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    The Red Queen: A Novel
    The Red Queen: A Novel
    The Red Queen: A Novel
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Red Queen: A Novel

    Written by Philippa Gregory

    Narrated by Bianca Amato

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    The inspiration for the critically acclaimed Starz miniseries The White Queen, #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory brings to life Margaret Beaufort, heiress to the red rose of Lancaster, who charts her way through treacherous alliances to take control of the English throne.

    Margaret Beaufort never surrenders her belief that her Lancaster house is the true ruler of England, and that she has a great destiny before her. Married to a man twice her age, quickly widowed, and a mother at only fourteen, Margaret is determined to turn her lonely life into a triumph. She sets her heart on putting her son on the throne of England regardless of the cost to herself, to England, and even to the little boy. Disregarding rival heirs and the overwhelming power of the York dynasty, she names him Henry, like the king; sends him into exile; and pledges him in marriage to her enemy Elizabeth of York’s daughter. As the political tides constantly move and shift, Margaret masterminds one of the greatest rebellions of all time—all the while knowing that her son has grown to manhood, recruited an army, and awaits his opportunity to win the greatest prize in all of England.

    The Red Queen is a novel of conspiracy, passion, and coldhearted ambition, the story of a proud and determined woman who believes that she alone is destined, by her piety and lineage, to shape the course of history.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateAug 3, 2010
    ISBN9781442304895
    Author

    Philippa Gregory

    Philippa Gregory is an internationally renowned author of historical novels. She holds a PhD in eighteenth-century literature from the University of Edinburgh. Works that have been adapted for television include A Respectable Trade, The Other Boleyn Girl and The Queen's Fool. The Other Boleyn Girl is now a major film, starring Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and Eric Bana. Philippa Gregory lives in the North of England with her family.

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    Reviews for The Red Queen

