The White Queen - Philippa Gregory

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory is historical writing at its best.  This is the story of Edward of England and Elizabeth Woodville, his queen. They are the future grandparents of Henry XIII. This is the tale of a young widow with two small boys who snagged a king and a kingdom and a future dynasty of royalty.

Gregory’s story tells the loss of Elizabeth’s two young sons — the princes in the Tower.  Many stories have been told to suppose what befell these two young princes, one the rightful king of England. Gregory has her own belief in what happened but the best writing in the book is of a mother’s loss of her sons.

Elizabeth’s trials in running the country and in her personal life make for fascinating reading. Her mother-in-law hated her so much she was willing to besmirch her name and call her son a bastard to try to get rid of Elizabeth. Her brothers-in-law were willing to switch sides in battle at the drop of a hat to try to win England for their own.

Much is made of Elizabeth’s supposed witchcraft in this book and even lays the groundwork for Henry VIII’s trouble with getting a male heir.

I loved every page of this story. That is was about a real person only made it more fascinating to read.

Jill James