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    The Kingmaker's Daughter: Cousins' War 4
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    The Kingmaker's Daughter: Cousins' War 4
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    The Kingmaker's Daughter: Cousins' War 4
    Ebook515 pages8 hours

    The Kingmaker's Daughter: Cousins' War 4

    By Philippa Gregory

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    THE COMPELLING NOVEL FROM SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER PHILIPPA GREGORY

    ‘If you are going to be Queen of England he won’t let you fall,’ Isabel says shrewdly. ‘If you are going to be Queen of England he will love you and serve you every moment of the day. You’ve always been his pet – you should be glad that now you are at the centre of his ambition.’

    Anne Neville and her sister Isabel are daughters of the most powerful magnate in 15th century England, the Earl of Warwick, the ‘Kingmaker’, born with royal blood in their veins. Widowed at fourteen, fatherless, stripped of her inheritance and with her mother locked in sanctuary and Isabel a vengeful enemy, Anne faces the world alone.

    But fortune’s wheel is always turning. Plotting her escape from her sister’s house, she finds herself a husband in the handsome young Duke of Gloucester, and marries without permission. Danger follows her and she finds she has a mortal enemy in the most beautiful queen of England. Anne must protect herself and her precious only son, from the treacherous royal court, her deadly royal rival, and even from the driving ambition of her husband, Richard III.

    Praise for Philippa Gregory:
     
    ‘Meticulously researched and deeply entertaining, this story of betrayal and divided loyalties is Gregory on top form’ Good Housekeeping
     
    ‘Gregory has popularised Tudor history perhaps more than any other living fiction writer…all of her books feature strong, complex women, doing their best to improve their lives in worlds dominated by men’ Sunday Times
     
    ‘Engrossing’ Sunday Express
     
    ‘Popular historical fiction at its finest, immaculately researched and superbly told’ The Times
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster UK
    Release dateAug 16, 2012
    ISBN9780857207500
    Unavailable
    The Kingmaker's Daughter: Cousins' War 4
    Author

    Philippa Gregory

    Philippa Gregory is the author of many New York Times bestselling novels, including The Other Boleyn Girl, and is a recognized authority on women’s history. Many of her works have been adapted for the screen including The Other Boleyn Girl. She graduated from the University of Sussex and received a PhD from the University of Edinburgh, where she is a Regent. She holds honorary degrees from Teesside University and the University of Sussex. She is a fellow of the Universities of Sussex and Cardiff and was awarded the 2016 Harrogate Festival Award for Contribution to Historical Fiction. She is an honorary research fellow at Birkbeck, University of London. She was awarded a CBE title for services to literature and charity in 2022. She welcomes visitors to her website PhilippaGregory.com.

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    Reviews for The Kingmaker's Daughter