    4/5

    188 ratings76 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Gregory's got mad historical fiction skills. Another fantastic book about the same events as The White Queen, told from the Lancaster perspective rather than the York. Margaret is an infuriating character, but I just couldn't seem to put her down. The suspense that Gregory builds at the end is intense. Definitely one of her better ones.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      First two books were great. This one was confusing to me. .
    • 3/5
      This was...OK. It was a fun listen on my commute, but certainly nothing life-changing.The story is that of Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry Tudor who would become Henry VII and the first of the Tudor kings. Margaret believes herself to be an English Joan of Arc with a direct connection to God, but perhaps without the armies and so forth. Her role is to raise a King of England and return the crown to the House of Lancaster. She is very focused, but rather unlikeable, which can make the book a bit tedious from time to time.Excellent acting by Bianca Amato.
    • 3/5
      For as much as I enjoyed The White Queen, I found this story very hard to get through. It seemed to have much less action, to the point of nearly being boring for me until the last quarter of the book. to me, Margaret's story just didn't seem to be as interesting as Elizabeth's.
    • 1/5
      The dangerous thing about writing historical fiction is that you are confined by the events that took place during the time period you have chosen. Sure, the author can make choices as to the personal stories of her characters (depending on how well known they were) but they are often forced to describe events that are confusing and often down-right boring for today's reader. During The Cousin's War players are constantly changing sides and it is difficult to keep straight who is with whom. It is also, incredibly pointless and boring. As a modern day reader, I am unable to relate to characters who are willing to wage war and waste lives over who has more royal blood rather than who is better leader for the country. I found it difficult to cheer for any of the characters - they were all despicable. The battles themselves left me bored and I ended up skimming the last 50 pages just to be done with this book. I don't think I will continue with the third book.
    • 3/5
      The book is very much an imagining of what might have gone on behind the history that is recorded for this period. It is an imagining of a woman's experience. Some of it seemed a little far fetched. Margaret at times behaved inconsistently. Pacing the book by significant battles and other events worked well. It didn't get bogged down in telling us about the probable mundanity of Margaret's life in between the battles and changes at the top of the royal tree that impacted most on her and her son.It didn't set me on fire, but it didn't put me off trying more of Philippa Gregory's books, either.
    • 1/5
      Philippa Gregory must've been drinking the Richard III Society Kool-Aid for this one. Even counterfactual fiction has to have some plausible basis to build a story. But turning Margaret Beaufort into the Cruella De Vil of the Wars of the Roses so as to make Richard III the noble blameless hero? I'm afraid that puts this series into the Science Fiction section!
    • 3/5
      The second book in the series was not bad. I was not overly impressed by the character but I feel that Gregory did a decent job portraying her personality. The book was slightly monotonous with the character's religious focus. Overall not a bad read as it provides the other side of the story of the War of the Roses.
    • 4/5
      It’s too bad they didn’t recognize religious fervor as the OCD it is. I adore Phillips Gregory’s books. They have brought theMiddle Ages alive. It’s odd how Margaret Beaufort goes on and on about how pious she is, and then she goes on to explain how special she is because she’s had visual hallucinations from fasting too much., and lack of sleep.Sorry, I’m rambling. It’s probably my 5th reading of the series! I hope Phillips Gregory writes a few more books, even though I know she deserves a great retirement.
    • 2/5
      I listened to the audio version of this book. I almost gave up on it several times, which is rare for me -- I generally finish books, even if I'm not that keen. I stuck with it because of interest in the history of the period, and reviews here which promised it would get better. It did...a little, and for awhile. Most of the book is written from the 1st person POV of Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, the first Tudor king of England. And what a bleak head hers was to be stuck in! As a child she is full of little but self-aggrandizing faux piety, and as she gets older she add bitterness and spitefulness to the mix. While I appreciate that she had a hard life (married off at the age of 12, giving birth at the age of 13 to her only son), but I could not find her sympathetic or even entertaining as a conniving villain or unreliable narrator. Part of the problem is that as a noblewoman, she's far removed from the action (she's seldom even at court), so most of the book is long internal monologues that read like bad fanfiction. Thankfully we leave her head in a couple of places to visit major battles narrated by an omniscient voice. I had hoped to read all three books in the series, but I don't think I can face it. OTOH, I am currently reading Philippa Gregory's nonfiction work about the era, "The Women of the Cousins' War." *That* I'm enjoying
    • 4/5
      The Red Queen was a decent novel. I know the history, so there wasn't anything to surprise me, however, the way the character was portrayed was defiantly interesting. She didn't come off as nearly as much as a ruthless person as I was expecting. There was nice character development. I enjoyed seeing her develop into the women she became.Overall it wasn't Phillipa Gregory's best book, but it wasn't bad either. I would recommend it to someone who enjoyed her other books or enjoys the Cousins' War era.
    • 3/5
