The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory was the first book I read in her War of the Roses series ( I actually think it was the first novel she wrote for it). Once again Gregory captivated my attention with her wonderful gift of story telling.

The White Queen is about Lady Elizabeth Grey, also known as Elizabeth Woodville , the queen of the York court. She was a commoner and a widow with two children who married the King of England, which made her unpopular with numerous people of the time.

One of the legends of how Elizabeth came to be queen is that she waited by the side of the road with her two young sons to see the King. The story goes that King Edward was so captured by her beauty that he stopped to speak with her. Of course there are other takes on how the couple met, but this is the one that Gregory chose to use and I think it is the most romantic take on history. Of course, romance isn't always historically accurate, but it makes for good reading. 

For those who don't know, this is the mother of the Princes in the Tower, still one of the biggest unsolved mysteries. She was also the other grandmother of Henry VIII (Margaret Beaufort being the other one I have previously written about). Gregory weaves the debated theory through her novel, on whether both princes were sent to the Tower or if the queen sent her younger son on to safety and bought another boy to send to the Tower. While I had heard of the princes in the Tower, I had never heard of this theory before, so I found it very interesting.

Once again, Gregory focuses on the theme of women choosing their own destiny. Lady Elizabeth Grey was never supposed to be queen, it was a virtual impossibility. A woman of her station and rank could never hope to be introduced to the King, let alone become his wife. But Lady Elizabeth Grey knew what she wanted (or her mother knew what she wanted, there's some debate over that as well) and she wanted the King of England. More importantly, he wanted her too. Throughout the novel, King and Queen fight to maintain what they feel is their destiny, be it on the battlefield or in sanctuary. 

This is a great novel because it asks amazing questions and when you read, you need to ask questions.

Till next time,

R.F.F.