I'll admit that I don't read as much historical fiction as I feel I should. I love history and have always enjoyed fiction based on historical events in the past, so when I recently became interested in the Wars of the Roses, I figured it was a good time to sample a recent contribution to the genre. Unlike many reviewers, I have not read anything by Philippa Gregory before. I saw "The Other Boleyn Girl" in theatres, and thought it was entertaining, though perhaps lacking in accuracy. Additionally, during my brief time as a bookstore employee, it came to my attention that Philippa Gregory seemed to be the "go-to" author for historical fiction, so it seemed that she was the most obvious choice for my adventure into the genre. And, as luck would have it, she has several books out about the Wars of the Roses. Since I like to read chronologically when possible, I selected "The Lady of the Rivers" (the third of the series to be published, but the first chronologically) and began reading, expecting to enjoy a historically based story peppered with fictional elements. Much to my dismay, I was disappointed on both fronts. Spoilers follow.
I'm going to start with a brief disclaimer. As mentioned above, I enjoy history and love learning new things; however, I am by no means a historian. Most of my knowledge of history comes from documentaries or what I learn from spending some time clicking around the Internet. Much as I wish I had the time to sit down and really research these time periods, I simply don't. So, with that in mind, I approached this more as a work of fiction with historical elements than a straight factual historical novel. I am not here to nitpick Gregory's research or her historical accuracy. It's historical fiction - I'm willing to overlook some historical accuracy if it keeps the story (the "fiction" side) interesting. Instead, I'm reviewing "The Lady of the Rivers" based on the reading experience it provided.
"The Lady of the Rivers" doesn't have a strict plot, per se. Instead, it acts as a vehicle to take us through Jacquetta's life. The story starts when she is a teenager living with her great aunt in Luxembourg. She meets Joan of Arc and shares some BFF time with her before Joan meets her unfortunate end. Then she catches the eye of John, the Duke of Bedford and is soon married to him. Her fears of being ravished and used by her husband are unfounded since the Duke of Bedford married her with the intent of keeping her a virgin so she can aid him in his alchemic experiences and attempts to see into the future. He dies not too long after, leaving her free to take control of her own destiny and plan her second marriage...this one a marriage of love to Richard Woodville, the squire of the Duke of Bedford. After this point, the book follows Jacquetta's friendship with Margaret of Anjou, bride of Henry VI, her rise to power as the Queen of England, and her eventual fall from grace when the Yorks overtake the throne.
My main issue with the story is simply that it's, well, boring. As the queen's closest friend, Jacquetta would have been witness to many of the key events that marked the start of the Wars of the Roses. Combine that with the mystical elements Gregory added and this should be an intriguing tale full of drama, mystery, and excitement. Instead, the only excitement comes toward the end when Jacquetta finds herself fleeing with Margaret after a few disastrous battles before deciding that she can't continue to follow her queen and friend. The rest is a lot of slow, repetitive filler. A huge part of the problem is the pacing. The beginning is a little slow, but this isn't really an issue because Gregory uses this time to set a lot of things up with the mystical elements and the theme (more on that later). After Jacquetta marries Richard Woodville and Margaret of Anjou marries Henry VI, the pace slows to a painful slog through years of doing more or less the same thing: Richard goes to France to aid in the war effort, Jacquetta goes to court to be with the queen, Jacquetta goes into confinement to have a baby, Richard comes home, they spend time with their children, and repeat. I applaud Gregory for choosing to write about a lesser-known woman of history and I'm assuming that the lack of events taking place in the bloated middle portion come from there being very little information on Jacquetta during that time, but the book would have been better if most of this had been skipped. In the afterword, the author talks about how Jacquetta was later accused of witchcraft, suffered through the murder of her husband and eldest son, fled into sanctuary with her daughter, and became a prominent figure once again after her daughter's marriage to Edward IV. Now that all sounds incredibly interesting from Jacquetta's point of view! So why didn't she cover that period instead of wasting hundreds of pages on the same boring events? My guess would be that she didn't want to overlap "The Lady of the Rivers" too much with the next book, "The White Queen." Whatever her reason, so much of this novel is packed with long, repetitive, mundane events that it's difficult to maintain the interest needed to want to pick the book up and keep reading to get to the interesting bits.
