The White Princess

The White Princess by Philipa Gregory

The White Princess by Philipa Gregory is the story of Princess Elizabeth who one day will become Queen Elizabeth.  This story follows Elizabeth a York who marries Henry Tudor, her enemy.  The marriage between these two Royals will end the War of The Roses (the cousins war)  uniting the two houses.  

     As England seems to somewhat settle down and find a little peace, this Princess who is now Queen must find a way to win the love of her husband, England's new King and also his mother, Margaret of Beaufort.  This is hard for Elizabeth as she can not forgive Henry for killing her Uncle King Richard III and taking the throne.

    As life seems to be calm for a time....a new threat becomes known.  Elizabeth's brother, who was presumed dead (one of the boys in the tower) has surfaced.  England loves the York family and would love to see a York boy on the throne.  Elizabeth must now choose the life she has now and protect her Husband the King or go with what she knows in her heart and put the pretender (her brother) on the throne.

    Philipa Gregory had done another wonderful job of telling history with a little fictional spin and of course adding a theory on what happened to the Boys in the Tower.  I recommend this book to anyone who loves Philipa Gregory and historical fiction. This is also a great book to get a little more of what happens in the York/Tudor battle if you have watched The White Queen on STARZ.

The Constant Princess

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

    


    The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory is another great read!  This is the story of Catherine of Aragon also known as Catalina, Infanta of Spain and the Princess of Wales.  She has know this title her whole life and always knew she would become Queen of England.

     At a very young age Catalina, Infanta of Spain, knew she was going to be Queen of England.  She had seen war and known that woman can fight on the battle field and win wars.  Catalina, Infanta of Spain, was betrothed to Arthur, Prince of Wales.  She knew that one day she would have to leave her family and travel to England to become the Princess of Wales and eventually become the Queen of England.

    When she leaves her home to move to England she is out of place in a strange land with a strange language.  Arthur, Prince of Wales is not what she had expected and their relationship is off to a rocky start.  After some troubles and a fight for power between the young couple the fall madly in love with each other.  They are inseparable, yet no one knows this.  Arthur's Grandmother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, ran the Tudor court and told the young couple when they could be together.   This did not stop the young couple from being together and planing their future and the future kingdom.

   Arthur is stricken with an illness that ultimately takes his life, leaving Catalina alone in a strange land with nowhere to go and a deathbed promise to keep to her husband.  She must tell the ultimate lie and stick to it.  The battle over who gets to keep Catalina becomes quite petty.  King Henry VII does not want to send her back to Spain, due to her dowry not being paid in full and her parents seem to not want her home.  This little battle over where Catalina will end up is both a blessing and a curse for the young Princess.

   Catalina is forced to live in poverty by the King.  She sits in a little home with a small amount of ladies to care for her.  In this time she is trying to work out her plan to keep her promise to her late husband.  She was born to be the Queen of England and she is going to die trying, nothing will stop her from doing God's will.

    King Henry VII is left a widow and needs to take a new wife, when he comes up with a plan to keep the dowry owed by the Spanish and Catalina.  He plans to take her for his new wife, but this will not work for the young Princess.  She wants to be Queen of England, she was born to be Queen of England.  After some more time waiting in poverty, her chance finally comes.

   King Henry VII passes away and leave his second son, Henry, Prince of Wales, the throne.  King Henry VIII honors his betrothal to his brother's widow.  He marries Catalina, Infanta of Spain, making her the new Queen of England.

    Queen Katherine has a long road ahead of her, she must keep her young husband in line and she must produce a son.  Not only does she have these tasks ahead of her, she must also fight to make the England that she and Arthur had dreamed of.

   This was a fantastic read about Katherine, Queen of England, first wife of Henry VIII.  Many know how this history ends, Philippa Gregory gives us a little more on Katherine, Queen of England.  Katherine of Aragon was a strong woman, she was even stronger than we thought.  A must read for anyone interested in the Tudors.

A little Update

  I posted two reviews this evening, one was for The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory and the second one was for Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.  I admire both writers and loved both books!  I can't wait to get more reviews up.  I'm still trying to get the feel for what I want my reviews to be like and how I want to blog to run.

  Now that the school year is winding down for my girls, my days are a little hectic right now.  My youngest has five days left of pre-school.  I can not believe how fast the time has gone by already.  In the fall she will be in kindergarten!

  My oldest has a few weeks left of school and then off to second grade in the fall!  So I have end of the year activities going on right now, which means that I am not reading as much as I usually do.  Soon the girls will be home and we will be spending a lot of time outside and at the beach, meaning that I will be reading quite a bit.

   I am going to be posting a few more reviews over the next few days!  I also went to the library with the girls to day and have a few new books to read, so as soon as I am done with those I will be posting reviews for them as well.  So when the day is done and the girls are in bed, I will be listening to the iPod and typing away.

