This book concerns itself with the death of Richard III and Henry VII coming to power. Elizabeth of York is the subject and within this awesome novel, Elizabeth must choose between her loyalty to York and her loyalty to Henry VII. Truthfully, this is one of the most gripping of all of the "Cousin's War" series. Alongside, I believe, The Kingmaker's Daughter.
Characters:
Elizabeth of York is such a great character. She truly does have completely different public and private face. She tames herself well and even questions Henry's loyalty to her. She goes through strange private conflicts when she's alone and has premonitions of England's issues to come - but through all of this, she remains with carefully constructed public face that others may be none the wiser about her problems.
Themes:
The theme of secrecy is my favourite in this novel. I love the way Elizabeth keeps herself so calm in these times of absolute agony. She is a character who remains secret throughout the novel and it seems that her secrecy in emotions is the only thing keeping her alive.
Storyline:
As I was saying, it follows the death of Richard III and focusses mainly on the conjoining of York and Lancaster to make Tudor. But, this comes with a downside - Elizabeth of York isn't sure whether she wants to marry a Lancastrian. What follows is even more agonising for her - and it's all written in first person diary entries, which makes it even more painful to read.
Verdict:
I give this book 9.
100% for characters: Elizabeth of York is conflicted, and Gregory writes her beautifully
100% for themes: I love the way secrecy in constructed to be something as a matter of life and death
100% for storyline: It's historical fiction and it's Philippa Gregory writing one of the most intriguing women in English History.
No comments:
Post a Comment