      I wasn't exactly sure I wanted to read this book after finishing The White Queen. While reading that book, I found myself already disliking Margaret Beaufort almost every time that she was mentioned. I was shocked when I started reading this novel and I liked her.After about 100 pages, the fluffy feelings toward her disappeared and that familiar loathing feeling returned. There's something that is purely despicable about any character who describes the children of her enemy as being young and trembling next to their mother, which gives the reader the impression that they are innocent, before describing them (on the same page) as "little traitorous boys who wept for their defeat." She is describing children who are about 7 and 10 years old as traitors. She is mocking them. She continuously criticizes anyone who doesn't live up to her "righteous" standards. What kind of standards must someone have to vilify a child?The annoying obsession of The White Queen was Melusina. This book also has a character with her own annoying obsession. Instead of a pagan goddess, she is obsessed with Joan of Arc. It starts as a simple childhood obsession, but becomes a lifelong one. She fangirls over Joan throughout the whole book, and even prays to her. She wants to be Joan of Arc. As a child, she dreams of becoming a nun. Then she wants to be a warrior for God once she has heard the tales of her heroine Joan of Arc. She decides while in childbirth that she is like Joan in delivering a future monarch, though Joan's delivery wasn't through childbirth.There are definitely times when Margaret deserves sympathy. Being neglected as a child, suffering through months of marital rape from a husband who is more than a decade older than her, and being treated like an object or a pawn because of her gender makes it very, very easy to feel bad for the girl. Her judgmental attitude lessens that sympathy, though. And her near-constant whining makes her insufferable to read about. It's awful that a person who should be an easy-to-admire character (because of all that she has been through) ends up being no more than an amalgam of several negative tropes. Her joy for learning and desire to be independent is not able to triumph over that self-righteous, snide attitude that she embodies.Other than my issues with how contempt-worthy I find the main character, I find myself truly torn about my feelings toward the book and the author. As with the first book of this series, I enjoyed the first part of the book. I felt there was too great of an emphasis on her obsession. I constantly wanted someone to go ahead and develop some Thorazine to give her so that she would calm down. I didn't like that this book (like the last one) had times where it would suddenly switch from 1st person to 3rd person. With that respect, the one thing I can be glad of is that this one didn't have nearly as much of that as the previous one did.Though it was mostly an easy read, I can't understand why people are so enamored with this author. Her stories may be accurate from a historical standpoint (or as accurate as one can expect in a work of fiction), but her style isn't really any greater than most of the writers out there. She's quite average and seems to capitalize on the drama and scandal of dramatic and scandalous families. She doesn't really create much conflict, and sometimes I wonder if she should be writing these as biographies instead of as works of fiction. There is nothing truly extraordinary about the stories of hers that I have read so far.
    • 4/5
      The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory; (3 1/2)It was my great pleasure to read this, the 2nd of the Cousin's War series. This one covers the life & times of the one day to be Queen Mother, Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry Tudor and heiress to the Lancaster line to the throne. She tells the tale in her own words, including her 3 loveless but profitable marriages, her plans and struggles to keep Henry in the lineage & moving up the line closer and closer to the throne of England.She also talks of her religious ardor and dedication to God even though she, at times feels personally abandoned by God, she never loses faith that it is the will of God that her son one day inherit & sit on the throne of England.Gregory's writing style makes it comfortable to follow the tale and follow the characters albeit there are a few pages that are a bit of a tedious go. However, it was all worth it to this reader and I enjoyed the novel. I am looking forward to going on with the series.
    • 4/5
      An excellent follow up to The White Queen, in Gregory's Cousins War series. Although I think I still prefer her Tudor works, this is a fascinating account of a very formidable woman, Margaret Beaufort, Henry VIII's grandmother, and the woman responsible for getting the Tudors on the throne.
    • 4/5
      This is the follow-up to Gregory's The White Queen. Interestingly it covers the same time period and tells almost the exact same story, just from the perspective of the House of Lancaster as opposed to the House of York in the previous novel. It is quite brave of the author to essentially write the same novel twice. She has done a pretty good job too. Our protagonist, Margaret Beaufort is a deeply pious woman, supposedly a rarely well-educated woman for her time and one of history's first feminists. Unfortunately, none of these qualities make her a particularly nice woman. I often struggle to enjoy books where I feel no sympathy for the main character but this was very readable , and reminds me that there is a great deal I have yet to learn about my own country's history.
    • 4/5
      This was my first Philippa Gregory novel and I was concerned I might be venturing into slushy historical romantic fiction. Thankfully, that proved not to be the case. While this novel contains a great deal of speculation, it is an intriguing account of the politics of the Wars of the Roses from the perspective of the grand matriarch of the Lancastrian branch of the royal family. While it doesn't attain the status of great literature, it is well researched and Gregory's interpretations of individuals motivations and actions appear consistent with such historical facts as our known about Margaret Beaufort, the mother of the boy who became Henry VII. Particularly interesting is Gregory's take on the death of the Princes in the Tower, the sons of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, who were an inconvenient obstacle to all the other claimants to the throne in the early 1480s. Gregory's take on their demise seems a reasonable alternative to the conventional - and probably more likely - view that they were murdered on the orders of Richard III.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this, the second novel in the Cousins War Series by Philippa Gregory. Told once again in the first person, but this time with Margaret Beauforts voice, and a pious and bitter voice it is too! Someone so "in tune" with her God but so vicious and self centered without any feeling for anyone but herself, whilst all the time saying she is working towards fulfilling her son's destiny! She was treated harshly as women tended to be in those times, used to further men's ambitions and fortunes.But her single mindedness got her what she wanted in the end, the respect she desperately wanted, and the right to be called Margaret Regina! She almost has to be respected for her tenacity!
    • 4/5
      This book about Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VI, is gripping, as are most of Philippa Gregory?s historical novels. She?s definitely brought the War of the Roses to life, by retelling it through the eyes of the two most influential women on the scene. Margaret Beaufort is not as sympathetic as Elizabeth Woodville, whose story is told in ?The White Queen?. But it was Margaret who changed the course of history as much as anyone, with her persistent plotting to put her son on the throne.

