The Lady of the Rivers: A Novel (War of the Roses) [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Philippa Gregory (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 18, 2011 | Series: War of the Roses (Book 3)

Passion. Danger. Witchcraft . . .

The Lady of the Rivers is #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory’s remarkable story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, a woman who navigated a treacherous path through the battle lines in the Wars of the Roses.

Descended from Melusina, the river goddess, Jacquetta always has had the gift of second sight. As a child visiting her uncle, she met his prisoner, Joan of Arc, and saw her own power reflected in the young woman accused of witchcraft. They share the mystery of the tarot card of the wheel of fortune before Joan is taken to a horrific death at the hands of the English rulers of France. Jacquetta understands the danger for a woman who dares to dream.

Jacquetta is married to the Duke of Bedford, English regent of France, and 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 can sense the growing threat from the people of England and the danger of royal rivals. Not even their courage and loyalty can keep the House of Lancaster on the throne. Henry the king slides into a mysterious sleep; Margaret the queen turns to untrustworthy favorites for help; and Richard, Duke of York, threatens to overturn the whole kingdom for his rival dynasty.

Jacquetta fights for her king, her queen, and for her daughter Elizabeth for whom Jacquetta can sense an extraordinary and unexpected future: a change of fortune, the throne of England, and the white rose of York.

A sweeping, powerful story rich in passion and legend and drawing on years of research, The Lady of the Rivers tells the story of the real-life mother of the white queen.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Gregory returns with another sister act. The result: her best novel in years.” (USA Today)

“Gregory delivers another vivid and satisfying novel of court intrigue, revenge, and superstition. Gregory’s many fans as well as readers who enjoy lush, evocative writing, vividly drawn characters, and fascinating history told from a woman’s point of view will love her latest work.” (Library Journal)

“Gregory is one of historical fiction’s superstars, and The Kingmaker’s Daughter shows why . . . providing intelligent escape, a trip through time to a dangerous past.” (Historical Novels Review (Editor's Choice Review))

“Wielding magic again in her latest War of the Roses novel … Gregory demonstrates the passion and skill that has made her the queen of English historical fiction.…Gregory portrays spirited women at odds with powerful men, endowing distant historical events with drama, and figures long dead or invented with real-life flaws and grand emotions. She makes history … come alive for readers.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review))

About the Author

Philippa Gregory is the author of several bestselling novels, including The Other Boleyn Girl, and is a recognized authority on women’s history. She studied history at the University of Sussex and received a PhD from the University of Edinburgh. She welcomes visitors to her website, PhilippaGregory.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; First Edition edition (October 18, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416563709
• ISBN-13: 978-1416563709
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (178 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #71,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Kenya in 1954, Philippa Gregory moved to England with her family and was educated in Bristol and at the National Council for the Training of Journalists course in Cardiff. She worked as a senior reporter on the Portsmouth News, and as a journalist and producer for BBC radio.

Philippa obtained a BA degree in history at the University of Sussex in Brighton and a PhD at Edinburgh University in 18th-century literature. Her first novel, Wideacre, was written as she completed her PhD and became an instant world wide bestseller. On its publication, she became a full-time writer, and now lives with her family on a small farm in the North of England.

Her knowledge of gothic 18th century novels led to Philippa writing Wideacre, which was followed by a haunting sequel, The Favoured Child, and the delightful happy ending of the trilogy: Meridon. This novel was listed in Feminist Book Fortnight and for the Romantic Novel of the Year at the same time - one of the many instances of Philippa's work appealing to very different readers.

The trilogy was followed by The Wise Woman, a dazzling, disturbing novel of dark powers and desires set against the rich tapestry of the Reformation, and by Fallen Skies, an evocative realistic story set after the First World War. Her novel A Respectable Trade took her back to the 18th century where her knowledge of the slave trade and her home town of Bristol produced a haunting novel of slave trading and its terrible human cost. This is the only modern novel to explore the tragedies of slavery in England itself, and features a group of kidnapped African people trying to find their freedom in the elegant houses of 18th century Clifton. Gregory adapted her book for a highly acclaimed BBC television production which won the prize for drama from the Commission for Racial Equality and was shortlisted for a BAFTA for the screenplay.

Next came two of Gregory's best-loved novels, Earthly Joys and Virgin Earth, based on the true-life story of father and son John Tradescant working in the upheaval of the English Civil War. In these works Gregory pioneered the genre which has become her own: fictional biography, the true story of a real person brought to life with painstaking research and passionate verve.

The flowering of this new style was undoubtedly The Other Boleyn Girl, a runaway best-seller which stormed the US market and then went worldwide telling the story of the little-known sister to Anne Boleyn. Now published in 26 countries with more than a million copies in print in the US alone, this is becoming a classic historical novel, winning the Parker Pen Novel of the Year award 2002, and the Romantic Times fictional biography award. The Other Boleyn Girl was adapted for the BBC as a single television drama and a film is now in production starring Scarlett Johansson as Mary Boleyn, Natalie Portman as Anne Boleyn and Eric Bana as Henry VIII.

A regular contributor to newspapers and magazines, with short stories, features and reviews, Philippa is also a frequent broadcaster and a regular contestant on Round Britain Quiz for BBC Radio 4 and the Tudor expert for Channel 4's Time Team.

