When she stood out in the road to wait for the king to ride by, she was merely wanting her husband's lands restored so she wouldn't have to live on the charity of others. As you read, never once forget that Elizabeth's view of her world is a distorted one.ĭid you read the first sentence of the book above? From the very first, Elizabeth is shown as a woman who is supremely concerned with position and wealth.

Gregory tells us of the world as seen through the eyes of Elizabeth Woodville, a young widow whose beauty captivated King Edward IV. No, what makes the world go round are greedy, grasping individuals/families/clans whose thoughts seldom rise from the rut of 'I, Me, Mine'. What really makes the world go round? No matter how much we may sing about it or want it, it's certainly not love. As long as there are no glaring errors that throw me out of the story, I am content. I always pick up a book in this genre believing that the story will take precedence over the history. I am not a purist when it comes to reading historical fiction. Some of her novels I've enjoyed a great deal, others didn't do much for me. My 'history' with Philippa Gregory has been a bit uneven.

This is the first entry in a new historical series by Gregory centering on the English War of the Roses.

ISBN: 9781847374561, Simon & Schuster UK Ltd., 2009įirst Line: My father is Sir Richard Woodville, Baron Rivers, an English nobleman, a landholder and a supporter of the true kings of England, the Lancastrian line.

The white queen gregory