Audiobook Review: The White Princess by Philippa Gregory

Title:  The White Princess

Author:  Philippa Gregory

Narrator:  Bianca Amato

Unabridged Length:  19 hrs, 5 mn.

Here is a summary of the book from the publisher's website:
Philippa Gregory, #1 New York Times best­selling author and “the queen of royal fiction” (USA Today), presents the latest Cousins’ War novel, the remarkable story of Elizabeth of York, daughter of the White Queen.

When Henry Tudor picks up the crown of England from the mud of Bosworth field, he knows he must marry the princess of the enemy house—Elizabeth of York—to unify a country divided by war for nearly two decades.

But his bride is still in love with his slain enemy, Richard III—and her mother and half of England dream of a missing heir, sent into the unknown by the White Queen. While the new monarchy can win power, it cannot win hearts in an England that plots for the triumphant return of the House of York.

Henry’s greatest fear is that somewhere a prince is waiting to invade and reclaim the throne. When a young man who would be king leads his army and invades England, Elizabeth has to choose between the new husband she is coming to love and the boy who claims to be her beloved lost brother: the rose of York come home at last.

My Review: 
When starting another Gregory audiobook narrated by Bianca Amato, it is like welcoming an old friend back into my life for awhile.  She truly has a way of embracing the characters and bringing them to life.  The story of young Elizabeth was no different, as we find ourselves wishing the best for the young woman who has so many odds stacked against her.

We learn early on of the love affair Elizabeth had with the late Richard III, and realize that her marriage to Henry is a political move to appease her parents.  Henry has fought against everything Elizabeth held dear, her father, family, and even her lover.  He, in some way, is responsible for all of their deaths, but in order to secure his crown, Henry did what needed to be done.

Now that Henry has the crown and a beautiful bride at his side, one would think that he would not feel the threat of betrayal.  But that is not the case, especially with his mother Margaret dictating his every move and somehow controlling his thoughts.  When the possibility of a York heir returning to England arises, everything Henry and his mother have worked for could be lost.  

This was a very passionate novel as Elizabeth pines for her lost love, but then also embraces the open arms of her new king and husband.   Just when she thinks there may be hope for a real relationship with her husband, his mother intercedes, reminding him what is at stake.  Since Elizabeth is a York heir herself, her motives can never be trusted.

I think this review sums up the novel pretty good and overall it was an enjoyable experience.  With themes of love, honor, family, and royalty, you may enjoy this book as much as I did.  I don't hesitate in recommending this novel for either personal leisure or as a book club selection.

My Rating:  4/5

Disclosure:  This audiobook was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Audiobook Review: The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

Title:  The Lady of the Rivers

Author:  Philippa Gregory

Narrator:  Bianca Amato

Unabridged Length:  19 hrs, 11 mn.

Here is a summary of the book from the Goodreads website: 
Jacquetta, daughter of the Count of Luxembourg and kinswoman to half the royalty of Europe, was married to the great Englishman John, Duke of Bedford, uncle to Henry VI. Widowed at the age of 19, she took the extraordinary risk of marrying a gentleman of her household for love, and then carved out a new life for herself.

My Review:   
I have been listening to this series of books on audio, and let me tell you, I am so glad that I have chosen this method.  Amata has done most of the narrating in the series so far and she doesn't fail to nail the characters every time!  You get a glimpse of Jacquetta in previous installments so it was interesting to see things from her point of view this time.

When Jacquetta is just a young girl, one of her aunts sees a special gift in her.  A mysterious gift that has been attained by many females in the family.  Jacquetta will spend years learning to harness her powers to help herself and her entire family.  Although the book touched on this subject it wasn't overwhelming as it really was a small but important element of the story.  It did help to clarify events from the previous installments though.

From the previous books I had labeled Jacquetta to be a heartless and cruel woman, but this novel proved her to be the exact opposite.  She was a passionate woman who would do anything to protect those she loves.  And the love she declared for her mate was proved countless times, with the many children they had together.  

Although this is part of a series, I think this book would also be fine as a stand alone novel.  I did enjoy this audiobook, but it probably is my least favorite so far, but maybe that's because Jacquetta is my least favorite character!  With themes of love, family, and war, you may enjoy this book just as much, if not more, than I did.  I recommend this novel for either personal leisure or as a book club selection.

My Rating:  3/5

Disclosure:  I borrowed this audiobook from the local library to read for my own entertainment.

Audiobook Review: The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

Title:  The Red Queen

Author:  Philippa Gregory

Narrator:  Bianca Amata

Unabridged Length:  12 hrs, 23 mn.







