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    Virgin Widow
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    Virgin Widow
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    Virgin Widow
    Ebook499 pages8 hours

    Virgin Widow

    By Anne O'Brien

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook


    Anne Neville is the heiress and daughter of the greatest powerbroker in the land, Warwick the Kingmaker. Trapped in a deadly tangle of political intrigue, she is a pawn in an uncertain game, used by the houses of Neville, York and Lancaster alike.

    In England's glittering, treacherous court, not all wish to see the Neville's raised high. The Earl of Warwick's ambition and pride lead him into an attempt to depose the Yorkist King; his treason forces his family into exile.

    Humiliated and powerless in a foreign land, Anne must find the courage and the wit to survive in a man's world.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins Publishers Australia
    Release dateJul 1, 2010
    ISBN9781742780139
    Unavailable
    Virgin Widow
    Author

    Anne O'Brien

    Anne O’Brien was born in the West Riding of Yorkshire. After gaining a BA Honours degree in History at Manchester University and a Master’s in Education at Hull, she lived in the East Riding for many years as a teacher of history. She now lives with her husband in an eighteenth-century timber-framed cottage in depths of the Welsh Marches in Herefordshire on the borders between England and Wales.

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    Reviews for Virgin Widow

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    • 4/5
      Anne Neville is on my list of favorite queens - I prefer the outrageous and the neglected ones, hence Eleanor of Aquitaine and Anne Neville being way up there on the notepad. Anne O'Brien's story of the early life of Anne Neville (or Nevill), youngest daughter of celebrated earl Richard Neville of Warwick, aka "The Kingmaker," was refreshing, different and followed the historical timeline with artistic license. The histories are silent regarding Richard the Third's queen save that she was a political pawn during the Wars of Roses and she may or may not have been a childhood sweetheart of Richard. We are shown Anne's life as the daughter of the second most powerful magnate in England during the early reign of Edward IV, her exile as a result of her father's political blunders, her betrothal/marriage to Edward of Wales, son of Henry VI, and yet another turn as a political pawn as Edward's younger brothers, George of Clarence and Richard of Gloucester squabble over her portion of the Nevill inheritance after the death of Warwick at the Battle of Barnet.

      Ms. O'Brien does not give us a doe-eyed, suffering, victim in this Anne. She is compliant with her father's wishes, to be sure - she had no choice - but she shows strength and dignity in spite of all that is thrown at her, especially when she is forced to live with Queen Marguerite of Anjou and Edward and is witness to a royal household living in exile, living on the brink of destruction as the Queen tries to reclaim England for her husband and son, and Anne can do nothing. I enjoyed Ms. O'Brien's portrayal of Richard, duke of Gloucester who would later become King Richard the Third. He is enigmatic, quiet, a volcano not quite ready to explode and sure of his means and methods in getting what he wants. Shakespeare portrayed him as a dark, sinister, character and some of that legend is given to us, but with interesting twists - I won't spoil it for you - that I thought made the well-known story of Richard and Anne more interesting. He is sympathetic, but no angel. Anne's legendary 'disappearance' in London is also a part of the story and again, Ms. O'Brien tells a different story than I've read in the past and again, I loved it. Anne Nevill tells her own story and the prose is straightforward, real, and enjoyable, as is the dialogue without Anne, the Lancasters, the Yorks, sounding or playing out like a cable-TV soap opera. I would love it if Ms. O'Brien wrote the rest of Anne's story, sad though it was, especially if it gave us the struggles and heartbreak that fell upon Anne after Richard seized the throne in 1483. Yes, I recommend this book and it's going on my 'read-it-again' shelf.
    • 3/5
      I am in my English history phase - this is fiction - story of Richard III's wife, Anne Neville.

      Anne Neville is Earl of Warwick's younger daughter. With no choice in the matter, she came to be married to leaders of both sides of War of the Roses. Her father, Earl Warwick, was a rich and powerful man who was known as England's kingmaker - he helped bring the crown to Edward IV (House of York). Disgruntled by his treatment at the hands of king, he rebels. He dies in battlefield and is called traitor. As a political alliance, he marries his younger daughter Anne to Prince of Wale - Edward Lancaster. It is not a happy marriage - Edward's mother Queen Margaret of French origin - ensures that marriage is not consummated. She does so publicly in presence of family and priest on the wedding night - her reason being in case Earl of Warwick does not deliver the crown - marriage will be annulled. Turns out both Prince and Earl die in the battlefield. Annie is a virgin widow. (How much truth - not clear)

      Annie falls to bad times, subject of malicious plans by her own sister and brother-in-law - however, Richard, Duke of Gloucester (brother of Edward IV) - who was also her betrothed during her childhood - steps in. Book is from Annie's POV and it ends here. Richard later becomes King of England and Anne becomes his consort Queen. However, she dies less than two years later, presumably, of cancer.

