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The King's Curse (The Cousins'…
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The King's Curse (The Cousins' War) (original 2014; edition 2015)

by Philippa Gregory

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1,2943814,639 (3.81)19
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author behind the Starz original series The White Queen comes the story of lady-in-waiting Margaret Pole and her unique view of King Henry VIII's stratospheric rise to power in Tudor England. Regarded as yet another threat to the volatile King Henry VII's claim to the throne, Margaret Pole, cousin to Elizabeth of York (known as the White Princess) and daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, is married off to a steady and kind Lancaster supporter--Sir Richard Pole. For his loyalty, Sir Richard is entrusted with the governorship of Wales, but Margaret's contented daily life is changed forever with the arrival of Arthur, the young Prince of Wales, and his beautiful bride, Katherine of Aragon. Margaret soon becomes a trusted advisor and friend to the honeymooning couple, hiding her own royal connections in service to the Tudors. After the sudden death of Prince Arthur, Katherine leaves for London a widow, and fulfills her deathbed promise to her husband by marrying his brother, Henry VIII. Margaret's world is turned upside down by the surprising summons to court, where she becomes the chief lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine. But this charmed life of the wealthiest and "holiest" woman in England lasts only until the rise of Anne Boleyn, and the dramatic deterioration of the Tudor court. Margaret has to choose whether her allegiance is to the increasingly tyrannical king, or to her beloved queen; to the religion she loves or the theology which serves the new masters. Caught between the old world and the new, Margaret Pole has to find her own way as she carries the knowledge of an old curse on all the Tudors"--… (more)
Member:Well-ReadNeck
Title:The King's Curse (The Cousins' War)
Authors:Philippa Gregory
Info:Touchstone (2015), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 640 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:
Tags:2015, novel, fiction, historical fiction

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The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory (2014)

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» See also 19 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 38 (next | show all)
Historical Romance
  BooksInMirror | Feb 19, 2024 |
The King’s Curse shows the love Margaret Pole had for all those around her in a time of hate and war and demonstrates a want to live every moment. She saw the highs and lows of Henry and his wives and how he changed for the worse. It is great to see almost an onlookers version of events of the time. ( )
  Morgana1522 | Sep 28, 2023 |
9780857207586
  archivomorero | May 21, 2023 |
I was not a fan of this book in the series. For me it was way too long and drawn out. The narration was repetitive and didn’t have me gripped like earlier books. ( )
  thewestwing | Aug 12, 2022 |
My hat is always off to Philippa Gregory and the way she can make English history come alive. She has told the same story dozens of times now, with a different perspective each time and without flinching from the truth.

This tale belongs to Margaret Pole, Henry VIII's oldest Tower victim and a direct descendant of the Plantagenet line. Because she was present for so much of what occurred in Henry's reign and because her life was long enough to witness both beginnings and ends, she is a great narrator. From any perspective, life during the time of Henry was hard and uncertain. It hardly mattered who you were, you would be on top or on the bottom in a blink of an eye, subject to the whims of a maniacal ruler.

I found this book particularly interesting, since I have recently read Wolf Hall and found myself confronted with a completely different view of Thomas Cromwell than the one found there. Of course, most of the histories I have read paint Cromwell as a monster, but having just looked at this world from his point of view, it was interesting to see how he would most certainly have been viewed by someone in Margaret Pole's postion. In the end, the horror always comes back to Henry, doesn't it.

I have loved all of Gregory's novels, but some are stand-outs, and this is one of those. Margaret Pole is a gripping and defiant woman, with strength and endurance enough to stand in situations where most would fall. Gregory is particularly wonderful at portraying women as part of the strength and power of this era and helping us to see them as full-blown and strong (which they must have been to survive these times) and never as pawns in the service of men.

I hope to read all of the novels in this series that I have not yet gotten to. If I could do anything different, I would read them in order...but that is not possible for me and I do not think they suffer from being read out of order, since each stands beautifully alone. ( )
  mattorsara | Aug 11, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 38 (next | show all)
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In the moment of waking I am innocent, my conscience clear of any wrongdoing.
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The king will not even receive letters from the City for fear of the disease. Cardinal Wolsey writes to him on special paper from Richmond Palace and is living there, ruling like a king himself.
Prior Richard comes to me in my records room at the manor. I am seated at a great round table, with each drawer labelled with a letter. Every tenant's deeds are in a drawer labelled with the right letter, and the table can spin from A to Z so that I can draw out, in a moment, the document that I need.
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"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author behind the Starz original series The White Queen comes the story of lady-in-waiting Margaret Pole and her unique view of King Henry VIII's stratospheric rise to power in Tudor England. Regarded as yet another threat to the volatile King Henry VII's claim to the throne, Margaret Pole, cousin to Elizabeth of York (known as the White Princess) and daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, is married off to a steady and kind Lancaster supporter--Sir Richard Pole. For his loyalty, Sir Richard is entrusted with the governorship of Wales, but Margaret's contented daily life is changed forever with the arrival of Arthur, the young Prince of Wales, and his beautiful bride, Katherine of Aragon. Margaret soon becomes a trusted advisor and friend to the honeymooning couple, hiding her own royal connections in service to the Tudors. After the sudden death of Prince Arthur, Katherine leaves for London a widow, and fulfills her deathbed promise to her husband by marrying his brother, Henry VIII. Margaret's world is turned upside down by the surprising summons to court, where she becomes the chief lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine. But this charmed life of the wealthiest and "holiest" woman in England lasts only until the rise of Anne Boleyn, and the dramatic deterioration of the Tudor court. Margaret has to choose whether her allegiance is to the increasingly tyrannical king, or to her beloved queen; to the religion she loves or the theology which serves the new masters. Caught between the old world and the new, Margaret Pole has to find her own way as she carries the knowledge of an old curse on all the Tudors"--

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