Book Review: The Lady Of The Rivers by Philippa Gregory

“When you pray, you know that you want something, that's always the first step. to let yourself know that you want something, that you yearn for it. sometimes that's the hardest thing to do. Because you have to have courage to know what you desire. You have to have courage to acknowledge that you are unhappy without it.”

― Philippa Gregory, The Lady of the Rivers

Philippa Gregory's 2011 historical fiction book, The Lady of the Rivers, is a part of her Cousins' War series.  The novel acts as a prelude to Gregory's The White Queen (2009), which tells the narrative of Elizabeth Woodville's tenure as Queen consort of England and is recounted by Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Elizabeth's mother. The story takes place during the reign of Lancastrian King Henry VI.

Synopsis from Amazon...

When the young and beautiful Jacquetta is married to the older Duke of Bedford, English regent of France, he introduces her to a mysterious world of learning and alchemy. Her only friend in the great household is the duke’s squire Richard Woodville, who is at her side when the duke’s death leaves her a wealthy young widow. The two become lovers and marry in secret, returning to England to serve at the court of the young King Henry VI, where Jacquetta becomes a close and loyal friend to his new queen.

The Woodvilles soon achieve a place at the very heart of the Lancaster court, though Jacquetta has visions of the growing threat from the people of England and the danger of their royal York rivals. Jacquetta fights for her king and queen, as she sees an extraordinary and unexpected future for her daughter Elizabeth: a change of fortune, the white rose of York, and the throne of England…

My reaction to this novel...

I believe I have been reading this for several weeks due to my overwhelming busyness and stress in the past, so it is quite delightful that I have finally finished reading it and can now create a review regarding this book.

I do not know why, as I have aged, I have developed a fondness for reading historical fiction. I truly sought this out in live selling events, and even though the book I purchased is second-hand, it is acceptable as it is intact and appears new. I tried to download it on my Kindle, but it is still somewhat expensive, so I decided to just buy a second-hand copy.

Anyway, many people recommended this to me, they said it was good, so I was really intrigued. Therefore, I started reading it right away. At first, I was somewhat disinterested because I thought it was a fantasy, as it involves witches, etc., and I do not like such genres, so I wondered if my understanding of this book was correct. However, since I had already started reading it, I continued. As time went on, I became somewhat hooked. There were parts that were quite suspenseful, especially during the war. I was thinking about what would happen to the husband of the main character. He has been sent to war many times to fight, so I feel anxious every time that scenario occurs. It feels as if I am the main character waiting for my husband. hehehe.

The only thing I truly dislike about this book is the character of Queen Margaret; she seems quite selfish and somewhat spoiled. It is frightening when she is the queen, which is why I understand the feelings of her countrymen, as I too would oppose such governance. It is chaotic and appears to have its own agendas.

To be honest, I do not know if what is written here is true because I am not familiar with the history of the kings and queens in London, but it is nice to know if some of it is true because at least I am gaining knowledge about what happened during those times. It was indeed difficult to live in those times, especially if you were a woman, because no matter how skilled or capable you were, they would not listen to you simply because you were a woman. It was also frightening, especially during times of war; it felt quite helpless.

I enjoyed reading this book and I am looking forward to reading the next stories in this series. I also know that there is a TV adaptation; perhaps once I finish reading the entire series, I will watch it next. I am delighted by genres and settings like this, so I would also like to recommend it to readers like me who are fond of historical fiction. You will appreciate the story and it will truly make you ponder how much of this story is true.

My Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4/5)