The White Queen by Philippa Gregory REVIEW

(#1 in The Cousin's War Series)

  
"Philippa Gregory presents the first of a new series set amid the deadly feuds of England known as the Wars of the Roses."

Brother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize, the throne of England, in this dazzling account of the wars of the Plantagenets. They are the claimants and kings who ruled England before the Tudors, and now Philippa Gregory brings them to life through the dramatic and intimate stories of the secret players: the indomitable women, starting with Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen.
The White Queen tells the story of a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition who, catching the eye of the newly crowned boy king, marries him in secret and ascends to royalty. While Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for the success of her family, her two sons become central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the missing princes in the Tower of London whose fate is still unknown. From her uniquely qualified perspective, Philippa Gregory explores this most famous unsolved mystery of English history, informed by impeccable research and framed by her inimitable storytelling skills.


A widow, a beautiful young woman, is in the eye of to be crowned Edward. King Edward makes his move and tries, unsuccessfully to seduce her. But she holds her ground, not because she isn't attracted to him, but because she doesn't want to bring shame to her family. But it doesn't stop there. King Edward can think of no one else.
He marries Elizabeth in secret in attempt to give himself time to explain marrying an ordinary girl; especially when his hand was already promised to another..
As this historical story unfolds for Elizabeth and her two sons along with the mystery that is all around them I wonder...did they know what was coming..? And the Tower of London that to this day is an unsolved mystery lost probably forever in the sea. 

I enjoyed this read, even with the fiction thrown in. It was interesting to read it from another perspective. For those out there who don't know this part of history, it may be confusing..but a good incentive to read up on it :)
I do highly recommend this book, along with the rest of The Cousin's War series by Philippa Gregory.




My book group The Parchment Society read this book, this is my review on the book.