I also wasn't particularly wowed by the writing. Since Philippa Gregory pops up often as the "go-to" author for historical fiction from this time period, I had been expecting writing that would pull me in and really put me in Jacquetta's head as events unfolded around her. Instead, much like the plot, I found the prose to be repetitive and underwhelming. Many readers have complained about Gregory's tendency to have Jacquetta refer to characters by their full name and title every time she mentions them. With so many Johns, Richards, Edwards, and Henrys, I can see why she felt the need to distinguish one from the other with their titles. However, it's incredibly unnecessary for Jacquetta to reference her first husband as "my first husband, John, the Duke of Bedford" to Margaret of Anjou, for example. They're friends...Margaret probably hasn't forgotten who Jacquetta's first husband was. The author should have had some faith in her readers - we'll be able to figure out which character is being talked about based on context clues (and the fact that some were present less than 10 pages earlier). Also, while it's clear that Gregory has done a lot of research into life of the time period, aside from the descriptions of clothing, I never felt particularly pulled into the setting. There simply wasn't enough description for me to become engrossed in the setting and story. I wasn't expecting elaborate, complex prose, but the writing presented in "The Lady of the Rivers" felt lazy and phoned-in.
Additionally, Gregory seems to have a problem with shoving the feminist angle down the readers' throats. The prevalent theme of the novel is that women who try to achieve power in a man's world will be seen as unnatural and will likely be persecuted for not adhering to the accepted norms. Ok, fair enough. It's well known that there was no gender equality at the time and that the traditional gender roles were followed, so I'll buy that as a theme. The author uses several prominent examples to illustrate this: Joan of Arc being burned at the stake for leading men into battle, the Duchess Eleanor being stripped of power and imprisoned, Margaret of Anjou falling out of favour with the English people and dethroned for trying to rule in Henry VI's stead and then trying to retake London for her son, and even Jacquetta must be mindful of not displaying her gifts or inserting herself too fully in the political scene. Unfortunately, the author feels the need to have Jacquetta lament numerous times throughout the novel about how unfair it is to be a woman in a "man's world." She does this after the events I listed as well as at other various points. Again, the readers should have been given more credit - the theme was more than adequately represented in the examples given. Rather than beat us over the head with blatantly stating it over and over again, Gregory should have trusted us to glean the theme from what she shows us. It's also incredibly distracting to be reading along and then suddenly hit one of Jacquetta's inner dialogues about living in a world ruled by men. It doesn't feel particularly authentic for the time period. While I'm sure the inequalities between the genders would have been noted, I felt that Jacquetta's wording was more that of modern woman than a woman living in the times of the Wars of the Roses. In the afterword, Gregory goes on and on about wanting to tell these women's stories since history often does them a disservice by only remembering powerful men, and I get the impression that she's a little too pleased with herself for this. It's clever when the inequality is demonstrated through period-accurate events, it's annoying when it's awkwardly shoved in our faces every few chapters.
I really liked the inclusion of the mystical elements. Jacquetta's family is rumored to have descended from Melusina, a water goddess, which gives some of the women in her family certain gifts: having a limited affinity to see into the future via scrying in a mirror, tarot cards, or through the use of a charm bracelet. There's also an emphasis, especially in the beginning of the novel, on alchemy and the other dark arts. These more fantastical touches added a unique feel to the book and definitely made certain events more interesting. It doesn't feel too out of place in a historical novel because, while Jacquetta's powers are fictional, it isn't unreasonable that people of the time would have believed and, to an extent, feared alchemy and similar controversial areas of study. I very much enjoyed that Jacquetta seemed to look upon her powers as both a blessing and a curse. The mystical elements are unique and intriguing...I only wish we could have seen more of them!