She lives in the North of England with her husband and two children and in addition to interests that include riding, walking, skiing and gardening (an interest born from research into the Tradescant family for her novel, Virgin Earth), she also runs a small charity building wells in school gardens in The Gambia. Fifty-six wells have been built by UK donors to date.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#10 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Historical

#12 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical

#24 in Books > Romance > Historical

#31 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

#56 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction

#10 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Historical

#12 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical

#24 in Books > Romance > Historical

#31 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

#56 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

108 of 116 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read September 25, 2011

By K. Baumanis

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is the third novel in Philippa's series The Cousins' War, but chronologically (so far anyway) sets the scene and characters for the whole series. What I enjoy the most about her books is their authenticity...her characters do not use 21st century slang or mannerisms, a feature which makes me cringe with some historical novels.Philippa has clearly researched her topic and does not hide or water down how conditions were in those days...fleas, disease, death, women used as pawns in their families with no rights...it may offend our present day values but is true and honest. I highly recommend this book and all her writing...

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars THE LADY OF THE RIVERS is a fascinating novel that reflects King Henry VI's reign as though Philippa Gregory were there herself November 2, 2011

By Bookreporter

Format:Hardcover

From a young age, Jacquetta of Luxembourg has known things that other people don't. The ability to foresee future events is a gift she doesn't understand, even though it's an integral part of her family history. The women who came before her, descended from the river goddess Melusina, have been the keepers of the secret of their second sight for generations. Unfortunately, psychic awareness is a dangerous possession at a time when accusations of witchcraft, punished by painful, fiery deaths, abound.

When the book begins in France in 1430, Jacquetta is in the company of the captured girl leader, Joan of Arc. While Jacquetta develops a fondness for Joan, their friendship doesn't last long. In spite of Jacquetta's hopes for Joan's freedom, Joan is burned at the stake, an event that she is forced to witness.

As a notoriously beautiful young woman, it isn't long until Jacquetta captures the eye of the Duke of Bedford, one of the most powerful men in England. At 17, she becomes his bride and leaves France to begin a new life in England as part of the royal court of King Henry VI, where intrigue and treachery run rampant. While most men would have chosen Jacquetta to satisfy their baser desires, the Duke has loftier intentions. He encourages her occult skills and urges her to reveal his future military fate. Unfortunately, Jacquetta has not come into her own yet and is unable to help the Duke in the way that he desires, no matter how much he insists.

While remaining faithful to the Duke, Jacquetta cannot deny the feelings in her heart that tell her that Richard Woodville, her husband's squire and trusted companion, is the man for her. When her husband dies only two years into their marriage, Jacquetta is heartbroken at the thought of losing Richard when he plans to accept another post.

Not one to deny her feelings, Jacquetta finds a way to stay with Richard, and the two are surreptitiously married without the approval of King Henry VI. Ordered to pay a staggeringly substantial fine as a result of their disobedience, the two eventually regain the good graces of the King and return to a life at court. Unfortunately, their very closeness to royalty will ultimately lead to their downfall.

Set during the reign of the House of Lancaster and the times of the Wars of the Roses, THE LADY OF THE RIVERS is a fascinating novel that reflects King Henry VI's reign as though author Philippa Gregory were there herself to experience it firsthand. As you turn the pages of this lengthy book, I defy you to see that your heart remains untouched by the true love match of Richard, eventually to become the first Earl Rivers, and Jacquetta. In spite of your best efforts, it can't be done.

Reviewed by Amie Taylor

37 of 44 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Two Stars is the best I can give..... October 18, 2011

By M. Jacobsen VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

With a nod given to Philippa Gregory for her contribution (The Other Boleyn Girl) in bringing the genre of historical fiction back from the dead, I'm afraid I simply can't recommend her latest book, The Lady of the Rivers. I'm not going to nit-pick historical details because it is indeed a work of fiction and Gregory has the right to make up whatever she thinks will make a rollicking good story. Unfortunately, accuracy aside, The Lady of the Rivers is not a rollicking good story.
As you likely know by now, the story focuses on Jacquetta Rivers, the famously beautiful Duchess and mother of Elizabeth Woodville, the "commoner" who would eventually become the wife of England's Edward IV. Long neglected by historical novelists, Jacquetta was a good choice for a heroine. Unfortunately, Gregory falls far short in the execution of the novel.
It's hard to summon interest in Jacquetta in this book. She's surrounded by all the mythological/witchy/fish legend stuff of Gregory's earlier books in this series (you know, the Melusina, from which Jacquetta's line was allegedly descended), but that's about the sum total of anything interesting about her. She makes forays into alchemy and forseeing the future, but neither is very convincing.

Perhaps the biggest problem I had with this novel was the dialog. I understand that this particular time period during the Wars of the Roses in England, was extremely convoluted. It's difficult to keep track of all the different families and people who played a part. Gregory chose to solve this problem via dialog. Therefore, every time a character refers to another character, they do so using their full name, title, and relationship.
Now before you start thinking that this might be helpful, allow me to share how it reads. Here's an example where Jacquetta is speaking to Margaret, her longest and best friend:

"I think that Richard, Duke of York, is the only man to successfully hold French lands since my first husband, the Duke of Bedford."

Well of course Margaret would know that Richard was the Duke of York....he's her oldest enemy and they've been at each other's throats for years. And clearly Margaret would know that her best friend's first husband was the Duke of Bedford.

This dialog continues over and over and over. Even when Jacquetta is speaking intimately with her current husband she refers to her former husband by his full name and title. It's so unnatural that it ruins the flow of the story and gives the whole thing a "See Spot Run" ambiance.
This entire series (The White Queen, The Red Queen, The Lady of the Rivers) has really fallen short of Gregory's earlier works. I'm not sure whether it's Gregory's writing that has degenerated or if historical fiction fans who cut our teeth on her novels have become more sophisticated and expect more.

Either way, I think this book marks the end of my Philippa Gregory reading.