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    • 2/5
      Delusion, betrayal, murder. Third book about the same chain of events is a stretch. Will be glad to move on to the next generation.
    • 4/5
      I've never been much of a student of British history, particularly of all the shifts and changes to the monarchy during the times when several powerful families fought over the crown. This novel, narrated by Anne Neville follows England's history through her eyes as Henry VI has been deposed, Edward IV is now king but her father, Richard Neville the Earl of Warwick, become upset after he secretly marries against his wishes. Her father, the so called kingmaker, is a powerful man and it was with his support that Edward came to the throne in the first place. But the new queen's family, the Woodville's, threaten Richard's power and influence and he eventually decides to work against them and the King Edward. Anne's sister Isobel and Anne herself become pawns in his plans, as he tries to place various men of Royal blood on the throne in Edward's place. Much blood is spilt along the way, and Anne has much heartbreak to endure before eventually becoming a queen as the wife of King Richard III. I was definitely sucked into Anne's story, Gregory did a great job of creating a character who I felt for as she described the dramatic events of her life. There was of course a lot of drama and intrigue and much changing of sides. I kept turning to the real historical accounts to confirm and clarify some of what I was reading, and I suppose the author can be criticized for not always following history faithfully--though much of what she fiddled about with is disputed so her interpretation can be as valid as anyone's. The mystery of the princes in the tower is not given a clear cut answer, so it appears even Anne--the queen of England at the time--is not entirely sure what happened to them. Some readers may be upset with the author over details like these, I for one appreciated an emotionally engaging story that helped me to learn more about the English monarchy than I ever knew before.
    • 3/5
      As much as I like this series by Philippa Gregory, I can only give this one 3 stars. It is my least favorite of the series, not because of the writing which is wonderful as always, but because the main character, Anne of Warwick, had so little go right for her. It ends in a sad, solemn, depressing way which fits the tone of the entire book but I felt like it was too rushed and didn't explore the relationship between Anne and her husband enough. It was interesting to see things from Anne's point of view after reading the first three books, I just hope that the next is a little more cheery, or at least a little less melancholy which may be difficult given the subject.
    • 3/5
      Switching perspective to see these events from the Neville side was interesting, but it seemed to drag. The narrative felt pushed along without the easy exciting flow I have usually enjoyed from Ms. Gregory. I'm still looking forward to the next book in the series since it shouldn't have so much overlapping, I hope!
    • 4/5
      Loved this book as well as the story between Anne and Richard. I also like the exploration that the Duke of Buckingham or Margaret Beaufort could have had the Princes in the Tower killed. I don't think Anne and Richard would have been able to raise the Princes as their heirs as they would have been a focal point for potential "kingmakers". Cecily Neville, the York brothers' mother sure didn't help her House's cause by favoring George above her eldest. I'll be waiting for Philippa Gregory's next book, The White Princess
    • 4/5
      This is Ms. Gregory's next installment in her Cousin's War series after Lady of the Rivers. In this novel she takes on the time period after Edward IV is on the throne with his wife, Elizabeth Woodville (Lady Rivers). The Earl of Warwick (Richard Neville) is the man who put him on that throne and is therefore known to history as "The Kingmaker." But it is the Queen's family that is seeing all the benefit from Edward's elevation; Edward had married her in secret, without the Earl's advice and now Neville is feeling quite put out. He plots to dethrone Edward and put his brother, George, Duke of Clarence on the throne. So Neville marries his daughter Isabel to George and finds himself at war with Edward.Need I say that there is no period in history more confusing than this?What follows is a fascinating look into the