Book Review
May. 12th, 2024 04:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariThe Lady of the Rivers
by Philippa Gregory
This interesting historical novel is about Jacquetta of Luxembourg, who was mother-in-law to Edward IV and great-grandmother to Henry VIII via the marriage of her eldest daughter, Elizabeth Woodville. Jacquetta became an important figure during the Wars of the Roses. She was the chief lady in waiting to Queen Margaret, and her second husband Richard Woodville was a important military commander and member of the Lancaster court. Her life was intimately bound up with the ups and downs and the dangers of the conflict between York and Lancaster, but anchored by the love between her and Richard and by her care for their fourteen children.
This book was fascinating and provided a novel perspective on the dynastic conflicts of the fifteenth century, from the conclusion of the Hundred Years War to the middle of the War of the Roses. Jacquetta is a very strong, passionate, and intelligent woman capable of navigating some very difficult times. I like how Gregory incorporated the mystical and magical beliefs and practices of the times, from Jacquetta's family connection to the legendary sorceress Melusine to the the divination and herbalism that Jacquetta and others engage in. I very much liked viewing history through the eyes of women's experiences and with a focus on a less well-known person.
by Philippa Gregory
This interesting historical novel is about Jacquetta of Luxembourg, who was mother-in-law to Edward IV and great-grandmother to Henry VIII via the marriage of her eldest daughter, Elizabeth Woodville. Jacquetta became an important figure during the Wars of the Roses. She was the chief lady in waiting to Queen Margaret, and her second husband Richard Woodville was a important military commander and member of the Lancaster court. Her life was intimately bound up with the ups and downs and the dangers of the conflict between York and Lancaster, but anchored by the love between her and Richard and by her care for their fourteen children.
This book was fascinating and provided a novel perspective on the dynastic conflicts of the fifteenth century, from the conclusion of the Hundred Years War to the middle of the War of the Roses. Jacquetta is a very strong, passionate, and intelligent woman capable of navigating some very difficult times. I like how Gregory incorporated the mystical and magical beliefs and practices of the times, from Jacquetta's family connection to the legendary sorceress Melusine to the the divination and herbalism that Jacquetta and others engage in. I very much liked viewing history through the eyes of women's experiences and with a focus on a less well-known person.
