Review by Booklist Review
Jacquetta of Luxembourg, mother of Elizabeth Woodville (The White Queen, 2009), may be Gregory's most obscure royal heroine, but hers is an ideal vantage for observing the final stages of the Hundred Years' War and the origins of the Wars of the Roses. Descendant of the water goddess Melusina, Jacquetta befriends Joan of Arc and learns firsthand how their male-centered world fears women's supernatural gifts. The ethereal magic threaded through the story, more imaginative than historically based, contrasts nicely with the power politics that consume Jacquetta's later life. The tale is most compelling when Jacquetta defies the court with her second marriage to her late husband's squire, Richard Woodville. Theirs is an enduring romance, but they're often separated while Richard serves the weak Lancastrian king, Henry VI, and Jacquetta keeps company with the long-suffering queen mother, Margaret of Anjou, who vigorously defends her son's inheritance. Jacquetta's plainspoken narration clearly lays out the circumstances that see her family rise and fall on fortune's wheel, but elimination of many repetitive phrases would have produced a tighter novel. . High Demand Backstory: Public librarians will see that a new Gregory historical novel is to be published and will automatically order one or multiple copies, no questions asked.--Johnson, Sara. Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Wielding magic again in her latest War of the Roses novel (after The Red Queen), Gregory demonstrates the passion and skill that has made her the queen of English historical fiction. Her heroine-narrator, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, who possesses second sight, is but 14 when she witnesses the execution of Joan of Arc. Joan's persecutor, the duke of Bedford, marries Jacquetta the next year in a vain attempt to access her powers, but then leaves her a wealthy widow. Defying convention, Jacquetta chooses a new husband herself: the duke's handsome young squire, Richard Woodville, with whom she has a dozen children, including Elizabeth, the future queen. Richard serves at King Henry VI's court, and Jacquetta befriends his new queen. When the king's widowed mother weds Owen Tudor, tolerance spreads for women who defy convention. As in previous works, Gregory portrays spirited women at odds with powerful men, endowing distant historical events with drama, and figures long dead or invented with real-life flaws and grand emotions. She makes history (mostly accurate) come alive for readers (mostly women) by giving credence to persistent rumors that academic historians (mostly men) have brushed aside. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
The best writers of historical fiction imbue the past with the rich tapestry of life and depth, and Gregory is surely counted among their number. Her third offering in the "Cousins' War" series (after The White Queen and The Red Queen) is the story of Jacquetta, mother of the White Queen, Elizabeth Woodville. Given first to a husband who desires only the magical powers she might possess, Jacquetta marries second for love, much below her station. Still, she manages to keep her family in the good graces of the ineffectual King Henry VI, placing them ultimately on the losing side of the Wars of the Roses. She and her husband hold on, however, finally settling in the country to raise their large brood and await the ascendancy of their daughter Elizabeth, who will bring the family to prominence again. VERDICT A worthy addition to this fascinating series, once again distinguished by excellent characterization, thorough research, and a deft touch with the written word. [With fellow historians David Baldwin and Michael Jones, Gregory is publishing in September a nonfiction account, The Women of the Cousins' War: The Duchess, the Queen, and the King's Mother.-Ed.]-Pam O'Sullivan, SUNY Coll. at Brockport (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A duchess endowed with second sight is caught up in the War of the Roses, in another installment of Gregory'sCousins' Warseries (The Red Queen, 2010).The story opens as Jacquetta, a young princess of Luxembourg, befriends Joan of Arc. Jacquetta's great aunt, the powerful Demoiselle, takes Joan into her household while the French and English decide the fate of the warrior maid.Near death, the Demoiselle informs Jacquetta that she is a true heiress to the powers conferred on certain women of her family by their ancestor, the water goddess Melusina. Teenage Jacquetta is noticed by the English regent of France, the Duke of Bedford, who demands her hand in marriage.Horrified at first (Bedford engineers the execution of Joan as a witch), Jacquetta soon learns that, rather than consummate their marriage, Bedford wants to employ her occult talents and her virginity in his quest for the Philosopher's Stone.Bedford's squire, Richard Woodville, worships the new Duchess from afar. After Bedford dies, Jacquetta risks her status as Dowager Duchess and heiress to a great fortune to marry Richard, her less-than-blue-blooded true love.The two attempt to retire to an English country house but are soon summoned to attend to Lancastrian King Henry VI and his volatile Queen, Margaret of Anjou.Richard is made a baron and given command of the English garrison at Calais.As two factions of English nobility, the Lancasters and Yorks, vie for control of the unstable realm, hard-won English territories in France are lost, further undermining Henry's sway.Then Henry lapses into a catatonic state, during which Margaret needs Jacquetta's help to keep the Yorks at bay. However, Jacquetta, who despite Richard's frequent absences has birthed at least 11 children (readers will lose count), resists exploiting gifts that some may see as witchcraft.Although the complexity of the historical and political events threatens to overwhelm Jacquetta's story, the suspenseful pace never flags, although it's clear that Jacquetta has allied herselfat least for nowwith the losing side.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
