My favorite in the series so far! ( )

The Kingmaker’s Daughter —Philippa Gregory’s first sister story since The Other Boleyn Girl —is the gripping tale of the daughters of the man known as the Kingmaker, Richard Neville, Earl of 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.

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. ( )

Unlike the novels so far in the series, The Kingmakers Daughter tells the story of a Queen whose story doesn’t end in success but is filled with heartbreak and sadness. Yet another women caught up in the orders of the men around her and she inevitably suffered and had little control over her own life. For such a strong character to have had so much sadness happen to her and in such a short life time, truly sums up the vitality of the era. ( )

I read this novel at the same time as I was reading The School that Escaped the Nazis. Talk about brutal! From killing whomever to get the throne of England to Hitler killing indiscriminately, the books presented a harsh look at evils that exist in history as well as the beauty of the individual spirit to care and love others in the midst of the brutality.

Of course I've heard of the War of the Roses, but I knew nothing about it. It is all a game of thrones. Anne's father is the Kingmaker. He puts a king on the throne and when the king doesn't listen to him, he puts another one on the throne. He vacillates based on who gives him control. If a king wants to make his own decisions, the Kingmaker strives to remove him. Anne and her sister, Isabel, were raised as a member of one of the most powerful and richest families in England. Without sons, the Kingmaker tells his daughters that they will be Queen. Depending on what is going on and who he is supporting, the Kingmaker tells one daughter she will be Queen and then circumstances change and he tells the other daughter she will be Queen. Both girls are married to the brothers who are part of the War of the Roses. Isabel looks to be the next Queen when she is married to George, the king's brother. When the Kingmaker seeks to take Edward (the king) off the throne, he backs George. He also marries Anne to the son of the former king, Edward of Westminster, but he dies in battle trying to get the throne back. In the ensuing battles, the Kingmaker dies. Anne's husband also dies. Anne becomes a well-watched guest of George and Isabel (in-house prisoner). Both girls feel destiny should make them a Queen, which can create some competition and controlling issues between the sisters.

Wanting to escape from her sister, Anne knows she needs to leave, but where would she go? It's when her childhood friend, Richard, tells her that he loves her and will take her away that Anne begins to find herself. Richard is the King's and George's brother. Yes, the sisters are married to two brothers. They are also related to them. As women, their roles are to have children, heirs. Richard is known for his loyalty and doesn't have mistresses. He truly loves Anne. George and Isabel become a compatible husband and wife, working to unseat George's brother, the King. Unfortunately, Edward listens to his wife. The brothers believe that Edward's wife Elizabeth has too much influence and has placed her common born family in high places, raising them above their station. The sisters believe Elizabeth is a witch and has cursed them because the Kingmaker killed Elizabeth's father and one brother. There is little hope to usurp Edward because they have a lot of children. Isobel has healthy children, so they could form a lineage. Anne only has one child.

I found life in the 1400s brutal. I liked that Richard was portrayed as loving and respectful toward Anne, but Anne always knows that she has a lower station. She doesn't ask him questions although he confides in her. She has an on again, off again relationship with her sister as they vy for the throne. Women were objects. Marriage was for political reasons; the wife was to expect her husband to attempt to impregnate his wife even if they didn't like each other. Anne's first husband didn't care how Anne felt about their wedding night. People were killed ruthlessly. Kill children if it meant you might be King or Queen. In addition, it was easy to die in childbirth or for children to die of an ailment. They didn't have medicine. They also believed in witchcraft. I would not want to live in this time period.

I enjoyed the book, engrossed in Anne's life but thankful that women have more rights although we continue to fight for more. It's an interesting look at a turbulent time in England's history. ( )

Philippa Gregory is the BEST at bringing history to life and making you look at it in a completely different light. Having just read the historical account of the War of the Roses, it was amazing to see it again through the eyes of Anne Neville.
When Gregory tells her stories, you are her characters. You feel and know and experience everything with Anne as she suffers the fate of being a pawn of ambition and power-mongering.
Lastly, seeing Richard III as a man very different than the Richard of Shakespearean fame was refreshing and new. We will never know who the real Richard was, but the complexity of his character and the uniqueness of his situation are the things epics are fashioned from. ( )