The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory

Philippa Gregory's novel entitled The Kingmaker's Daughter follows the events in The White Queen. This novel is told through the eyes of Anne Neville, wife of King Richard the Third. Anne Neville has a very different view on the events that took place in The White Queen , which made me question what I had been reading in Gregory's previous novel.

Reading Anne Neville's account of events made me wonder who was right? What side is telling the truth here? Did King Richard the Third see an opportunity to gain the throne for himself, or was he doing this to save his country from a child being ruled by an overbearing mother? Of course there is no correct answer to these questions as history is written by the victors. King Richard the Third has been depicted as a killer of innocent children, which is the story that the Tudors would be telling everyone as they were the victors of that battle. Yet this novel begs the question, what really happened during this time--whose story should we believe?

I have to admit, while I enjoyed the concept of turning the story around, this is not one of Gregory's best efforts. The prose is a little weaker than her other novels and I find it harder to connect with Anne Neville than with her other narrators. I found Anne Neville to be led by events around her, instead of charging forward and helping move events along. She did not seem to really play a part in her own life--she let the men in her life lead her along. Gregory tends to depict much stronger women than this. Anne Neville has a a few strong moments here and there, but all in all she pretty much reacts to what is going on around her instead of acting on what is going around her.

Normally I say go out and get the book--not that I am saying not to read it (it is part of a series), but Gregory has done better in the past, so it might not be exactly what you are expecting from the author.

Till next time,
R.F.F.