      As a character study, it?s also fascinating. Margaret Beaufort was a religious zealot with a compressed core of pure ambition. Philippa Gregory writes in the first person, allowing Margaret to reveal her true motivations as she reacts to the events around her. And when told this way, everything seems to unfold in an inevitable way.
    • 2/5
      i have been waiting to read this book since i have read the white queen just as good a real must read book for lovers of historical fiction icant wait for the naxt series
    • 3/5
      First, I seriously disliked this woman, That Beaufort woman as I called her in my head. Secondly, this was another great story by Gregory. She sure has an easy way of writing.Margaret is pious, and as a child she is thrilled to have Saint's knees from kneeling so much. She wants to be like Joan of Arc, and lead her country to victory, she wants to be a nun and go to a convent. And she believes god put her on this earth to be queen. If anyone is hungry for power it is her. She longs to sign her name as Margaret R, for Regina, that is queen. How this goes together for her dream of becoming a nun I do not know. She is a power hungry woman who will kill children if they stand in her way. Even though I liked the book this was my problem. Her faith, she saw it that God wanted a Lancaster on the throne, she saw fault in all the Yorks cos of this. She saw fault in her own husband when he didn't want to fight for Lancaster and she called him a coward. Even though her beloved Jasper Tudor fled the country like a coward and left her and his nephew behind. But he was never a coward. She was cold, and I finished this book by a disliking her..a lot!That being said, this was a good novel. The pages just flew by cos Gregory has this easy way of writing. Things move along (most of the time), and no concern for any dry facts. It's light fiction, and after reading The White Queen is was interesting to see the war of the roses from the Lancaster side.And now to make my point clear, I may be over 500 years too late, but I do believe I find myself to be a Yorkist, lol. And to my horror, I doesn't dislike Richard III any more, he was barely in this book and still, yes I am a Yorkist. I even made my mind up as to who killed the princes in the tower.This book had some good side characters, I liked Henry Stafford, her 2nd husband, but felt so sorry for him for being hazzled by her. Jasper Tudor, I want to read a book about him, and last Lord Stanley who she met her match in. He followed his path, and that was the winning path.Blodeuedd's Cover Corner: Quite the different from the white queen and this suits her.Final thoughts: I guess I am looking forward to Elizabeth of York's story
    • 3/5
      I have heard it said (or written) by scholars of history, that Phillipa Gregory distorts history sometimes in the interest of dramatizing the events in her novels. Not being a scholar of history myself, I can't be sure but she is certainly a prolific author of historical fiction. I have listened to many of her novels on audiobook.The Red Queen is one of the saddest novels she has written. While many of the novels focus naturally on traumatic world changing events in our history, or most often, England's history, they fluctuate between joyous occasions and occasions of sadness and mourning. This novel focuses primarily on the trials experienced by Margaret of Lancaster, whose sole purpose in life is to put her son on the English throne. Her life is determined by the political machinations of the people maneuvering for posiions of power closest to the royal family. She loses her first husband to war, as well as her 2nd husband,Both are arranged marriages at the hands of her mother, neither of which brought her any happiness, except for the birth of her son, Henry. Most of his life is spent away from her,though, in order to keep him safe as a potential rival to the throne., he lives in exile with his uncle Jasper, the only man Margaret has ever loved, despite his being her husband's brother.The reader of the audiobook, Bianca ? is one of my favorite readers. Her voice as the young Margaret is filled with pathos, and as the older Margaret, is filled with bitterness and regret. Margaret sees herself as divinely appointed by God to put her son on the throne, but throughout the novel, the House of York prevails, requiring her to succumb to their rule and falsely place herself in court as one of the most beloved of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting. She even becomes godmother to one of the Princesses. This role in Court requires yet a third loveless, passionless marriage, this time to Lord Stanley, under the promise there will be no children from this union.They are a perfect match, though, as Stanley is a man who keeps a "foot in both camps always", protecting his interests while appearing fully invested in whoever is in power at the moment. Margaret can appreaciate this approach as she is willing to do anything to see her son on the throne.Fate intervenes time and again to prevent Henry from becoming King, but Margaret never gives up, nor does she lose her faith in God, who she believes wants the same things for her son that she does. She longs to be called,"My Lady, the King's mother, and to sign herself Margaret Regina. I recommend listening to this for the pleasure of listening to a story told by a practiced reader, talented in filling her roles with emotion enough to display and portray her characters, giving substance to stories that could seem redundant otherwise.
    • 4/5
      I found this book rather overwhelming. I didn't feel it was the fault of the author so much as the subject matter. Writing about the obsessively religious Margaret Beaufort, there would be that dark suffocating feeling due to the character and her background and personality. Other than that I enjoyed how, even as suppressing as it felt at times, the reading flowed. It filled in gaps the I had from the White Queen. I look forward to reading Philippa Gregory's other works.
    • 5/5