      Book doesn't focus much of much period. Though it observes all propriety and etiquette of the period. This is more of a love story - writing gets bit too boring when Anne keeps nagging Richard into confessing if he loves her. Reading historical facts - it is not clear how much he loved/cared for her. Anne Neville is probably most enigmatic character (least portrayed) in English Monarchy.
    • 4/5
      This is the historical story of Anne Neville, daughter of the "Kingmaker" The Earl of Warwick. Anne grew up during the War of the Roses and the reign of Edward IV and was married off to Edward of Lancaster in order to help him claim the throne even though she was in love with Richard Plantagenet, brother of the King. After Edward's death at Tewkesbury she was finally able to marry Richard.

      Anne's family is very interesting especially her father who was very involved in putting Edward on the throne and wanted to put Edward of Lancaster on the throne next after Edward IV married Elizabeth Woodville and he felt he was losing his way.

      I enjoyed the story and it an interesting look at a fascinating family.
    • 3/5
      A retelling of the love story between Richard of York and Anne Neville, whose lives where punctuated by the violence of the fifteenth-century Wars of the Roses in England. Anne's family, the Nevilles, played a prominent role in the conflict and the family shifted in their loyalties and made alliances with both sides. Anne is portrayed as a victim of these shifting alliances as she is torn away from her childhood friend Richard of York and married to his rival Edward of Lancaster. A good story and recounting of the early tale of Richard and Anne.
    • 3/5
      Overall I have to say I was left completely underwhelmed. I was hoping the book would be a good look at the life of Anne Neville, but as it went on I got the feeling that she was acting like more and more like a child instead of growing into an adult. I was also disappointed it ended so early I was hoping it would go until her death, but that is just one more disappointment to add to list. Overall it is a nice little story about a few years in Annes life, but for anyone who really wants to get a glimpse at the 'real' Anne Neville, this probably isn't to book to do it.
    • 5/5
      Richard III was SEXY!!! I completely enjoyed this fresh look at a much maligned person from history, no thanks to William Shakespeare. Anne O'Brien is a historian who thoroughly knows this time period (War of the Roses). As an American, I was somewhat unfamiliar with the history of the Houses of York and Lancaster and their struggles over the throne of England. But O'Brien's storytelling (although I realize that most scenes and all dialogue were fictionalized) help to breathe life into the history and help the reader understand the political intrigues, war, and manipulations of the time. Richard is depicted as a war hero, a trusted aide to his brother King Edward, and the true love of Anne Neville, his distant cousin. The story is told from Anne's point of view, and while I am not a fan of first person storytelling (as it limits other characters' viewpoints), it works in this case as the reader encounters surprises through Anne's eyes. This is also the first recent historical fiction I've read in which the author does not step away from the story to give the reader a history lesson. O'Brien lets her writing tell history through context, which keeps the story fast-paced. I'm off to read more about Richard!
    • 3/5
      The Virgin Widow tells the typically unknown story of Anne Neville, one of the many cousins of the famous Plantagenet family, a British royal house whose descendants caused the famous Cousins' War -commonly known as the War of the Roses.When readers first meet young Anne, she is fleeing with her family to France after her father, the Earl of Warwick, has been branded a traitor by King Edward of York, even though Anne's sister Isabel is married to Edward's older brother. As they near shore, Anne recalls her strange life during the tempestuous years of the York/Lancaster war, the strange (and frequent) changes in loyalty and, of course, her relationship with the youngest York brother, Richard. After much-needed exposition as to why the family ended up in exile, readers are brought back to Anne's situation. Once in France, the Nevilles go to the court of King Louis and meet their long-sworn enemy, Queen Margaret of Lancaster and her son, Prince Edward. In order to protect themselves, Anne's family is forced to make an unwanted alliance with Margaret in hopes that, one day, they will get home to England. As part of the alliance, Anne is married to Edward, even though she has lingering feelings for Richard...More of a romance than a historical, The Virgin Widow gives a unique perspective on Anne Neville and her family was very enjoyable. While I've read better historical fiction novels, I was intrigued by Anne's untold story, but however, a few things that bugged me about book. First, the title itself is a huge spoiler. Because of the two words chosen to make up the title, the reader knows that Anne will be left as a virgin and a widow after her first marriage so, for me, there was little suspense for the majority of the novel. O'Brien also seemed to have some trouble creating fully detailed scenes where readers could see everything in the world as it happened. I had trouble seeing the history sometimes, but, thankfully, some of the characters were strong enough to keep it interesting.Anne, however, seemed like the biggest issue. While O'Brien tried to present Anne as a strong, intelligent woman well-versed in the ways of court plots, she came across as incredibly