Interview with author Philippa Gregory and a review of her new book about the mother of Elizabeth Woodville
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Gabrielle Pantera
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 11/22/2011 – “I found Jacquetta’s influence on her daughter completely fascinating when I was doing the research for The White Queen,” says The Lady of the Rivers author Philippa Gregory. “It was hard to track her life as she is only occasionally mentioned in the historical record, but her marriage to the Duke of Bedford marks her entry to the historical records, and her second marriage to Richard Woodville was an international scandal at the time.”
This is the third novel in Gregory’s series The Cousins’ War. The White Queen, is Elisabeth Woodville, who marries Edward’s son, the Duke of York and becomes the Queen of England. The Lady of the Rivers is the White Queen’s mother Jacquetta, the Duchess of Bedford, a woman who navigated a treacherous path through the battle lines in the Wars of the Roses.
You’ll lose yourself in this book. Gregory’s historical novels immerse you in the time and locale. Her depiction of the characters and her descriptions of the locations are vivid. She relates how exciting yet treacherous it was at court. Gregory doesn’t plunge into the wars and fighting. Instead it’s the story of the emotional life of Jacquetta, including the heartaches and sorrows.
In The Lady of the Rivers, Jacquetta is descended from Melusina,a river goddess who has given Jacquetta the second sight. Jacquetta marries in 1433 at age 17 King Henry V’s brother the Duke of Bedford, who had fought in France in The Hundred Years War against the forces of Joan of Arc and had her executed two years earlier. When Bedford dies in 1435, Henry VI of England sends Sir Richard Woodville to bring the beautiful young widow from France to England. The couple fall in love and marry secretly during the journey.
They survive the scandal to return to the English court of King Henry where Jacquetta becomes a member of Queen Margaret’s retinue and a close friend of the Queen. Jacquetta feels that her eldest child Elizabeth is special. Jacquetta tries to use her gifts to tell the future of her daughter, but nothing is clear.
King Henry falls into a mysterious sleep and Queen Margaret turns away from her trusted friends and advisors while Richard, Duke of York, threatens to overturn the whole kingdom for his rival dynasty. Jacquetta and her husband are loyal to the crown, but at what cost to their large family?
“I think the women in this novel, as the women in many of my novels, are the heroines of women today,” says Gregory. “They are our fore-mothers. Their courage and struggle for their rights is an example and an inspiration to me. I love to write about them and bring their stories to modem men and women.”
“Jacquetta seemed to me to be really worthy of her own biography and novel and since no one has yet written her biography, I have researched and am publishing an account of her life in a nonfiction book,” says Gregory. That book will be called The Women of the Cousins’ War: The Duchess, the Queen, and the King’s Mother. The Duke of Bedford was also known as John Plantagenet. Gregory is planning at least three more books on his famous family.
Gregory‘s website is www.philippagregory.com. “I maintain my website with regular updates and material,” says Gregory. “I am conscious that very many people use my books as a starting point for their own studies, that many people want to know more about me and my work. I am really grateful for their enthusiasm and affection for my work.”
The Lady of the Rivers: A Novel (The Cousins’ War) by Philippa Gregory. Hardcover, 464 pages, Publisher: Touchstone; First Edition edition (October 18, 2011) Language: English, ISBN: 9781416563709.
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