minds of the two daughters of Richard Neville - Isabel the older and Anne the younger. Anne would have a slightly heavier cast in history as she ended up as Queen whereas Isabel was only a duchess. Either way their father used them for his own ends until he was killed in battle and that is where Ms. Gregory sets the lives of the girls into their own hands with this novel. She takes what she could find in the historical record and spins a tale of two sisters growing up in fear of one woman - Elizabeth, Queen consort of England. She was rumored to be a witch and as this tale goes forward both girls are deathly afraid of that rumor. Anything that goes wrong in their lives they attribute to the power of the queen. This leads to a really good read. If it had not been canning season I would have read it in one sitting but the vegetables took precedence. The back half was slightly better than the beginning as Richard of Gloucester played more of a role. Ms. Gregory did not have him as Shakespeare did and he is a fine romantic hero in this book - to a point. The historical details take to into the time period and keep you captivated in the tale. My only complaint is that the book is written from Anne's point of view and it starts when she is about 8 years old and the voice remains young throughout. She does not seem to age until the very end when her son dies. I don't think I'm giving any spoilers here, history is history. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book as it was like a bird's eye view into the period with characters often left on the sidelines of history. Oh, and the cover is STUNNING.
    • 4/5
      I have no read all of the Phillippa Gregory cousin's war books and the more of them I read, the more I like them. The best part about these is seeing all the different sides to the same story. Don't give up - read them all.
    • 3/5
      I admit I have taken a break from Philippa Gregory; while nothing can top her tour de force "The Other Boleyn Girl," and nor did I expect anything to, her subsequent novels were a rather bland disappointment. I picked up "The Kingmaker's Daughter" with no real expectations aside from some healthy historical fiction, and thankfully that is what I received. I am glad to see Gregory back on her game!
    • 5/5
      Another good read by Gregory! She's taken the same historic events as her other books about the War of the Roses, (The White Queen, The Red Queen, and The Other Queen) but this time from another point of view. This time the main character is Anne Neville, the daughter of the influential, Richard Earl of Warwick. She was married to Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou's son, Edward of Westminster and after a early widowhood ends up married to Richard III, the youngest brother of the Yorks. The same story is told as the other books, Edward the King who is bewitched by Elizabeth Woodville, George the next brother who is married to Anne's sister, Isabella, who fights for the right to be King. Richard in this story is seen as a more sympathetic character who is just trying to protect the Prince of Wales after his father's death to keep the River's (Elizabeth Woodville's family) from the throne. But alas greed and power, as always get in the way. Great read, better if the Internet is available to help you distinguish between the myriad of Edwards, Richards, George's and Elizabeth's in the story!
    • 4/5
      Philippa Gregory has long been associated with the highest quality in historical fiction. After reinventing the genre with her highly popular The Other Boleyn Girl, Gregory has consistently turned out quality period novels, taking on Henry VIII's other and somewhat lesser known wives, Queen Elizabeth I and the many ladies of the War of the Roses. In her latest entry into her Cousins' War series, Gregory tells the story of Anne Neville, the daughter of the famous kingmaker, Richard Neville, who put Edward of York on the throne.It may seem simple on the surface, but there is much more to Anne's story. After Edward's highly unpopular marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, the subject of The White Queen, Anne's father felt betrayed and in order to secure his own connections to the throne, he marries Anne's older sister Isabel to Edward' brother George. When a series of failed revolts forces the Nevilles out of England, Anne is married to the exiled Edward of Lancaster in one last desperate attempt to put a Neville on the throne. But when the last