Book Review: The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

By Sarah Schiavoni

I’m not quite sure how I got started on Philippa Gregory’s books. I’ve always been interested in England and its rich history, so perhaps I caught a glimpse of one of her titles on a bookstore shelf and thought I’d give it a chance. Even if I can’t remember which of her books I read first, I do remember falling in love with historical fiction and becoming hooked on her writing. I’ve read and bought so many of her works, they now fill up a whole shelf in my bookcase (and are starting to creep onto the shelf below). I hadn’t read any of her books for at least a year, having thought I’d read most of them already. But when I saw The White Queen, a book I was unfamiliar with, displayed in a bookstore, I picked it up. Like her previous novels, this newest book didn’t disappoint me.

The White Queen follows the story of Elizabeth Woodville, of the House of Lancaster, who was recently widowed and left to raise two young sons when her husband was killed in battle. With a great desire to improve her life and gain back her home during the war-filled times, Elizabeth appeals to King Edward IV, of the House of York, for help. Through her beauty and charm, plus a little help from her mother’s supposed witchcraft, she claims the king’s heart and secretly marries him while he struggles to keep his recently attained throne from the ill former king and his wife. The new couple takes their place as the leaders of England, but while the old king and other claimants of the throne still live, the wars between the House of Lancaster and the House of York seem never-ending. Violent conflict, passionate love, betrayal, and murder swirl through Elizabeth’s life as the Queen of England while she tries to keep her family safe and keep her husband on the throne.

What is perhaps most interesting about Elizabeth Woodville is that she is the mother of the fabled Princes of the Tower, whose fates remain unknown. When her brother-in-law, King Richard III, took control of England, he placed her two sons in the Tower of London, where, in 1483, they disappeared without a trace. This mystery has confounded historians for years, but Gregory, with her own extensive knowledge of the time period, suggests her own explanation for what happened, and this is a central part of the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed The White Queen and all of Philippa Gregory’s other historical fiction.  She is an established historian, and her extensive knowledge of the Tudor family and the Plantagenet family shows in each book she writes. She creates engaging stories with facts and history scattered throughout, and I highly recommend her books to everyone, especially those interested in the history of the royal families of England.