The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

the breathtaking tale of Elizabeth Woodville, the woman whose beauty besotted a king Edward IV and won her a crown. Their love was worthy of legend and plunged the country deeper into chaos and later splendor. The first of Gregory's trilogy, the book captivated us with England's infamous civil war, where power was coveted by all, trust was a privilege, love forged in secret and both sides believed they were aided by God. At last we see the other side of the story, written by those often eclipsed by their male relations, for men go to battle but women wage war

A perfectly wonderful historical event ruined by romance, sloppy writing, and silly magic nonsense.

I have a soft spot for historical fictions and this one satisfied my craving for one. The story was interesting enough and kept me captivated the entire time. It was an enjoyable read.

Everyone who reads Gregory knows she can be repetitious, and play fast and loose with facts, but they're fun reads.

I have been a huge fan of Phillipa Gregory's Tudor novels looking at the women affected through the reign of Henry VIII and his daughters after him. I have loved them all but read them already knowing much of the historical background and characters.

I don't however have any real background on the War of the Roses and thought that this time I would allow Greogry to enlighten me. This is a good book in that I did learn much more about the story of the Princes in the Tower and from the viewpoint of their mother Elizabeth Woodville. There are points of the book I was absolutely engrossed and then others where I found myself skim reading. Lots and lots of ups and downs - one minute their at peace - the next at war - the next at peace...it's difficult to keep track of who's fighting who and who's on which side as they all keep changing allegience.

This is probably very historically accurate but it doesn't always make for engrossing reading. I'm glad I read this book as it has helped me to put into context the years leading up to the time I was interested in - Tudor times - hoping the next book is slightly more compelling though.