gregory uses original documents and histories of myth and witchcraft to create the first-ever biography of the young duchess who was to survive two reigns and two wars to become the first lady at two rival courts. David Baldwin, established authority on the Wars of the Roses, tells the story of Elizabeth Woodville, the first commoner to marry a king of England for love, while Michael Jones, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, writes of Margaret Beaufort, the matriarch of the House of Tudor who managed through the centuries to conceal her stunning treason against an ordained King of England.
Philippa Gregory has spent her life as an historian of women, their place in society, and their struggle for power. In the book’s foreword, she addresses many of the issues that her readers are most curious about and writes revealingly about the differences between history and historical fiction—and the roles of women in each. How do the historian and the novelist approach creating a character and a narrative? How do writers balance verifiable facts with necessary speculation? Why has history traditionally ignored, vilified, or exalted most women? And how have women historians and writers finally begun to change our understanding of women previously ‘hidden from history’?
**The publication precedes a major North American tour, Gregory’s first in two years. Also publishing this fall from Gregory is The Lady of the Rivers (October 2011), a novel that masterfully weaves together passion, adventure, and witchcraft to tell the story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford.**
THE WOMEN OF THE COUSINS’ WAR
The Duchess, the Queen, and the King’s Mother
By Philippa Gregory, David Baldwin, and Michael Jones
On-sale September 13, 2011
A Touchstone Hardcover
978-1-4516-2954-5 / $26.00
For additional information,
please visit www.PhilippaGregory.com or www.SimonandSchuster.com.