  I hope everyone has a great rest of the week and I hope you all enjoy your Memorial day weekend.

~Melissa~

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

   Another fantastic book from Philippa Gregory. Having read The White Queen, I had to read The Red Queen. The Red Queen is the second book in the Cousins' War series.  This is the story of Margaret Beaufort and her quest to make her son, Henry Tudor, King.

  In The White Queen we are introduced to Margaret Beaufort and her son Henry.  The White Queen by Philippa Gregory tells the story of Elizabeth Woodville, the commoner who won the heart of Edward and became Queen.  Margaret Beaufort was on the other side of this war for the throne.

   Margaret Beaufort is a strong willed women, who sets aside her own desires to put her son on the Throne of England.  Margaret wanted to be a holy women or another Joan of Arc.  Unfortunately Margaret lives in a time when a women does not choose her own life.  Married off at a very young age and a mother not long after, she chooses the only option left for her...to put her son on the throne.  This side of the War of the Roses is more focused on a women's belief in god and his plan for her family.

   This Red Queen is the story of the house of Lancaster fighting for the throne with secret plans and deception.  Another story of a strong women who has the will to fight to the very end, only she may have God on her side as well as the ultimate goal in the end....the Throne.

   I love Philippa Gregory's books.  She has an amazing ability to grab your attention and keep you reading to the very end.  I could not put this book down.

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory Book Review

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

   I was so excited to read The White Queen by Philippa Gregory.  I love the history that she pours into her writing.  Philippa Gregory has an amazing story telling ability and her research is amazing.  The White Queen is Philippa Gregory's first book in the Cousin's War Series. This book takes place before the Tudors during the time of the War of the Roses.

   The White Queen begins with Elizabeth Woodville, from the house of Lancaster.  Elizabeth Woodville is a widow who lost her husband in a battle.  She and her two sons live with her parents and siblings.  Elizabeth's mother, Jacquetta helps her to gain the attention of King Edward IV from the house of York,  with the assistance of witchcraft.  Elizabeth Woodville marries Edward IV in secret with her mother and a servant as the only witnesses.  When Edward IV, from the family of the white roses, takes the throne he must bring Elizabeth in as the new Queen of England. 

    This creates some problems for the new King.  People in England do not like the power that Elizabeth's family have now risen to.  This being in the time of the Cousin's War, Edward has to work a little harder to keep himself on the throne and peace in England.  Brothers turn against brothers in this long battle for the throne as the rightful King.

   King Edward and Elizabeth fight to keep their family in power and peace in England.  Despite Edwards reputation for being a playboy, he adores Elizabeth.  Elizabeth Woodville is a beauty like no other and is the most beautiful Queen that England has seen.  Elizabeth and Edward IV not only have to fight against the people wanting claim to the throne, they must also fight the very people along side them, starting with his mother.  Edward's mother is not happy with the fact that Edward IV married Elizabeth instead of a princess.  Not only is Edward's mother a hurdle they must deal with, Edward's brothers also pose a threat.  

   Elizabeth  produces two little Princes for Edward IV, gaining more claim to the throne of England, as well as many Princesses.  During this time, England becomes divided as others vow to claim the throne of England.  Edward IV goes away to battle and Elizabeth must go into hiding in the Tower of London or Westminster Abbey.  This is where she gives birth to her first son Edward, the future King of England.  After peace is restored and the Royal Family is back at the castle there are more problems to deal with.  Edward's brother George is rallying against him and need to be dealt with.  Against the pleas of his mother Edward IV has his brother George put to death for treason.

   Time goes by and things are looking good for the House of York, until Edward IV becomes ill and passes away.  On his death bed he leaves the care of his young son, Edward,in the care of his brother Richard.  This is not to the liking of Elizabeth.  Knowing that something is wrong, she goes into hiding again, with her daughters and her youngest boy.

  In a time when you can not trust anyone Elizabeth must make some surprising allies, to fight for the throne that rightfully belongs to her son Edward.  During this time of hiding she relies on her witchcraft and least likely allies.  In order to save an heir to the throne she switches her youngest son for a pageboy. Sending the pageboy to the Tower of London to join her son Edward, who is already prisoner.  Many rumors are told about the boys in the tower.  Some say that they were killed and buried, others say that one escaped.  To this day no one knows what happened to the boys in the Tower.

  This is such an amazing book of the struggle for power and what people will do for it, whether it be forming unlikely alliances or switching children.  The goal is always to survive.  Philippa Gregory has an amazing ability to fill in the gaps in history with her own personal idea of what happened.  The White Queen is full of backstabbing, family loyalty and the struggle to survive and rise to the top.  The White Queen is a great book about the time of the War of the Roses and will leave you wondering what England has been wondering for centuries....what happened to the Boys in the Tower?