dumb sometimes -oddly enough more so as she got older and went through more trials in her life, which makes no sense. I think O'Brien was trying to make Anne a strong female character, but she tended to come across as a fairly weak and inconsistent character who sometimes acted out of character purely to make the story drag on for a few more pages, especially near the end.Speaking of the end, that created another issue for me. Anne Neville's fascinating life continues far past the end of O'Brien's narrative. In fact, one could say that the most interesting stuff happened to Anne AFTER the events covered in this book. I mean, she doesn't even become queen in this book.For all the criticism, I enjoyed The Virgin Widow for about the first three-quarters of the book, but it just ran out of steam at the end. O'Brien has alot of potential as a historical fiction author though, and I'm excited to see what other stories she spins. Will Anne O'Brien become the next Philippa Gregory? It's too early to tell, but I think that with more time, she could became a staple of my historical fiction library -definitely going on my watch list.
    • 3/5
      A pretty good read. I have read a few books on the War of the Roses, but never any from Anne Nevilles perspective. It was a refreshing read and a good piece of historical fiction.
    • 4/5
      I had never read anything about the War of the Roses before this book, so I was hoping it would be an awesome introduction to the period, and it did not disappoint. I really enjoyed Anne Neville from the start ? she has everything I enjoy in a historical fiction leading lady, and because so little is known about her, it?s a fantastic little fantasy that comes close to being believable.We start out with Anne at a young age, with the opportunity to see what her relationships may have been like with her sister and parents, as well as her introduction to Richard Plantagenet and some other friends who would remain influential throughout her life. Anne is a stubborn, yet likewise sympathetic child, who seems somewhat unhappy in the knowledge that her future will be inevitably political, her father being one of the most powerful men in England at the time. While she doesn?t seem to agree with this future, she knows it?s unavoidable, and seeks to make it as comfortable for herself as she can.I often read a historical fiction novel and find it hard to believe, mostly because I?m often reading about a character who is more well known in history. The people surrounding Anne are definitely no secret to us, but there?s so much about Anne that will always remain a mystery, so this was a great learning opportunity. I got the chance to understand more of the political upheaval and chaos during this time in history, and how it could have such a drastic effect on the lives of the women involved, caught up in the decisions of the men all around them.Just think ? how different might history have been if Edward IV had married someone else, so the Earl of Warwick would not have gone on this tragic crusade. Or if the Earl had simply been content with what Edward had given him, instead of always striving for more power. While it makes for interesting items to speculate upon, I can only imagine the terror that Anne and the rest of her family would have been living under during this time.You don?t often see a sympathetic portrayal of Richard of Gloucester, and there is so much that comes after this tale to make you question his motives to the end. However, one can?t help but think history remembers him a bit incorrectly, knowing how much he did care for Anne. This book is fiction for sure, but Richard is on record as having openly wept at Anne?s funeral, and I can?t imagine he would have done that if he really did the horrible deeds attributed to him in his later life. Perhaps that?s just me romanticizing Richard because of the novel, however.This story paints Anne?s life as one of much tragedy, and the book ends in happiness for her. Knowing what follows in her life, I loved reading this temporary happiness. Her life after this book ends could not have been too easy, dealing with the political climate and family drama that is well known to have followed. I don?t often enjoy seeing a book end before the characters story, but in this case, I wanted the happy ending for Anne, so I settle for knowing her life went on after this particular section and that it wasn?t awesome.
    • 4/5
      I found the Virgin Widow to be a thoroughly enjoyable read! I brought it with me to read during my holiday travels and I ended up reading late into the night to finish it Christmas day because I couldn't put it down. Author Anne O'Brien uses the relatively unknown personage of Anne Neville, second daughter of the Earl of Warwick, to illustrate the turmoil and treachery of the War of the Roses in medieval England. Anne, who like many women of her time, was married to forge and reinforce political alliances, was betrothed to Richard, Duke of Gloucester and younger brother to the reigning King of England, Edward of the house of York. Eventually, Anne's father Warwick decided it would benefit him more to groom the deposed Prince Edward of the house of Lancaster and his reluctant mother, Margaret of Anjou, to reclaim the throne and Anne was betrothed and married to Edward and granted the title Princess of Wales. What follows is a compelling firsthand account of Anne's struggles to survive in a world where women are used to their male guardian's benefit. What O'Brien excels at is creating a believable and endearing romance between Anne and the Duke of Gloucester that is anything but predictable. I look forward to more books in this genre from O'Brien and will be recommending The Virgin Widow to my friends!