      Margaret was not a likable character, but she was determined. In the end, she accomplished what she wanted to do, put her son on the throne of England. All that praying was a bit tedious.
    • 3/5
      ?Heiress to the red rose of Lancaster, Margaret Beaufort never surrenders her belief that her house is the true ruler of England and that she has a great destiny before her. Her ambitions are disappointed when her sainted cousin Henry VI fails to recognize her as a kindred spirit, and she is even more dismayed when he sinks into madness. Her mother mocks her plans, revealing that Margaret will always be burdened with the reputation of her father, one of the most famously incompetent English commanders in France. But worst of all for Margaret is when she discovers that her mother is sending her to a loveless marriage in remote Wales.?My Thoughts:I didn?t enjoy this book as much as I did ?The White Queen? As always with PG I find her books can be very complex and sometimes as with this book full of battles. I would say that there has been extensive research and the book was interesting historically. I just felt bogged down a little with the constant battles.Margaret Beaufort I knew very little about except that she in mother of Henry Tudor and grandmother of Henry VIII, so it was interesting to learn about her very complex life. As always for me historiacl fiction is the best way to read about somebody and they come to life rather than reading a heavy factual book.PG always does a very job and her books are always worth reading but she tends to drag her tales out a bit. I have found that some of her books are exciting from start to finish such as ?The Boleyn Inheritance and The Virgin?s Lover? and then others such as this one and ?The Other Queen? can come over as little overlong. Historical fiction is one of my favourite genre?s and I love anything Tudor and PG can be quite good at what she does but in this case, yes the book was interesting but seemed very repeatative and a lot of what was covered I had already read about in ?The White Queen?.
    • 3/5
      This was really good, but I was wishing for more. It was like the rest of her story was about to begin and then the book ended. I hope that there is another book coming in this set.
    • 4/5
      As other reviewers have said, you really don't need to read Philippa Gregory's The White Queen in order to read The Red Queen. Based on the life of Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII of England and grandmother of Henry VIII, this book takes place during the Wars of the Roses, during which rival branches of the Plantagenet family vied for the throne of England.I liked this book a lot more than some of Gregory's recent work, especially The Other Queen, which I could barely get through. If you have read Gregory's other historical novels, I recommend this book. If you are just starting to read her, I suggest first trying more entertaining fare such as The Other Boleyn Girl, The Constant Princess, or, my favorite, The Queen's Fool.
    • 4/5
      Once again Philippa Gregory has a best seller in ?The Red Queen?! Published in 2010 by Touchstone Books, ?The Red Queen? is Book II in the saga of ?The Cousin?s War?. Book I is ?The White Queen?.Set in the 15th century, ?The Red Queen? tells the tale of Lady Margaret Beaufort, as well as the famous Lancaster/York rivalry of the times. Since early childhood, Lady Margaret is very religious and believes she has visions sent by God. Cousin to the King, Lady Margaret?s descendents are in line for the royal throne and Lady Margaret is driven to see it come to reality - no matter the cost. Additionally, Lady Margaret fervently believes that God has sent her visions declaring her son will one day be King. Though women of her era do not have any power of their own - indeed, cannot even choose whom they will marry, Lady Margaret does everything she can in order to see herself as the Royal mother and a child of hers on the throne.I really enjoyed Philippa Gregory?s ?The Red Queen.? Well written with historical accuracy, Gregory has a unique talent in bringing the 15th century to light. Filled with clear descriptions of the times, the places and the wars that continued to be waged - all in the name of gaining a place in royalty. A great read, laced with devious plots which are carried out by many of the characters striving for their own royal place, ?The Red Queen? was a delight to spend time with!I received this book for free to review from BookDivas. I am a member of BookDivas, Goodreads, Librarything and the Penguin Book Club. DBettenson
    • 3/5
      This is the story of Margaret Beaufort who was the mother of King Henry VII of England. It traces her life from her early marraiage at the age of 12 to Edmund Tudor, through the birth of Henry and later, to her subsequent marraige. She was a devout Catholic and truly believed she and her son were destined for greatness. She was in line to the throne herself but due to the Wars of the Roses when the Yorks and Lancasters traded the throne, she lost that advantage though never gave up. She devouted her life to backing her son, even when it posed a danger to her. Her husband, Lord Stanley, sat firmly on the fence, and was famous for it, not deciding who to back until he saw who had the advantage. In the end, he backed the Tudors. The book ends with the decisive battle at Bosworth when Henry won the crown.The book is well written as are all Ms. Gregory's books though some of the facts are a bit "fast and loose", also as in her other books but are a good read and give you a good feel for the time period.
    • 3/5
      I am becoming addicted to Ms Gregory's books! This was a good read. I think I enjoyed the White Queen a little more but the saga continues...on to the next in the series.
    • 3/5
      Didn't enjoy this as much as The White Queen. Margaret is just so full of herself and her perceptions of her holiness that it's hard to find any way to relate to her as the protagonist of the story. It is interesting to contrast this to The White Queen and see how different actions are perceived by different actors in the same story - that was what kept the book interesting for me. Ready for The Lady of the Rivers!