The Lady of the Rivers: A Novel (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels)

Fascinating, Interesting and Informative! This is Ms. Gregory at her best! Easily as well written and fun as The White Queen about Elizabeth Woodville becoming Queen, is this tale of her mother’s life and the prequel to the start of the War of the Roses (The Cousin’s War). Really fascinating story of how Henry VI and his queen Margaret of Anjou might have been and how the events that lead up to the battle of Towton unfolded. “The tragedy of Melusina, whatever language tells it, whatever tune it sings, is that a man will always promise more than he can do to a woman he cannot understand.” - Philippa Gregory The White Queen Interestingly, she starts with Joan of Arc as well. So the story begins in 1431 and ends in 1461; which is key to understanding how Edward IV became king of England. Having read the three books Ms. Gregory wrote and seen the adaptation of them in a miniseries, my favorite of those 3 books was the story of Elizabeth Woodville becoming the White Queen, and her life. This was as great or better! “I have spent my life as an historian of women, their place in society, and their struggle for power. The more I read about Jacquetta, the more she seemed to me to be the sort of character I particularly love: one who is overlooked or denied by the traditional histories, but who can be discovered by piecing together the evidence.” Ms. Gregory writes in the afterword. She also mentions there that she has been involved in publishing some historical accounts that have not been fictitious regarding this particular woman. “For most of her life Jacquetta was at the very center of the great events. Often she was a player. Why she has not been studied is a mystery to me. But she belongs to that large population of women whose lives have been ignored by historians in favor of the lives of prominent men. Also this period is relatively neglected compared to—say—more recent times, or even the Tudor period.” -Philippa Gregory The Lady of the Rivers (Author’s Note) Speaking of Tudor kings, I’m not sure if I want to read any of Philippa Gregory’s books on Henry VIII, because I tried to watch “Firebrand” a 2023 film about that Henry VIII and his 6th wife Katherine Parr, who raised Elizabeth I and all three of Henry VIIII’s children. I should have known better, I now realize; but it should have had trigger warnings because it as too graphic for me. I had to turn it off in the middle of the movie at the beginning of a rape scene. He was truly a monster of a man, which I was aware of but it was all too much for me. I just looked it up again and it actually describes the film as Horror/Drama. I only wish I had looked that description up before seeing it. It also didn’t give Katherine Parr’s backstory very well and was somewhat confusing. However back to the point, this here, The Lady of the Rivers is a really wonderful novel and if you enjoy reading historical fiction with a touch of magical realism, especially regarding English monarchs, you won’t be disappointed! Ms. Gregory addresses her magical realism saying “I think it very important that we as modern readers understand that religion, spiritualism, and magic played a central part in the imaginative life of medieval people.” I believe that to be very true and ultimately extremely important in looking back through history. For example she wrote about Henry VI and her characterization of his Catholicism leading to his propensity towards forgiveness and pardons, despite how weak his leadership was is insightful and appreciated. Her characterization of him is extremely well done. Her characterization of his wife, Margaret of Anjou is even more impressive and remarkable. You see clearly her weaknesses in her thirst for power, her absolute desire to obfuscate and deny the truth, her deceits and her vanity. In particularly her anger, betrayal and murderous rage become apparent as her life progresses. -Kanchan Mahon

I decided to restart this series having never finished it. I enjoyed the telling of this story - based in historical fact and sprinkled with fiction. I’m honestly a fact checker when it comes to history - and spends time looking up people and events. The writing and story telling are captivating and the events move with rhythm and the dance and story that is told holds the reader entranced throughout.

Haven't listened to entire audio book love her voice of the multiple characters and the way she puts emphasis on certain phrases how she lowers and raises her voice and makes it believable. Not disappointed and I love all the books I've physically read of this author but I am enjoying the audio book

Philippa Gregory is by far one of my most favorite authors. The Lady of the Rivers is book one in her renowned sixteen book series of the Plantagenet and Tudor Court. The book starts out with a bang and carries the reader to the depths and heights of the amazing life of Jacquetta of Luxembourg. There's history, magic, love, war and raw ambition strewn throughout the pages of this book that sets the tone for all the books in this series. I lost sleep over this book because I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. I’m so excited to continue my reading journey and can't wait to start reading book two: The White Queen! 👑

Tells the story of Jacqetta of Luxembourg the mother of Elizabeth Woodville. Born into a noble French family she is forced to marry the the uncle of the King of England who is in charge of France for him. They aren’t married long before he dies. After his death she marries Richard Woodville who worked for him and has a bunch of kids. During this time they have to contend with the Lancaster and York factions of the royal family fighting and. Very good start to the Cousins War series

I enjoyed Gregory's "The Other Bolyn Girl" so I thought I would try the Kindle edition of this book while I was visiting in England. It starts in France with the heroine meeting Joan of Arc. It is interesting to see how women of this time period manipulated power, generally in a subtle way. Some of the only ways they could do this were through how they raised their children, and other people's children who were sent to their home, negotiating prestigious marriages, and gaining wealth through marriages or dowries. Jacquetta has some inherited "powers" to glimpse the future, read Tarot, and has knowledge of medicinal herbs. People with these skills and knowledge of alchemy are in demand in some periods and regarded as witches in others. It was a strategic decision whether to reveal these inclinations or not. I enjoyed the book more than I thought I might. It is very well researched. It was interesting to see foreshadowings of future events, such as the murder of the little princes in the Tower, and to see how the strands of the monarchies in England and France are shaped and reshaped. If you like history and powerful women characters, you will enjoy this book.