    • 3/5
      As a fan of historical fiction, I was excited to read The Virgin Widow. I was even more excited to find out that it was a fast, fun read that was interesting throughout.O?Brien lists Anne Neville as the ?forgotten queen?, and although she might be forgotten she shouldn?t be.Traded back and forth like the perfect commodity, Anne was two times a queen. Posed on both sides of the War of the Roses, Anne was never able to choose a husband for herself. Instead, Anne made the only choice available to her, and she decided to handle these matches obediently and patiently. The Virgin Widow allows readers into the mind of ?traded? bride, and I thought O?Brien developed her character well.One area I found troubling was the relationship between Anne Neville and Richard of Gloucester. If my calculations are correct, then Richard and Anne were first cousins. I know. I know. This was common practice at the time, but I still found the love story between the two disturbing. I was able to get past it though because Anne was such a likable character.Overall, The Virgin Widow was an intriguing read that introduced me to the War of the Roses.
    • 5/5
      This book details the life of Anne Neville, daughter to the Earl of Warwick, the Kingmaker, and future wife to Richard III King of England. The story begins during her childhood and follows her life through the War of the Roses as she becomes a pawn to the ambitions of her father and the houses of Lancaster and York. This book is essentially a love story which is wonderfully written. This is the first I have read by Anne O'Brien and will looking for her next book. I was lucky enough to receive this through the Early Reviewers program and eagerly devoured every page. This is a tastefully written romance so those of you who dislike overly descriptive love scenes will be very pleased. My only disappointment was this ended to soon, I would have loved more.
    • 3/5
      Summary: Anne Neville sits right at the heart of The War of the Roses, yet relatively little is known about her life. In The Virgin Widow, Anne O'Brien brings her to life as a spirited and strong young woman, surrounded by powerful people and the plots they weave. Anne is the daughter of the Earl of Warwick, otherwise known as Warwick the Kingmaker, close advisor to King Edward IV. When still a child, she falls in love with and is briefly engaged to Richard of Gloucester, the youngest brother of the king, and ward of her father's house. However, Warwick soon falls out of favor with the king, and Warwick's treasonous behavior means that the Nevilles must flee to France. Once there, they make an uneasy alliance with the Lancaster queen Margaret of Anjou, and plot to return to England at the head of the Lancaster forces. Anne is used as a bargaining chip in these negotiations, becoming the betrothed of Margaret's son Edward of Lancaster, and thus placed firmly in the center of all of Margaret's most treacherous schemes. But how can Anne marry the heir of Lancaster, even to support her family's fortunes, when her heart still lies with the youngest son of York?Review: I knew I was tired of the Tudors, and consequently have been staying away from all things Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. After reading The Virgin Widow, I can now officially say that I'm pretty burnt out on the War of the Roses as well. Or maybe it's broader than that; machinations of the British royalty are just not holding my historical fiction interest all that much anymore. As a result, though, I'm having a hard time separating my reaction to this book from my reaction to its topic. After all, it's not the book's fault that I'm largely disinterested in the troubles of the crown.However, it is the book's fault for picking a character that is not super-sympathetic to begin with, and not doing much to help her cause. This may be due to the fact that the last War of the Roses book I read (Emma Darwin's superb A Secret Alchemy) focused on Elizabeth Woodville, but I don't hold much truck with the Nevilles and their plotting. When Anne starts whinging about how her father has "been cast in the role of traitor again," I just wanted to shake her and shout "well, that *is* what happens when you commit treason, you simpering little moron!" She eventually gets her head screwed on straight and stops believing quite so firmly in the supremacy of family loyalty, but by the time she does, I'd lost most of my patience with her and her uncanny tendency to put herself in exactly the best position to be manipulated by the people around her.I was much more interested by O'Brien's portrayal of Richard of Gloucester. Not so much the romance angle of the story - we barely see Richard before Anne decides that she is totally and irrevocably in love with him, so for much of the book, I couldn't tell whether or not he was really worth all of the fuss. But when we do see him, he's an interesting blend of cold aloofness and passionate fire, of a strict moral code but just enough twisted scheming that he could believably be painted as Shakespeare's villain. However, O'Brien ends the story with the birth of Anne's first child - well before Richard becomes Richard III. While I can accept that it's not the part of the story she wanted to tell, it also felt a little bit like she took the easy way out, by not having to reconcile her upright, romantic-lead version of Richard with the Richard who imprisoned the two Princes in the Tower.In general, this book was well-written, well-plotted, very detailed, provided a new side of the War of the Roses story that I hadn't encountered before, and did a good job bringing its characters to life. I just didn't particularly care for those characters, which made it unfortunately hard to lose myself in enjoying their story. 3 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: If you enjoy royalty-based historical fiction and aren't yet sick of the War of the Roses, this one's worth a shot... but definitely check out A Secret Alchemy for a point of view from the Woodville side of things.