Lancaster push for the throne fails, Anne is left adrift with an uncertain future.Dare I say that Kingmaker's Daughter is one of the best books in the Cousins' War so far? While I enjoyed the others, especially The White Queen, Kingmaker's Daughter followed an incredibly fascinating young woman and her struggle as a political pawn during one of the most turbulent periods in British history. Through Anne starts off as a somewhat meek and weak young woman, she draws strength from her life experiences and grows into a stronger, more intelligent and motivated woman. On virtually every page, I fell more in love with Anne, cheering for her and wanting her to succeed and find happiness in a world that views her as little more than an annoying pawn.Kingmaker's Daughter is considered Gregory's first "sister" story since Other Boleyn girl. Though the entire novel takes place through the eyes of Anne, there is ample time given to the complex relationship that Anne and her sister Isabel share (and, admittedly, I enjoyed Isabel more than Anne at first). Through all of the drama, the political ambition that seems to have rubbed off on the girls from their father, the greed and their relationship with their mother, Isabel and Anne are still sisters caught up in war and politics in a world where women do not have the power that men do.I was honestly a tad bit disappointed with how Gregory handled the "sisters" aspect of the novel. Though Isabel and Anne's rivals and dramas were given some page time, the majority of the novel focused on the many other issues of the war and the sisters' relationship, I felt, wasn't given as much time as I would have liked. Also, for a while it seemed liked the working title for this book was "The Kingmaker's Daughters," which implied that it was about Anne AND Isabel. Though Anne's story may be more interesting, I would have liked to have seem some narration by Isabel to help the reader get a peek into her life and get her side of the story.Aside from the that, the only other small thing that bothered me was the repetition. Since Gregory has already written three novels about this period, it can be a little difficult to discuss fully new events in each book. Though Kingmaker focused on different characters and angles, it still covered the same period and the same conflicts, so at times I felt like I was reading too much of the same things that happened in the previous books.Yet, despite these few stumbling blocks, Gregory still delivers an incredibly exquisite, well-constructed world of high historical detail and compelling characters. Kingmaker's Daughter is one of the standout novels of the Cousins' War, with a lot of action, politics and great character conflict that's exactly what Gregory fans have come to crave.
    • 4/5
      Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, is known as the Kingmaker. His daughters Isabel and Anne are just pawns in his political games. As Anne grows she comes to realise the games her father is playing and her place in them as he turns on his former friends. Married at 14, she is soon widowed and her father killed on the battlefield. Her only option for survival is to marry Richard, Duke of Gloucester. She finds love with him, but will never be free of the political game playing and maneuvering required to keep their positions and their family safe. When they are crowned King and Queen, there are even more who would seize power from them and destroy their family. A well researched story bringing women's stories to the fore with the sumptuousness and ruthlessness of court explored in depth. However I couldn't help feeling appalled about how those at court lived compared to those ordinary people struggling in hardship and suffering who seem to get little thought during the posturing and political game playing.
    • 4/5
      This book was very intriguing like all of Philippa's books. It's nice to see events from the perspective of another major player Anne Neville. I will admit that I do favor Queen Elizabeth Woodville and wanted to shake Anne and Isabel several times throughout the novel. I have sympathy for Anne though as at the time I'm sure she didn't know any better. It was interesting to see Richard from the perspective of Anne. In the previous two books you feel as though he is evil for taking over the throne, but in The Kingmaker's Daughter you see he was influenced into it. Overall a great novel.
    • 4/5
      The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory - good

