The White Queen by Philippa Gregory is the first in the new series of books entitles The Cousin's War. In these books the author will be focusing on the Plantagenet's and the War of The Roses.
In The White Queen the reader is introduced to Elizabeth Woodville, she is of the House of Lancaster and lost her husband in battle to the Yorkists. Elizabeth meets and falls in love with the reigning monarch, King Edward IV of the House of York and they marry in great secrecy as he fights to secure his throne. Eventually Elizabeth is recognised as the Queen of England and provides her husband with two male heirs. However Elizabeth and her family's future are far from secure as Edward's throne is constantly under threat; his friends become his enemies and there are uprisings all over the country that he loves.
Elizabeth's mother Jacquetta descends from the Dukes of Burgundy and she carries the blood of the water goddess Melusina. Both mother and daughter use their beliefs throughout the book to cast charms and curses on their loved ones and enemies. They both take great risks as being accused of witchcraft at that time almost always meant that the death penalty would follow. Elizabeth will do everything she can in order to protect her family and their legitimate claim to the throne of England.
Philippa Gregory has written a fascinating book and the large amount of research she has done is evident throughout. The War of The Roses is such an interesting time in British history and to see it through the eyes of Elizabeth Woodville adds a different perspective. Whilst she was a Queen of England she was also a mother who cared deeply about the safety of her children. She suffers many losses within the book, all at the hands of plotting members of the royal family. Even when her sons go missing from the Tower of London she does not give up hope or loyalty to the husband that she truly loved.
I am looking forward to the next book in the series which is published in August. The White Queen twists and turns and it is exciting to know that so many of the events that Philippa Gregory writes about actually did happen.
