I found this an interesting take on the story of this period of the War of the Roses. While Ms. Gregory does take liberties with the known facts (she admits to them too so that's ok) she also raises some interesting points about the princes in the tower and highlights the other power players on the stage at the time.

While I felt she could have focused a bit more on certain aspects of the story, drawn the motivations of the characters more clearly, and fleshed out more of the dynamics (some of the background is left a little too much to the readers guessing) it is an interestingly told story and a fine diversion.

I will admit that I am probably being much harder on Ms. Gregory than is warranted due to academic training. I did enjoy the book and think others will too. ( )

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Elizabeth Woodville was born little more than a commoner, but by virtue of her beauty alone she became Queen of England, beloved by her husband the king, feared by her enemies and grudgingly admired by her people: a true historical Cinderella. Set against the dramatic and brutal backdrop of one of the longest wars in history, the War of the Roses, this first installment in acclaimed historical fiction writer Philippa Gregory’s new series The Cousins War explores the life of this extraordinary woman and one of the most famous mysteries in English history: the Princes in the Tower.

While my personal favorite of Gregory’s remains The Other Boleyn Girl for sheer intrigue and powerful plotting, The White Queen is an extraordinary tour-de-force that blends history with fiction so seamlessly that it’s hard to imagine a more engaging and interesting read about this period. It’s especially nice to see the author leaving the Tudor period for awhile and turning her considerable talents to a little-explored region of English history that is as fascinating as it is confusing.

However, as something of a Tudor scholar myself, I continue to struggle with Gregory’s boldness in rearranging history to tell a good story. They are indeed excellent stories, and she makes good cases for more controversial historical theories, but it certainly isn’t a history lesson. I began to cringe at the constant repetition of the witchcraft themes in this novel—and while the story of Melusina was certainly fascinating and important to Elizabeth’s character, it gets old, too. In a way, they’re almost more historical fantasy than historical fiction, despite the author’s meticulous research.

All in all, this novel is like watching a train wreck. You know it won’t end happily, and that every time of peace and quiet is merely the calm before the storm; which gives it a depressing air that can be exhausting at times. But truly, it’s hard to imagine a better tribute to a beautiful and powerful woman so often neglected in history books. Her character brims with life from the first page, from her love for her children (including the doomed Princes) to her stubborn refusal to give up her crown; and I imagine that in the end what I felt was similar to what England felt: awe at the risks she took and pity at how much she lost.

The Final Verdict: A stunning work of fiction that approaches The Other Boleyn Girl in intensity, despite some deviancy from historical accuracy. ( )

After taking us through the lives of more Tudors than I care to remember, Gregory’s latest novel deals with the earlier Plantagenet family during The Cousins’ War, more commonly referred to as The War of the Roses. In this, the first in a new series, we see how Elizabeth Woodville, a widow of the House of Lancaster, becomes Queen of the House of York: their White Queen. Elizabeth is beautiful, determined and aided by her mother’s skills with witchcraft, but even she cannot stop the war around her; as long as there other claimants to her husband’s throne there will be no peace in England.

'The White Queen', like all of Gregory’s novels, focuses on a particularly compelling section of English history and manages to bring the dangerous but vivacious atmosphere of Court to life. This is an historical intrigue that has it all; love, sex, death, wealth, betrayal, witchcraft and exile all feature in the novel. Surprisingly, the plot is not overwhelmed by the diversity of these themes; instead Gregory manages to illustrate how fantastical the life of royalty was in the fifteenth century. Indeed, this is a period in history that I knew little about and I waited expectantly for the Princes in the Tower subplot to emerge (thank you Shakespeare!), I was not disappointed. Gregory managed to maintain tension, even when you knew what was about to happen, and her own take on the mysterious disappearances of the two young royals seemed a valid reinterpretation of a clearly unknowable event. Equally, the witchcraft sections of the novel, mainly involving Elizabeth and her mother Jacquetta, were also written in a generally understated way. This meant that the witchcraft sections were both believable and ambiguous, leaving us to wonder at the end of the novel whether Elizabeth’s and Jacquetta’s actions truly affected the future.

Occasionally the writing is a little repetitive, and the almost constant description Elizabeth’s locket often brought me back to reality abruptly. Another distraction, but not entirely Gregory’s fault, is the difficulty in keeping a handle of the many Richards and Edwards galloping about the novel. However, unlike others who have complained about Gregory’s use of modern language, spellings and other ‘slip-ups’ I found that instead of being a hindrance to the plot they worked well to allow a modern reader to relate to the characters easily. The main problem though is not repetitive writing or characters with the same name, but the sad fact that 'The White Queen' simply does not have the same sex appeal as her other novels. While some of them are positively scorching, 'The White Queen' can barely muster a fizzle. Luckily this does not make the relationship between Elizabeth and Edward unbelievable, but simply makes it less exciting!

Overall, despite these few niggling problems that I’m sure many people will be unable to see past, 'The White Queen' is an enjoyable read. Fans of Gregory and historical romance will appreciate it, even though there are better Gregory books available. 'The White Queen' is an exciting and engaging historical romp that will certainly be good enough as a break between hefty textbooks. ( )

Elizabeth Woodville is young, beautiful, and a widow with two small boys when she plans to petition the newly crowned King Edward to get her lands back from her former mother-in-law. She waits patiently with her two boys by the side of the road knowing he will pass by with his army. While the Woodvilles fought on the side of Henry, Edward's cousin and now defeated king of England, she has hopes that her beauty will make him stop and help her.

The two fall in love, marry in secret, and wait for Edward to secure his crown before announcing the marriage. Elizabeth is a commoner and the marriage is not popular with the King's counselors who do all they can to convince him to leave her. He doesn't and the two begin building strong alliances by marrying off every supporter, brother, sister, and friend to anyone they see as a future problem. In the end, the war they fought so hard to end, never does. After Edward's death, the world Elizabeth knows is gone but she keeps fighting wanting to continue and secure the Plantagenet line that she and Edward worked so hard to protect.

This is the first Philippa Gregory book I've read. I love historical fiction but somehow I've managed to pass her over. I picked this one up with very high hopes. I won't say the hopes were dashed, but it may be a while before I read another.

I liked the time period, I liked the royals fighting, I liked the court, and I liked the characters. Edward and Elizabeth had good chemistry and the court intrigue was really interesting but there was something that was holding me back from really liking it and I think it was the magical element to the story. It felt silly and contrived to me. I usually like the fantasy, magic, and witchcraft additions to a story but here it didn't work for me. I vaguely remember reading that either Elizabeth or her mother were accused of witchcraft and I understand the need to include it in the story but I couldn't get into it here.

I almost put this book down a few times but I decided to finish it and I'm glad I did. Gregory's writing style can pull you in and in a few places I felt I was really liking the book and then the queen and her mother would get to cursing someone and I quickly backed away again. I don't know what it was here but in a few months time I think I will give her another chance. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. I have liked her fiction on the tudors and it was nice to look at another part of our history. Elizabeth is a really strong character and the mysteries of the time are still not resolved. ( )