      I've always liked historical fiction (in my teens I devoured Jean Plaidy books) and I like Philippa Gregory. She researches her subject in detail and then builds up a story around the facts. Of course, it is fiction, but....

      I have to admit to being a little varied in my feelings on her Cousins' War books. Whilst I have no problem with her characters believing that someone was practising witchcraft, I don't like the idea that the characters themselves believed they could do so. This means that I didn't particularly like The White Queen, and haven't managed to start The Lady of the Rivers yet. I did, however, like The Red Queen and I especially liked this book.

      Anne Neville (the Kingmaker's Daughter in question) is someone I knew very little about other than her existence. What the author achieves here (and with the other books in the series) is show us the events from differing viewpoints: York, Lancaster and Warwick: a family who tried to manipulate the succession, changing sides to suit and to advance their own fortunes.

      All very interesting. I already have The Lady of the Rivers and The White Princess, I shall certainly read the latter pretty soon and will continue to debate reading the former. The beauty of it being the same story from different pov's means it really doesn't matter too much if I skip it or read it out of order.
    • 5/5
      Excellent read! Breathtaking intrigue (as always). Enough twists and turns to give you a headache, but you can't put it down! Loved it!
    • 4/5
      The original soap opera of deception in pursuit of self ambition.
    • 5/5
      What's not to like about anything Philippa Gregory writes? Well except for her depiction of Anne Boleyn. Despite claims by the author, any historical fiction is just that: fiction. As good as it can be when interspersed with facts, it remains fiction and many authors, including Gregory make choices that fly in the face of what historians believe.When it comes to history, even when related by a first person witness, the truth is what we make it until proven otherwise. I do believe Anne Boleyn has been misjudged. Gregory apparently chose to imply otherwise. When you think about it though, it makes sense because it makes good fiction.It is because of this that I had to stop myself and wonder if I'm actually being objective enough, because the story is so good I find it easy to forgive when she alters an aspect of history that may be in dispute, but most believe to be accurate.With page turners like The Kingmaker's Daughter, it can be a challenge to see the forest for the trees. I am a devout historical fiction fan. I am also a history buff of sorts, and especially of English history up to the Victorian era.Yes, there is some license taken here. However, the facts are inserted well and often.This story is timely because of the discovery of Richard III's body. Some things about him turned out to be true, but how much of the rest is really Tudor propaganda? There is usually more going on in history than what anyone can guess. This is what makes historical fiction shine when done right. It fills in the blanks creatively and believably - meshing fact and fiction that will have you reading late into the night.I know some won't forgive her for her characterizations of historical figures. But she isn't writing history or trying to rewrite it. She is fictionalizing people and events and doing a wonderful job of "what if" he/she/it were this way instead of that.And I don't think you can get any more right than this. (Well, at least until her next book.)
    • 5/5
      I have to admit that I was hesitant to listen to this historical fiction novel after the last one totally missed the mark with me. Not so with The Kingmaker's Daughter by Gregory! I absolutely loved this novel and the narrator, Bianca Amato, gave me a vivid picture of our heroine Anne, by embracing her character in every way.The story opens with Anne and Isabel as young girls, clueless as to what their father has planned for their futures. Their father, Richard Neville, is a politically powerful man, who decides the fate of the individual that will sit on the throne. Not only has he put men on the throne, but he has been responsible for removing kings from the throne as well.As the girls get older they have the opportunity to visit the court of King Edward and Queen Elizabeth. Anne is fascinated by the beauty of the Queen, admitting that she has never set eyes on anyone more beautiful. When Anne and Isabel decline the Queen's offer to join her court as maids in waiting, the Queen develops an anger for these two girls that will continue for the the rest of their lives.When Isabel marries King Edward's brother, George, the Queen dislikes the girls even more, knowing that if anything were to happen to Edward, Isabel and George could take over the throne. Isabel develops a fear towards the Queen when she convinces herself that both the Queen and the Queen's mother know how to practice witchcraft and they probably put a curse on both herself and Anne. Anne tries to discount Isabel's claims, but eventually these thoughts will consume her also.After all the political struggles between several countries, Anne finds herself married to the King's younger brother, Richard, who she hoped to marry years before but the Queen would not allow it. I cheered when Anne was finally going to have a bit of happiness in her life. It doesn't take long after their marriage, for the Queen to self-destruct and lose her position on the throne, leaving Anne and Richard as the King and Queen of England.I didn't realize that this is the fourth novel in the series until after I had started it. I did not feel lost in the novel because of this, but it does make me want to read the other books that precede this one. This novel contains so much more than what I have listed above. Anne and Isabel's sisterly relationship is compromised at one point, and it is a hard journey for them to find their way back to one another. With themes of sisters, love, power, and loyalty this was an amazing novel to listen to and I highly recommend it!
    • 4/5
      This is the fictionalized story of Anne Neville, the woman who became the wife of Richard III. Her father, the Earl of Warwick, had no sons, so he used his daughters as pawns in his political games, his ultimate goal was to get one of his daughters on the throne as Queen of England.Anne is married when she is only 14 years old, and as her father makes war on his former friends, she is soon left an orphan and a widow, with her mother in sanctuary, and Anne's sister Isabel is married to the enemy. Anne finally takes some control of her own life when she marries Richard, Duke of Gloucester, but her choices will set her family on a collision course with history.This is the 4th book in The Cousins' War series, but it also works as a stand alone story, since all the books essentially describe the same events, but from different points of view of the woman involved. I enjoyed this one, but I think it could have been better if it was told not just from Anne's point of view, but her sister Isabel too, who was a very interesting woman in her own right. (Then the title of the book could have been The Kingmaker's "Daughters" instead of "Daughter."
    • 4/5
      I love this period of history and really enjoy Gregory's historically based fiction written from the perspective of the various women involved in the events. I enjoy how each book ends up with me siding with the point of view of the narrator (in this case Anne Neville, wife of Richard III) until the next book when I see the same story from a different perspective. Well-written, engaging and thought-provoking while at the same time being very easy to read.
    • 3/5
      The War of Roses, what a mess, what a bunch of power hungry backstabbing maniacs. What a time (I would sure not have liked to live then), and a time that is fascinating to read about.

      This book is about Anne Neville, daughter of the Warwick the Kingmaker. Anne who was married to the not so successful Lancaster Prince Edward and later to Richard of York. Always a pawn in the hands of men.