The main character( The White Queen's mother) isn't as interesting as those in the White and Red Queen; the plot is slower and doesn't really "catches" you as it does so brilliantly in other Philippa Gregory's novels. A good thing about this book is that it gives the reader knowledge about the years before the War of the Roses, among others we now understand better who Jasper Tudor was, his importance in the later years and why the son he had with Margaret de Beaufort is a valid contendant to the English throne. What is remarkable about Jacquetta is that, unlike most women of this time, she chose to marry for love, even if that meant losing many of the social advantages she had and loved her second husband until his very last day. I also liked that it explains a little why the Rivers family considers itself as the heir of Melusina, goddess of the water , and it explains somewhat the role of sorcery in this troubled moment of the history of England.

Phillipa Gregory has a way of taking a history lesson and turning it into a novel that I can’t put down I have read every one of her books and loved them all She has given me such a love of English history that I’ll be going there next year to see in person all the places I’ve read about.

Die Autorin lässt Geschichte lebendig werden, Gesichter bekommen, Gefühle empfinden. Schreibstil ist auch als nicht Muttersprachler gut zu lesen und es machte Spaß in eine ganz andere Zeit abzutauchen. Eine ungewöhnliche Frau wird lebendig, von der ich sonst nie erfahren hätte. Das nächste Buch liegt bereits auf dem Nachttisch und wird nicht das Letze sein!

I loved reading about Jacquetta Rivers. As nobility in her own right, she bears herself with dignity throughout the book, as she seems to have done in reality. Her loyalty to the feckless, and maybe even mad, french Queen, is attested to. Having read The White Queen some time ago, I was keen to read about the captivating Duchess, her Lady Mother. The book stands alone, but enriches the material in the first of the series, The White Queen. I lost count of how many children she bore. Astonishing fertility. It is easy to forget that that was the function and fate of most women. That she survived all those births and was able to adore her children, is a remarkable testament to her physical and emotional strength. And as with her daughter, The White Queen, I am seriously in awe of doing all that childbearing and then having the energy to plot and scheme and play the Royal game, and fulfill her duty as a lady at court. But wet-nurses, an army of nannies etc., are factors beyond our modern imagining. there was some sort of liberation in that. She was indeed a fitting ancestor of Gloriana...fearless, brilliant, and powerfully protective of her own. Yet she married, the second time, for love and was devoted to her husband throughout. A love match amongst nobility seems to have been an unusual thing....at least amongst the York and Lancaster families. Gregory depicts the relationship tenderly. The scenes dealing with the supernatural were woven deftly into the plot. The atavistic abilities shared with her daughter Elizabeth were given enough balance to allow the reader to sense that the 'magic' engaged in was really a deep attunement and sensitivity to the currents of life.. supported by a focussed intent. Divination by these means is shown as a fairly innocuous use of focus; and the suggested wether magic is a thread which leaves us wondering throughout the series. When the weather adversely affects the military campaigns of her enemies, they accuse the Rivers women of witchcraft. But that was common enough in those times, it seems. Fear and distrust of clever, powerful, beautiful women runs throughout history. The paranoia around the occult which arose at that time could have done with more background description, I felt. I was confused about the duration of the period, early in the book, when alchemy and astrology etc were acceptable in learned circles, and when that learning suddenly seemed to be taboo. Another book, perhaps... In all, a fascinating read with an engaging plot, weaving scant historical evidence with the usual deft novelistic touch, bringing the characters and the period alive.

So happy to get this!

Muy buena lectura, ligera, entretenida y con algo de historia. Pocos libros mencionan a mujeres y su participación historica, y aqui se muestran de manera realnu creible.

平民であり、子どももいる未亡人であったのに、年下でフランスの王女との結婚話が進んでいた英国王の心をとらえて、王妃となり、自分の一族を昇進させたことで魔女扱いされたエリザベス・ウッドヴィルの母親、フランス貴族出身の美女ジャケッタのお話です。彼女自身、魔女であったとされている人物ですが、ここでは夫を一途に愛する女性として描かれています。14人も子どもを授かったということで、出産が命がけだった時代には稀な女性でしたから、これが魔女呼ばわりにつながったと言えますが、夫との愛情が深く、相性が良かっただけ、という解釈がこの本の解釈でしょう。夫婦の愛情の深さに感動しました。英語は平易で読みやすいです。少女マンガなどが好きな方が、英語の勉強をかねて読まれるとよいと思います。