The Stuff of Legend

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory (F GRE Main; SSB GRE Main; CD F GRE Main)
Reviewed by Susan Wolfe

It begins like a fairy tale and ends, well, not so happily ever after.

This is a true story. First and foremost, it is a love story. It’s historically accurate. It’s sizzling. A King of England, married in secret to a woman from a traitor’s household who will become Queen of England.

The story begins on the day that Elizabeth Woodville meets Edward IV. He is a handsome young prince who has just been crowned King of England. She is a beautiful young widow but penniless, having lost her lands along with her husband, who died battling this same prince. She patiently waits for Edward IV along the road to plead for her lands. Based on historical tradition, it is love at first sight. It is an enduring love that lasts throughout their lives.

It’s an amazing story that long needed to be told. Philippa Gregory does a magnificent recreation of their story. Gregory is an historical fiction writer, noted for The Other Boleyn Girl. She paces the story in the present tense (a rare treat for a historical novel). It draws you into their lives, from one cliff hanger to another. This is a tale with something for everyone’s taste.

It is an historical novel, based in an era known as the “War of the Roses.” This is the first of Philippa Gregory’s new “Cousins” Series. Actually, this “War” was a series of wars between cousins for the throne of England. One is The House of York, of which Edward is head. Elizabeth is from the House of Lancaster. This is an excellent account of a complex period, spanning two decades of intrigues and shifting loyalties.

It is a novel about family and strife. There is jealousy between royal brothers which leads to murder and attempts for the throne. One of Edward’s brothers drowned in a barrel of liquor. Edward is rumored to not be the son of the former king, but the offspring of a tryst between the Queen Mother and an archer. The Queen Mother hates Elizabeth and her family. Elizabeth’s Woodville family grabs for power and influence which will span generations. This makes Elizabeth Woodville one of the most hated and admired Queens in British history.

It is also an intriguing mystery. Their sons are the lost little princes. In recent times their bodies were found hidden under stairs in the Tower of London, again raising the age old question about who murdered them. Was it Edward’s brother, Richard III? Or was it Henry Tudor, who founded the Tudor dynasty by marrying their sister and daughter of Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV?

It is a whimsical tale. Elizabeth’s family traces their descent from the water goddess Melusina, a beautiful myth that is woven throughout the story. There is also an element of witchcraft. Her mother actually accused of being a witch. (Historically true.) There were rumors of Elizabeth being a witch too, bewitching the king. There is a scene where Elizabeth curses the house and lineage of the murderer of her sons which makes an interesting twist that may have come back upon her own descendants.

It is also a story of courage and loyalty. This novel has it all. But at its core is the story of Edward and Elizabeth. In many ways it is a fairy tale, but it is based on true history. Believe me, you can’t just make this stuff up.