      I did like her at first, she has a brain, she thought about things, but the later part of the book started to change that. She was paranoid, she never used her head, she believed everything told to her, she never questioned things, she was always scared, she was a grey little mouse, a sour cow, and the b word too. I kind of lost respect for her there at the end. Always with the constant we hate the Rivers. She was cold. At least she felt like this to me. And she was naive too. But hey, then I always hated the Nevilles. Do not ask me why. But even if I disliked her at the end it sure did not take away the pleasure of reading a good novel.

      Richard I liked, he was portrayed as honorable (for the most part). Sure he had his hidden agendas but hey who has not.

      I can read a lot of books about the same time it seems, I never get tired. Because every time it is through the eyes of someone new, a new perspective. And here, oh it just shows what backstabbers everyone was, Warvick, the York boys. It was never enough for any of them, always more more more. Some issues for sure.

      A turbulent time viewed by a woman, not always at the center of things, but always behind the men who were.

      A great tale from Gregory and I look forward to her next book which will be about Princess Elizabeth of York.
    • 4/5
      A typical Phillipa Gregory. A historical romance with the emphasis on romance. It does show the emnity and horror that the fight for power produces.
    • 4/5
      The story of Anne Neville. It is told in 1st person by Anne. Since it is from her perception often we have to rely on other people telling her what had been happening that she wasn't involved in.Her sister really did give birth on the sea voyage and the baby did die, but having Anne have to deliver the baby seemed a bit much.I liked Anne's reaction to having to marry the son of the "bad queen."Richard is portrayed as loving Anne and being interested in the money and power he gains from her inheritance. The question is often did he marry for love or money, well why couldn't have been a combination of both.It was annoying how during her marriage every thing that went wrong was the witch Queen Elizabeth's fault.After the death of her son Anne just gives up.
    • 4/5
      I read The White Queen some time ago and fell in love with the beautiful Queen Elizabeth even if she comes from a family of witches or Melusina ( a spirit of the rivers). I watched the TV series and I despised the Nevilles, I was convinced that Anne had been responsible for the deaths of the Princes even though it was inconclusive and just so in this book. I realise that on reading this story the observer should be seeing this piece of history from Anne Neville's side of the story. However, I cannot see her in any other light than the plotter and schemer she was, although I believe her good nature had been tainted by the continual poison she had been fed by her parents and sister and brother-in-law. Of course, how much is actual fact and how much is fiction is difficult to say but it all leads to a decent novel. Philippa Gregory's writing as always makes a good story with plenty going on to keep the reader interested. One wonders how these people coped with life when they were having to continually look over their shoulder and I am thankful that times have changed and our country is not so volatile internally. If you like historical novels then you can't get much better than Philippa Gregory.
    • 3/5
      The Kingmaker's Daughter is the gripping story of the daughters of the man known as the "Kingmaker," Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick: the most powerful magnate in fifteenth-century England. Without a son and heir, he uses his daughters, Anne and Isabel as pawns in his political games, and they grow up to be influential players in their own right. In this novel, her first sister story since The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory explores the lives of two fascinating young women.

      At the court of Edward IV and his beautiful queen, Elizabeth Woodville, Anne grows from a delightful child to become ever more fearful and desperate when her father makes war on his former friends. Married at age fourteen, she is soon left widowed and fatherless, her mother in sanctuary and her sister married to the enemy. Anne manages her own escape by marrying Richard, Duke of Gloucester, but her choice will set her on a collision course with the overwhelming power of the royal family and will cost the lives of those she loves most in the world, including her precious only son, Prince Edward. Ultimately, the kingmaker's daughter will achieve her father's greatest ambition.

