Tudor Tuesday; The Kingmaker's Daughter ~ Philippa Gregory

Ok so I know this isn't exactly a Tudor novel but since Henry's mother is in it I figured it counts...


The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Summary:
The Kingmaker's Daughter is the gripping story of the daughters of the man known as the "Kingmaker," Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick: the most powerful magnate in fifteenth-century England. Without a son and heir, he uses his daughters, Anne and Isabel as pawns in his political games, and they grow up to be influential players in their own right. In this novel, her first sister story since The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory explores the lives of two fascinating young women.

At the court of Edward IV and his beautiful queen, Elizabeth Woodville, Anne grows from a delightful child to become ever more fearful and desperate when her father makes war on his former friends. Married at age fourteen, she is soon left widowed and fatherless, her mother in sanctuary and her sister married to the enemy. Anne manages her own escape by marrying Richard, Duke of Gloucester, but her choice will set her on a collision course with the overwhelming power of the royal family and will cost the lives of those she loves most in the world, including her precious only son, Prince Edward. Ultimately, the kingmaker's daughter will achieve her father's greatest ambition

My Take:
An interesting look at the Plantagenet England. I made the mistake of reading this novel at the same time as watching the series the White Queen. I'm not sure if this book ruined the tv show or if the acting just wasn't that great but either way the novel was much better. It was interesting to look inside the Plantagenet family and watch as their line breaks down from the inside. Even more interesting after just having finished the novel about Margaret Pole. The stories seem to blend and build slowly creating a picture for the reader of what it would be like to try to survive so close to the throne.
Ambition is the name of the game with everyone vying for the Throne. Hoping to get favor with the King or win over the Queen.
We follow the story of young Anne as she enters court for the first time, enamored with the beautiful Queen. As time goes on she begins to both fear and resent the Queen. Blaming her for the death of her sisters first child and later fearing her. We will never know how much was fear and how much was real but thats what makes the whole story that much more interesting.

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