"The White Queen"

As a fan of historical fiction, I have read most of Philippa Gregory's novels. I loved The Other Boleyn Girl and The Queen's Fool and enjoyed her other novels to varying degrees. When I saw that she had written a new novel, I picked up at the library without even knowing what it was about. At home, I was surprised to see that she is writing a new series of novels set during the War of the Roses rather than the Tudor era. I didn't know much about that time period, so I dove right in.

The White Queen is about Elizabeth Woodville Grey, loyal to the Lancaster house, who finds herself smitten with, and then later married to, the Yorkist King Edward IV. The book continues with the Lancastrian King Henry trying to regain his throne, and King Edward's two brothers, George & Richard, planning to take the throne for themselves.

Even though the title of the book is The White Queen, I found this book to be more about what a man has to do to hold on to his power and less about what a woman has to sacrifice to gain power (a common Philippa Gregory theme). I found the workings of the court fascinating, and it amazed me how quickly loyalties can change in order to stay close to those in power. The reviews on Amazon for this book were mediocre, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked hearing more about the men and the battles, and enjoyed the mystical twist to the book due to Elizabeth's ancestress, the French water goddess. I also enjoyed learning about the mystery of the two princes who disappeared in the Tower, and found Gregory's explanation quite plausible.