      Circumstances meant I read this out of sequence and I shouldn't have as although I know the history I wanted to see how the author wove the women's stories together. As always a excellent, light read and timely as well since the body of Richard III was found as I was reading this ....now I must go back and read the earlier books
    • 3/5
      A fun, easy read, but rather a predictable formula.
    • 4/5
      The Kingmaker's Daughter (The Cousins' War) The Kingmaker's Daughter is probably my favorite of the Cousin's War series to date. It is written from the perspective of Anne Neville and gives yet another interesting point of view from this volatile period of history. One of the things I enjoy so much about Philippa Gregory's novels is that she somehow manages to turn what could have been tedious political maneuvering into exciting intrigue that keeps me riveted from the first moment. I am not a historian so I have no idea how historically accurate this series is, but I can say that they certainly paint a vivid picture of what living in that time period might have been like. From the court customs, to the fashions, the scandals, the betrayals, and executions, each aspect was brought to life in such a way that I almost felt myself a part of the story. Each character was shown from Anne's point of view so was colored by her own biases and was a bit different from how these same characters were presented in the previous books. The story was focused so much on Anne, and to a lesser extent Isabelle, that many of the other characters, at times, felt a bit flat. Anne's relationship with her sister Isabelle was reminiscent of the rivalry between Mary and Anne Boleyn in Gregory's popular novel, The Other Boleyn Girl. While there was always that undercurrent of love, each sister didn't hesitate to betray the other in order to further their own cause or that of their husband. I didn't find either sister to be particularly likable, and sometimes thought that their personalities were a bit contradictory. For example, Anne seems to have grown from a bright, practical, inquisitive child into a fearful woman ruled by her superstitions and unwilling to even consider any point of view than that which painted her family in a positive light. I guess that the struggles she was faced with could account for such a drastic change in character but it was still a bit odd. One of the things about this series, including The Kingmaker's Daughter that I was not a fan of was the witchery and spells and magic that were included. However, after discussing this with a friend who is also reading the series, I can see how it may have been presented this way because of how the players so wholeheartedly believed that witchcraft was responsible for many things such as storms, sicknesses, and death. Curses were taken very seriously in 1400's England and so reading from Anne's perspective, I can see why an unexpected storm would be believed to have been whistled up by the witch who hated her. I guess this was a realistic danger in this time period, that any misfortune could be laid at the feet of someone believed to be a witch. This would have been a very effective way to discredit a powerful woman, as it seems to have done in the case of Elizabeth Woodville. While The Kingmaker's Daughter can be read on it's own as a stand-alone novel, I would definitely recommend reading the entire series in order simply because it is a beautifully written thrilling story. Despite the fact that I found many of the characters to be a bit flat, the fast paced plot was such that I found the book hard to put down. I know many people, after reading Philippa Gregory's historical fiction have been inspired to find out more about this violent era and these fascinating people. I would absolutely recommend this and any and every other book written by this author to any fans of this genre.
    • 3/5
      Where I got the book: purchased through Waterstones. UK edition, signed.Despite my eternal resolutions not to read any more of this Cousins' War series I couldn't resist getting a signed copy at the Historical Novel Society conference, so here I am reviewing yet another of these books and noting pretty much exactly the same things that annoy me with all the others.This one covers the story of Anne Neville, wife of Richard of Gloucester aka Richard III. Her father is the political mover and shaker Warwick, whose intention is that whatever side of the York/Lancaster divide rules England, he should be standing behind it. And...I'm already too bored to continue. Let's recap:- maaaaagic. Mercifully Anne herself declares she doesn't believe in witchcraft, but that doesn't stop her from believing that the bad things that happen to her family could have witchy origins. Storms? Witch. Sickly child? Witch. Sudden death? Witch. Someone else being way more successful than you? WITCHWITCHWITCH OK you get the idea. Yawn.- PG's characters relentlessly explain to each other who they're talking about. "Your mother-in-law, the Duchess Cecily"..."your husband George Duke of Clarence"..."Margaret Beaufort...the wife of my friend, the trusted Lord Thomas Stanley, whom I made Lord Chamberlin"... Ya know, at some point you've just got to trust the reader to be able to follow the plot.- PG is writing about women in a world where men did all the doing and the women stayed at home and made babies (or not). Consequently, practically all of the action in TKMD happens offstage. The only really vivid scene (which was very well done) WAS ABOUT HAVING A BABY. *headdesk* There were some great--GREAT--scenes that only happened in the retelling and I longed to actually SEE them.- hard-to-like characters. Nope, can't think of a single one I actually liked, including Anne. And they all sound the same, have you noticed?And yet PG's a good writer and I'm going to say it yet again: please, PLEASE get shot of this series and go back to making stuff up, PG (I wrote that with a completely straight face. Honest.)One thing I DID like about the book and that was the quality of the UK binding. From Croydon, that was. Saaarf London quality, innit?