    • 4/5
      This historical romance draws you in the that time in history. The main character, Anne Neville, is used as a pawn to further political ambitions of her father. I read this book in two sittings.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this romantic portrayal of Anne Neville, which covers her childhood up through her marriage to Richard III. The author takes some liberties with accepted history, but they worked for me. The story was engaging and well-written; the romance, tasteful and light.I look forward to reading more from Ms. O'Brien.
    • 5/5
      This story is about Anne Neville. Her father help Edward overthrow King Henry and placed Edward as King. Once the king married The Earl felt his power over Edward was being slighted by the Queen and her family. Through the political and ambitions of her father the Earl, Anne is drawn into treason. Her family branded as traitors, they escape to France. Anne is forced into marriage to King Henry's son, a displaced prince. An army was gathered, The prince and the Earl rode out to defeat King Edward. I love the intrigue of the English court. I felt so sorry for Anne, through no fault of her own, she was taken from the man she loved, forced into a marriage she hated, branded a traitor by her own country. What horrible things woman, and children go through because of the ambitions of men.
    • 4/5
      Delightful! I really liked this book more than I thought I would. It turns out that the world does not know a whole lot about Anne Neville, the wife of Richard III, so the author could really make it up. Richard is looked at in a less cynister light, which was fine by me. It made for nice love story. The rest of the history is accurate as far as I can tell. O'Brien was a history prof. so I am guessing she insisted on getting that part of the story straight.
    • 5/5
      My rating: Loved it. Ms. O?Brien makes very good use of what little is known about Anne Neville and weaves an engaging story. The Virgin Widow is a wonderful mix of love and history. With so little material to go on Ms. O?Brien gives Anne a voice and brings to life her story without skewing history. From Ms. O?Brien?s POV Anne?s life was never easy. The Virgin Widow is a story of strength and power filled with strife and major family upheaval. A young love denied for so very long, a first marriage solely for political gain and the mother-in-law from hell. Anne waited years and endured endless trials before finally finding happiness with Richard III. Initially I wasn?t sure I?d enjoy The Virgin Widow because I?m not overly familiar with these characters but I?m oh so glad I took the chance.New-to-me author: YesWould I read more from this author: Yes
    • 5/5
      I have to confess I didnt know much about Anne Neville other than She was a Princess of Wales and that she married Richard III. O'Brien's book was an interesting look at this often forgotten Queen of England.The love story between Richard and Anne is one you will never forget. Thanks to Library Thing Early Reviewers for my copy.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book ?Virgin Widow? by Anne O?Brien about Anne Neville the future Queen of Richard III. She came from a very wealthy family with close connections to the royal family. The only downside being her father the Earl of Warwick is a traitor to the crown and is hell bent on bringing down Edwards Yorkist crown! As a young girl in 1469 living in a time when young men of position are fostered out to high ranking families to learn to be gentlemen and Squires, she falls in love with Richard of Gloucester just such a young man. She is betrothed to Richard and is overjoyed to be marrying someone she loves, but her father?s scheming brings the families destruction and the betrothal is dissolved. The family have to flee for their lives to France and the court of king Louis. Warwick makes a pact with an old enemy Margaret of Anjou to go back to England and fight for the throne. This is when Anne as the only child not yet married is betrothed to Margaret of Anjou?s son Edward Lancaster an extremely handsome prince with no feeling for anyone except himself and his mother. When the marriage takes place very much against Anne?s own wishes Margaret forbids the consummation of the marriage until England is won, but really with a plan to get rid of her when things are better for them! As Edward is totally under his mothers thumb he goes along with her much to Anne?s mortification. Anyway Warwick sails for England and battle for the throne, he succeeds to a certain degree and the family set sail back to England. However Warwick and Edward of Lancaster are killed and the family is captured. Anne once again becomes a pawn in political intrigue and is betrayed by her sister Isabel and her husband Clarence, who happens to be Richard of Gloucester?s brother. Richard is still in love with Anne and determined to win her back. This is a beautiful love story and just shows how women in these times were used against their wishes for all sorts of political gain, married to men they hated made to hand over their bodies, wealth and position to men who had no right to any of it for political bargaining. As I said earlier I really enjoyed this book very easy to read and exciting as it lurched from one surprise to another.