Series: The Cousin's War, #5
By: Philippa Gregory
Publisher: Simon and SchusterAudio
Publication Date:July 23, 2013
Format: Audio CD
Source: Publisher
The War of the Roses is
finally over (or as Gregory calls it, the Cousin’s War) and Henry VII has been
crowned and he has taken Elizabeth of York as his wife. As Gregory splendidly
shows, his reign is anything but stable. He is not loved by the people and he
does not have the charm to win them over.
Elizabeth of York is the
focus of The White Princess. She was the eldest daughter of King Edward IV and
Elizabeth Woodville. Her brothers were the missing Princes in the Tower. Elizabeth
now has to learn to love Henry VII even though her heart still belongs to the
deceased Richard III, her uncle. She never truly measures up in her husband’s
eyes even though she does show him sympathy and tries to be a dutiful wife. But
since she was constantly left out of the plans that her husband and his mother
schemed together, she never had a chance.
Normally Gregory portrays her
main characters as strong-willed and able to manipulate their future. Elizabeth
is not this type of character. She was weak and I personally found her none too
smart. She allowed herself to be manipulated instead of taking control of her
own destiny. You would think with a husband that was obviously a mama’s boy and
paranoid that she could have had a chance of becoming more. She was definitely
overshadowed by her mother-in-law, Lady Margaret Beaufort.
Philippa Gregory of course
takes her own liberties with history which provides for an entertaining
historical fiction read. There were times that the book seemed drag on without
getting to the point but all in all it ended up being a typical Gregory novel. You
don’t have to read this entire series in order but it does help to keep the
timeline straight.
I listened to the audio
version narrated by Bianca Amato who did an exceptional job. Her tone of voice
captured the characters well and I would listen to another audio narrated by
her.
PURCHASE THE WHITE PRINCESS
DISCLOSURE: I received this
audio CD from the publisher at no charge and in no way did it influence my
review.
BOOKS IN ORDER
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