Five out of Five Stars
As a rule, I love Philippa Gregory's books, and this one didn't disappoint.
Telling the story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, an overlooked woman in medieval history, the book starts with the imprisonment of Joan of Arc. That alone was interesting! The book then covers Jacquetta's first marriage to the Duke of Bedford, who married her not for love but for her gift of second sight. When the Duke of Bedford dies, Jacquetta throws convention and fear of retribution to the wind and marries Richard Woodville for love. She is ordered to pay a huge fine for failing to ask the monarchy for permission to marry (and she certainly, in that age, would not have been allowed to marry someone beneath her rank) and instead becomes a favorite of Henry VI's wife, Margaret of Anjou.
Margaret dominates the book with her stubborn will and Jacquetta dominates with her deep love and devotion to family, friends, and the monarchy. The book ends with the fall of Henry VI.
A great read if you're interested in The War of the Roses.
Telling the story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, an overlooked woman in medieval history, the book starts with the imprisonment of Joan of Arc. That alone was interesting! The book then covers Jacquetta's first marriage to the Duke of Bedford, who married her not for love but for her gift of second sight. When the Duke of Bedford dies, Jacquetta throws convention and fear of retribution to the wind and marries Richard Woodville for love. She is ordered to pay a huge fine for failing to ask the monarchy for permission to marry (and she certainly, in that age, would not have been allowed to marry someone beneath her rank) and instead becomes a favorite of Henry VI's wife, Margaret of Anjou.
Margaret dominates the book with her stubborn will and Jacquetta dominates with her deep love and devotion to family, friends, and the monarchy. The book ends with the fall of Henry VI.
A great read if you're interested in The War of the Roses.
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Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, Lori Anderson Designs, and wrote the blog An Artist's Year Off. She is the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party.
I am interested to see what she has to say about this book (and her recent series in general) when I go to her event on Oct 29th. I too loved her earlier works but haven't yet had the chance to try out the Cousin's War series. Thanks for the review.
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