About the Book
THE SECOND NOVEL IN THE COUSINS' WAR SERIES FROM SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR, PHILIPPA GREGORY
Child-bride of Edmund Tudor, although widowed in her early teens, is determined to infiltrate the house of York under the guise of loyal friend and servant. It's the only way to ultimately ensure that her only son, Henry Tudor, triumphs as King of England.
Through collaboration with the dowager, Queen Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret agrees a betrothal between Henry and Elizabeth's daughter, thereby uniting the families and resolving the Cousins War once and for all by founding of the Tudor dynasty.
Praise for Philippa Gregory:
‘Meticulously researched and deeply entertaining, this story of betrayal and divided loyalties is Gregory on top form’ Good Housekeeping
‘Gregory has popularised Tudor history perhaps more than any other living fiction writer…all of her books feature strong, complex women, doing their best to improve their lives in worlds dominated by men’ Sunday Times
‘Engrossing’ Sunday Express
‘Popular historical fiction at its finest, immaculately researched and superbly told’ The Times
About the Author :
Philippa Gregory is the author of many New York Times bestselling novels, including The Other Boleyn Girl, and is a recognized authority on women’s history. Many of her works have been adapted for the screen including The Other Boleyn Girl. She graduated from the University of Sussex and received a PhD from the University of Edinburgh, where she is a Regent. She holds honorary degrees from Teesside University and the University of Sussex. She is a fellow of the Universities of Sussex and Cardiff and was awarded the 2016 Harrogate Festival Award for Contribution to Historical Fiction. She is an honorary research fellow at Birkbeck, University of London. She was awarded a CBE title for services to literature and charity in 2022. She welcomes visitors to her website PhilippaGregory.com.
Review :
'Philippa Gregory has made a name for herself as the queen of historical fiction. After her phenomenally successful Tudor novels, she's now moved on to the Wars of the Roses... Having written six novels set during the Tudor period -- spawning films and TV series along the way -- Philippa Gregory changed publishers last year and turned her hand to a new period spanning the Wars of the Roses. At her new home, Simon & Schuster, The White Queen -- a first person narrative of the life of Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV and mother of the ill-fated Princes in the Tower -- was an instant success , and she follows it this August with a book about a woman on the other side of the war: The Red Queen' 'Writing Royalty' Bookseller 4/6 'This interweaving of the personal and the historical in a way that is fluid and entirely believable is, of course, why one reads Gregory in the first place. But the backbone of this book is the manipulation of her central character, the way in which Gregory successfully guides her from hero to antihero, keeping her compelling all along. Once that job is done, and Margaret has gone truly bad, the action breads into a proper gallop. There is more bitching, double-dealing and downright skulduggery than in an entire series of The Thick Of It, and a splendidly bloody climax to boot. Delightful escapism' The Times 14/8 'The narrative has both drive and immediacy which, combined with the meticulous research characteristic of all Philippa Gregory's books, bring the 15th century alive... The Red Queen is a vivid and compelling evocation of a turbulent period' Daily Express 13/8 'This is a vivid recreation of an unsympathetic and ruthless manipulator...compulsive tale of dynastic deviousness' Marie Claire, September Issue 'Gregory is a serious historian who steeps herself in source materials.' Elizabeth Grice, Daily Telegraph 14/08 'Gregory's skill as a storyteller makes the novel fast-paced, wearing its meticulous research lightly as it plunges the readers into a time when power struggles between rival factions resulted in a county at war with itself' Metro 19/8 'This dramatic book follows the life of the courageous Margaret Beaufort. After marrying a much older man and becoming a teenage mum, she decides her son will one day be crowned King of England. This gripping novel tells a fictional story of the Tudor monarchy's earliest roots' Hot Stars, OK! Magazine 21/8 'You Can't Miss ...Philippa Gregory's latest offering The Red Queen, which comes out this week. The second release of her new trilogy The Cousins' War picks up the story of Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry Tudor' The Lady, 17/8 'Gregory brings the past to life, padding any gaps in historical record with a little artistic licence. The result is an entertaining romp about battling the odds -- and winning' SHE, September Issue Interview with Philippa Gregory by Charlotte Cripps 'Cultural Life', Independent 27/8 'Philippa Gregory's books are always well-researched, informative and entertaining. This one is brilliant...We have enjoyed every page of a riveting novel.' Sunday Express 29/8 'Gregory brings another historical white rabbit out of a hat to deliver an absorbing drama' Wendy Holden, Daily Mail 3/9 'Gregory's portrayal reveals a woman who is cunning and hard to like, but a great deal more adept and resourceful than many of the chaps in armour.' The Sunday Times Magazine 12/9 "'I was glued to this, enthralled by the backstabbing and battles, never knowing how it would end. All's unfair in love and war in this action-packed novel' -Cheryl Pasquier, Hastings" - Books Quarterly, Waterstones, October 2010 'Gregory's novels navigate the great currents of English politics with singular dexterity, bringing history to life with a keen eye for the small, emotional moments that were every bit as decisive as the battles we learn about at school' - B THERE! August 2010 'An enthralling read rich in period detail, this brings the past to vivid life' - Woman, July 15, 2010 '...intrigue, treachery, and bare-faced ambition, all beautifully fashioned into a lip-smackingly thrilling package' - The Times, August 14, 2010 'Gregory brings another historical white rabbit out of a hat to deliver an absorbing drama' - The Daily Mail, September 2010 'Rarely has history been so seductive' - Tatler, August 2010 '...another stunning piece of historical fiction' - Good Housekeeping, September 2010 'Philippa Gregory's books are always well-researched, informative and entertaining. This one is brilliant. With a little fiction expertly applied to embroider the facts, she makes history come alive.' - Sunday Express, August 29, 2010 'Gregory's stated aim is to give the women of the period a voice and in this she has succeeded magnificently.' -Good Book Guide, November 2010 'Gregory's new novel makes me feverishly want to be a Plantagenet. Perhaps not what she intended, but such are the side effects of bringing history to life as she does.' - Red, November 2010 'A dynamic yarn from the life of Margaret Beaufort, who grew from child-bride to founder of the Tudor dynasty' The Times 2/1 'The second volume in The Cousins' War trilogy centres on Margaret Beaufort, Henry VII's mother. Unlike her rival Elizabeth Woodville, the Yorkist queen Margaret wasn't beautiful or fecund, but pious and purposeful. Piloting readers through the Yorkist-Lancastrian wars is a tough call, but Gregory keeps a steady hand on a narrative that mainly dramatizes Margaret's three marriages and her fierce ambitions for her son' Elizabeth Buchan, The Sunday Times 10/4 'The second in Gregory's War of the Roses historical novels, sees Margaret Beaufort, heiress of the red rose, take centre stage' Daily Telegraph 9/4