Moving on from the story to the characters, I have to say that Jacquetta's character was remarkably disappointing and undeveloped. For a woman who had so much influence with key figures and was present for so many events, she doesn't seem to have much of an opinion on anything. I completely understand why she wouldn't necessary speak her mind, but "The Lady of the Rivers" is a first person point of view novel, so we should know what's going on in Jacquetta's mind. Sadly, even in her head, she's a weak character. Going back to Gregory's mission to tell the stories of the underappreciated women of history, how does making Jacquetta such a bland protagonist accomplish that? Why not give her opinions and thoughts beyond how much she misses Richard and her children? Surely she must have felt strongly about some of the issues of the time. Her character also doesn't grow at all. She spends most of the book as a dutiful wife, loving mother, and caring friend and ends it in the same place. Her thoughts don't evolve, her ideas don't change, and she never moves forward as a character. Not only is she a poor protagonist, she's even worse as a narrator. We don't really get her bias or unique point of view; she just describes everything as it happens with little to no inner commentary. Gregory also has the tendency to make Jacquetta think something and then say exactly what she was thinking, which only makes the story feel longer than it is and doesn't add anything in the way of content. It's a shame, Jacquetta seems like an interesting, largely forgotten woman of history, but the author does her no favours by presenting her as such an uninteresting, passive character.
The other characters are equally uninteresting. I was kind of astonished by the lack of characterization that was present throughout a book written by such a popular author. Many of the figures can be summed up in a couple of words and don't develop beyond their basic descriptions. Richard is loyal to the king and loving and supportive of Jacquetta and their children. Henry VI is childish, pious, and weak. The Yorks are stuck-up and aggressive. Most of the men Jacquetta encounters are self-important and arrogant. The Duke of Somerset dotes on Margaret nonstop. And speaking of Margaret, I wasn't sure how we were supposed to feel about her. Historically, she was incredibly ambitious, often thought of as a she-wolf who would stop at nothing to put her son on the throne. Gregory's portrayal of her is that of an annoying, spoiled child that stamps her feet and throws a tantrum when she doesn't get her way. I don't necessarily have a problem with that in and of itself, but I got the impression that we were supposed to admire Margaret for her tenacity and gumption to stand up for her interests in a "world ruled by men." Instead, I was constantly frustrated by her lack of maturity and found myself cheering when London shut its gates to her because, honestly, I wouldn't want her in my town, either. The only side character I even remotely liked was Jacquetta's first husband, John, the Duke of Bedford (look, I can use full titles, too!) because of his competence, confidence, and interest in alchemy. However, I don't think we're supposed to like him because he never desires Jacquetta as a woman and only sees her as a pretty object...or something like that. Either way, most of the characters are very one-note, more like cardboard cutouts than truly realized characters, and it makes the reading experience quite disappointing when none of the book's figures show any depth.
This brings me to perhaps the novel's biggest failing. As mentioned earlier, after the death of her first husband, Jacquetta chooses to marry Richard Woodville, a man whose status is significantly below hers. It was quite a scandal that damaged Jacquetta's standing and reputation. I'm normally not fond of romance, but I wanted to see what led her to do this. What made her love this man so much that she was willing to risk everything to marry him? Unfortunately, the characterization is so shallow that we never really get a feel for why they love each other so much...they just sort of do. It's as bad as the "insta-love" that's present in a lot of Young Adult novels. As the Duke of Bedford's squire, Richard didn't go particularly above and beyond for Jacquetta: he taught her how to ride a horse and searched for her when she got lost. That's very dutiful of him, but it doesn't warrant intense feelings she claims to have for him. Sure, Jacquetta says she loves him and they get busy a lot (enough to produce 16 kids!), but there's no real chemistry between them, nothing that makes you feel like they have to be together no matter the cost. Show us why their love is so strong, don't just tell us! There's a similar problem with Jacquetta's relationship with Margaret. We're told that they're close, but it always seemed like Jacquetta found Margaret to be more of an annoyance than a friend. The characters are so bland that none of the significant relationships feel genuine. Gregory tells us everything, but she never shows us enough to understand why Jacquetta feels the way she does toward her husband and the queen, two people she risked a lot for, and that should be one of, if not the biggest draw of the novel.