    • 3/5
      It gives me no pleasure to write this but my reaction to this book was: "meh." I don't think this is entirely Gregory's fault except in her choice of subject matter. As in The Red Queen, an earlier book in this series, Anne Neville just doesn't have much agency in her own life. She is raised, married off and manipulated for the needs of men engaged in the Wars of the Roses, primarily her father, the Earl of Warwick, and her second husband, the eventual, doomed Richard III. I don't think it helps that the story is told in first person present, either, and it's frequently repetitive (Elizabeth Woodville is beautiful! But she hates us! Because my father killed her father!). OK. Got that after the first four times.I like the Woodville entries in this series a lot more: The White Queen and The Lady of the Rivers. Maybe because both of those women seemed to have some more say over their fates and weren't just reporting on the actions of others.
    • 4/5
      The Kingmaker's Daughter (The Cousins' War) The Kingmaker's Daughter is probably my favorite of the Cousin's War series to date. It is written from the perspective of Anne Neville and gives yet another interesting point of view from this volatile period of history. One of the things I enjoy so much about Philippa Gregory's novels is that she somehow manages to turn what could have been tedious political maneuvering into exciting intrigue that keeps me riveted from the first moment. I am not a historian so I have no idea how historically accurate this series is, but I can say that they certainly paint a vivid picture of what living in that time period might have been like. From the court customs, to the fashions, the scandals, the betrayals, and executions, each aspect was brought to life in such a way that I almost felt myself a part of the story. Each character was shown from Anne's point of view so was colored by her own biases and was a bit different from how these same characters were presented in the previous books. The story was focused so much on Anne, and to a lesser extent Isabelle, that many of the other characters, at times, felt a bit flat. Anne's relationship with her sister Isabelle was reminiscent of the rivalry between Mary and Anne Boleyn in Gregory's popular novel, The Other Boleyn Girl. While there was always that undercurrent of love, each sister didn't hesitate to betray the other in order to further their own cause or that of their husband. I didn't find either sister to be particularly likable, and sometimes thought that their personalities were a bit contradictory. For example, Anne seems to have grown from a bright, practical, inquisitive child into a fearful woman ruled by her superstitions and unwilling to even consider any point of view than that which painted her family in a positive light. I guess that the struggles she was faced with could account for such a drastic change in character but it was still a bit odd. One of the things about this series, including The Kingmaker's Daughter that I was not a fan of was the witchery and spells and magic that were included. However, after discussing this with a friend who is also reading the series, I can see how it may have been presented this way because of how the players so wholeheartedly believed that witchcraft was responsible for many things such as storms, sicknesses, and death. Curses were taken very seriously in 1400's England and so reading from Anne's perspective, I can see why an unexpected storm would be believed to have been whistled up by the witch who hated her. I guess this was a realistic danger in this time period, that any misfortune could be laid at the feet of someone believed to be a witch. This would have been a very effective way to discredit a powerful woman, as it seems to have done in the case of Elizabeth Woodville. While The Kingmaker's Daughter can be read on it's own as a stand-alone novel, I would definitely recommend reading the entire series in order simply because it is a beautifully written thrilling story. Despite the fact that I found many of the characters to be a bit flat, the fast paced plot was such that I found the book hard to put down. I know many people, after reading Philippa Gregory's historical fiction have been inspired to find out more about this violent era and these fascinating people. I would absolutely recommend this and any and every other book written by this author to any fans of this genre.
    • 2/5
      Phillipa Gregory always goes for the gossip. She writes history "through a chick's eyes." Lots of great detail, but most characters come out like cardboard.