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Title details for The White Queen by Philippa Gregory - Available

The White Queen

#2 in series

by Philippa Gregory
Susan Lyons
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
The inspiration for the critically acclaimed Starz miniseries The White Queen, #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory brings to life the extraordinary story of Elizabeth Woodville, a woman who rises from obscurity to become Queen of England, and changes the course of history forever.
Elizabeth Woodville is a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition. Her mother is Jacquetta, also known as the mystical lady of the rivers, and she is even more determined to bring power and wealth to the family line. While riding in the woods one day, Elizabeth captures the attentions of the newly crowned King Edward IV and, despite her common upbringing, marries him in secret.

When she is raised up to be his queen, the English court is outraged, but Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for her family's dominance. Yet despite her best efforts, and even with the help of her mother's powers, her two sons become pawns in a famous unsolved mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the lost princes in the Tower of London.

In this dazzling account of the deadly Wars of the Roses, brother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize: the throne of England.

  • Creators

  • Series

    Plantagenet and Tudor Novels

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 4, 2011

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781442342330
      • File size: 432108 KB
      • Duration: 15:00:13

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 29, 2009
      The queen of British historical fiction (The Other Boleyn Girl
      ) kicks off a new series with the story of Elizabeth Woodville Grey, whose shifting alliances helped the War of the Roses take root. The marriage of 22-year-old Yorkist King Edward IV to 27-year-old widow Elizabeth brings a sea change in loyalties: Elizabeth's Lancastrian family becomes Edward's strongest supporters, while Edward's closest adviser, the ambitious earl of Warwick, joins with Edward's brother George to steal the English crown. History buffs from Shakespeare on have speculated about this fateful period, especially the end of Edward and Elizabeth's two sons, and Gregory invents plausible but provocative scenarios to explore those mysteries; she is especially poignant depicting Elizabeth in her later years, when her allegiance shifts toward Richard III (who may have killed her sons). Gregory earned her international reputation evoking sex, violence, love and betrayal among the Tudors; here she adds intimate relationships, political maneuvering and battlefield conflicts as well as some well-drawn supernatural elements. Gregory's newest may not be as fresh as earlier efforts, but she captures vividly the terrible inertia of war.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      With the success of THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, British author Philippa Gregory has become wildly popular in the U.S. It's easy to see why in her latest heady mix of history, romance, and political intrigue as she teases apart the tangled skeins of the War of the Roses. Bianca Amato creates a powerful and compellingly believable Elizabeth Woodville, the commoner who married King Edward IV whose reign is most known for the disappearance of her two sons from the Tower of London. Amato captures Elizabeth's growing strength of purpose as she learns to play the game of court life and delivers a heartfelt portrayal of Elizabeth's fierce passion for her family's advancement and protection. D.G. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Historians may endlessly debate the fate of the two princes who disappeared from the Tower of London during the War of the Roses. Gregory creates an enjoyable story that focuses on their mother, Elizabeth Woodville, and her relationship with King Edward IV. Narrator Susan Lyons's regal, self-possessed voice easily engages listeners throughout this story of conspiracies and murder, with its recurring focus on the water goddess Melusina. Lyons strategically uses brittle, harsh tones to express Woodville's fear and anger at the ever-growing dangers surrounding the eternal battles for control of England. Ultimately, it is Lyons's use of warmer tones as she portrays Woodville's genuine love for her family that brings the first novel in Gregory's newest series to life. A.R.H. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      August 17, 2009
      Gregory applies her romantically written fictionalization of history to the powerful story of Elizabeth Woodville, the first English born commoner to become Queen of England. Her marriage to King Edward IV became part of the aristocratic battle of kin against kin for the crown during the turbulent and tragic years of the War of the Roses. From the fairytale-like introduction to the loss of her two young princes in the Tower of London, Elizabeth tells her own tale of joy and grief. Bianca Amato narrates the story with little vocal embellishment. It is a reading rather than a performance, and, in this instance, wholly successful. Rather than a creating a host of character voices, Amato uses her strong, haunting and cultured tone and accent so that listeners hear Elizabeth herself. A Touchstone hardcover (Reviews, Jun. 29).

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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