On a random, relationship-related note, I cringed when Jacquetta's idea of taking control of her own destiny turned out to be having Richard get her pregnant without him knowing (after she assured him that she was taking herbs to prevent such an event). She's pretty lucky that Richard was concerned enough about her honor that he wanted to marry her. I couldn't be happy that Jacquetta made her own plans to beat the system because the whole thing was too sneaky for my liking. Instead, I just felt bad for Richard for being so badly tricked.
I wanted to like this book, I really did. The Wars of the Roses is a very interesting time period, and I had hoped that this book would kick off my interest in Philippa Gregory's "The Cousins War" series and keep me engrossed in this time of intrigue a little longer. Some reviewers have claimed that this is sort of a miss for Gregory. I hope that's the case since she's such a prominent writer in the genre. As it stands, the only things I liked at all about "The Lady of the Rivers" were the alchemy and mystical elements and the author's choice of a lesser-known heroine. Otherwise, this was simply a chore to get through, so I can only give it one star. Gregory's other books may be better, but I think I'll try a different author next time I'm in the mood to read some historical fiction.
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Customer reviews
Amazing book by Philippa Gregory, this time she writes in the narrative of Jacquetta, Lady of the Rivers. The mother of Elizabeth Woodville, who ends up marrying Edward IV. The ending leads right up where they meet and into the next book. She does a nice job of introducing Margaret Beaufort and the other leads in the other books. The love between Baron Rivers and Jacquetta reminds me of my own marriage with my husband. With Baron Rivers, she conceived 14 children, predicting her own and her daughters’ Elizabeth’s. One of my favorite passages was when she was talking with her daughter about her gift of magic and how they relate to prayer. She was very loyal to Margaret of Anjou and Henry VI, the House of Lancaster. She saw how the king deteriorated over time. Everywhere the Queen went she followed. She acted as an intermediary for the Queen and the aldermen of the city. I love how she took us through the different houses. She does an amazing job of leading into the next book which is called, “The White Queen, which is about her daughter. I absolutely love this series and how they started off with Jacquetta’s story. I would totally recommended this book series to those who like historical works.
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2015
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2021
The love between Baron Rivers and Jacquetta reminds me of my own marriage with my husband. With Baron Rivers, she conceived 14 children, predicting her own and her daughters’ Elizabeth’s. One of my favorite passages was when she was talking with her daughter about her gift of magic and how they relate to prayer.
She was very loyal to Margaret of Anjou and Henry VI, the House of Lancaster. She saw how the king deteriorated over time. Everywhere the Queen went she followed. She acted as an intermediary for the Queen and the aldermen of the city. I love how she took us through the different houses.
She does an amazing job of leading into the next book which is called, “The White Queen, which is about her daughter. I absolutely love this series and how they started off with Jacquetta’s story. I would totally recommended this book series to those who like historical works.
Jacquetta and Baron Rivers
By Alexis Hazen on October 14, 2021
Amazing book by Philippa Gregory, this time she writes in the narrative of Jacquetta, Lady of the Rivers. The mother of Elizabeth Woodville, who ends up marrying Edward IV. The ending leads right up where they meet and into the next book. She does a nice job of introducing Margaret Beaufort and the other leads in the other books.By Alexis Hazen on October 14, 2021
The love between Baron Rivers and Jacquetta reminds me of my own marriage with my husband. With Baron Rivers, she conceived 14 children, predicting her own and her daughters’ Elizabeth’s. One of my favorite passages was when she was talking with her daughter about her gift of magic and how they relate to prayer.
She was very loyal to Margaret of Anjou and Henry VI, the House of Lancaster. She saw how the king deteriorated over time. Everywhere the Queen went she followed. She acted as an intermediary for the Queen and the aldermen of the city. I love how she took us through the different houses.
She does an amazing job of leading into the next book which is called, “The White Queen, which is about her daughter. I absolutely love this series and how they started off with Jacquetta’s story. I would totally recommended this book series to those who like historical works.
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Top reviews from other countries
RKDerby
Cousins War Series-War of the Roses-Brilliant
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 8, 2018
Louise Marley
My favourite of the series
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 6, 2016R. A. Davison
One of the stronger Cousins War Novels
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 31, 2014
