Philippa Gregory has been a notable, New York Times bestselling author since she started publishing fiction 30 years ago. The Kingmaker’s Daughter, published in 2012, continues where the three previous books in her Cousins’ War series left off. This historical piece of fiction tells the story of another pair of sisters, Anne and Isabel Neville, focusing on Anne, Richard “Kingmaker” Neville’s youngest daughter.
As customary of the time, Richard uses his daughters as players in his deadly political game. She sees her father change from supporting the beloved York king Edward IV and beautiful queen Elizabeth Woodville to support a new king, George of York. Married at age fourteen, Anne soon becomes widowed and fatherless as her mother hides in sanctuary and her sister stays married to the enemy. Anne manages her escape by marrying Richard, Duke of Gloucester and youngest brother to King Edward. Her choice will set her on a collision course with the overwhelming power of the royal family.
Gregory’s remarkable novel The Other Boleyn Girl certainly earned her the nickname “the queen of royal fiction,” but her first novel Wideacre proved she knows what she’s doing when it comes to women in history. As a past journalist and historian, Gregory’s books never lack their research. This makes it easier for the readers to get lost in the intrigue that is Gregory’s characters. Her characters inspire a wide range of emotions. She reminds us that these historical women were exactly that: women. They were stubborn, joyful, frightened, enraged, full of grief, and full of love.
Gregory continues her tradition of first person perspective with chapters separated by seasons and years. This continuity covers two decades and historical events from the perspective of a girl raised by a battle-hardened politician.
Although there is little documented about Anne Neville, Gregory uses what she can to put together a passionate, intelligent, courageous, and determined woman who used what she could to shape her own future in a man’s world. In a time where a woman’s future was solely dictated by a man, Gregory proves yet again the women behind the important men of history have just as much to say as their male counterparts.
Visit www.philippagregory.com for a full list of her novels and other interesting tidbits.
As customary of the time, Richard uses his daughters as players in his deadly political game. She sees her father change from supporting the beloved York king Edward IV and beautiful queen Elizabeth Woodville to support a new king, George of York. Married at age fourteen, Anne soon becomes widowed and fatherless as her mother hides in sanctuary and her sister stays married to the enemy. Anne manages her escape by marrying Richard, Duke of Gloucester and youngest brother to King Edward. Her choice will set her on a collision course with the overwhelming power of the royal family.
Gregory’s remarkable novel The Other Boleyn Girl certainly earned her the nickname “the queen of royal fiction,” but her first novel Wideacre proved she knows what she’s doing when it comes to women in history. As a past journalist and historian, Gregory’s books never lack their research. This makes it easier for the readers to get lost in the intrigue that is Gregory’s characters. Her characters inspire a wide range of emotions. She reminds us that these historical women were exactly that: women. They were stubborn, joyful, frightened, enraged, full of grief, and full of love.
Gregory continues her tradition of first person perspective with chapters separated by seasons and years. This continuity covers two decades and historical events from the perspective of a girl raised by a battle-hardened politician.
Although there is little documented about Anne Neville, Gregory uses what she can to put together a passionate, intelligent, courageous, and determined woman who used what she could to shape her own future in a man’s world. In a time where a woman’s future was solely dictated by a man, Gregory proves yet again the women behind the important men of history have just as much to say as their male counterparts.
Visit www.philippagregory.com for a full list of her novels and other interesting tidbits.