Here is a summary of the novel from the publisher's website:

Believing that her piety and lineage has destined her for greatness beyond her ordinary looks and expedient marriage, Margaret Beaufort is determined to see her son Henry on the throne of England—regardless of the cost. And after constant battles kill any other claimants, the little boy is the last Lancaster male to bear a claim to the throne.

Sending her son out of the country to keep him safe and betrothing him to her enemy Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s daughter, Margaret feigns loyalty to King Richard III and marries one of his faithful supporters—all while laying secret plans for the battle between the houses of York and Lancaster that will see her son the King of England.

When King Richard’s only son dies, Margaret launches her plan with a deadly command that strikes to the heart of the White Queen. Henry Tudor invades from France and with the support of Margaret’s husband, defeats the King’s army, gaining the throne and sealing his marriage to the White Rose princess. The ultimate triumph belongs to Lady Margaret; she has founded the greatest dynasty that England will ever know: the Tudors.

My Review:
Amato brings to life yet another of Gregory's characters as we follow the life of Margaret Beaufort.  Ever since Margaret was a young girl she felt that the Lord has given her a special calling.  Her plans are thrown into turmoil when her hand is promised in marriage to a Tudor.  This puts Margaret on a new path as she fulfills her wifely duties, resulting in the birth of young Henry.

Margaret barely survives the experience of childbirth, but after Henry is born she feels the Lord has given her a new calling--To raise and prepare young Henry for the throne.  Even when she finds herself a widow at an early age, she must make decisions that will advance her son Henry to the throne, even if her personal life must suffer.

I love that this novel takes place during the same time period as The White Queen, but from another perspective.  This makes you think back to the first installment, recalling who was blamed for specific attacks, realizing who truly was responsible.

Besides Amato narrating the majority of the book, there was also a male narrator reading the war scenes.  I found this a very nice change and brought these parts of the story more to life for me.  Unfortunately, I'm not sure who the male narrator was, as I found multiple names on-line listing male narrators.

I'm glad I listened to this segment before starting to watch The White Queen on Starz.  The series is based on The White Queen, The Red Queen, and The Kingmaker's Daughters.  Luckily these are the only ones in the series I have listened to so far, but I do plan on completing the series.  I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook and with themes of war, royalty, and destiny, you may enjoy this one as much as I did.  I highly recommend this novel for either personal leisure or as a book club selection.

My Rating:  4/5

Disclosure:  I borrowed this audiobook from the local library to listen for my own entertainment. 

Audiobook Review: The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

Title:  The White Queen

Author:  Philippa Gregory

Narrator:  Bianca Amato.

Abridged Length: Aprox. 6 hrs

Here is a summary of the novel from the Goodreads website:


Brother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize, the throne of England, in this dazzling account of the wars of the Plantagenets. They are the claimants and kings who ruled England before the Tudors, and now Philippa Gregory brings them to life through the dramatic and intimate stories of the secret players: the indomitable women, starting with Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen.

The White Queen tells the story of a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition who, catching the eye of the newly crowned boy king, marries him in secret and ascends to royalty. While Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for the success of her family, her two sons become central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the missing princes in the Tower of London whose fate is still unknown. From her uniquely qualified perspective, Philippa Gregory explores this most famous unsolved mystery of English history, informed by impeccable research and framed by her inimitable storytelling skills.

With The White Queen, Philippa Gregory brings the artistry and intellect of a master writer and storyteller to a new era in history and begins what is sure to be another bestselling classic series from this beloved author.
 
My Review:
First of all, let me say I have been burned by the abridged audiobook once again. I requested this book from the local library, picked it up and listened to the entire thing.  It wasn't until I started preparing this post for review that I found the audiobook narrated by Bianca Amato (who was wonderful by the way) was the abridged version.  The unabridged version is actually about 15 hours, and I have to admit that I kind of felt violated in a way.  I didn't even hear half of the story!  Well that's enough of my whining.  I will try to put some thoughts together regarding the abridged version.

Since I listened to The Kingmaker's Daughter first, I already knew the premise of this story, but I got to hear it from the opposing viewpoint this time.  Elizabeth Woodville is the voice of this story and Amato did a fabulous job of taking on her character through narration of the abridged version.  Woodville is a widow with children from her first husband, but that doesn't prevent Edward from becoming enamored with her.  Although rumors spread that a spell was cast on the young man who would one day be king, and it was interesting to read rumors weren't so far from the truth.

The parts of the story about witchcraft were interesting, but I think would have been more enjoyable in the unabridged version.  Many of the events that were blamed on witchcraft in The Kingmaker's Daughter were addressed in this novel.  When I first heard the accusations in the Kingmaker's Daughter I thought they were just silly fears, but when listening to the same events from The White Queen, these events became chilling.

We watch Woodville rise as she becomes queen, and then we see her throne ripped away from her.  She is blessed with many children, from both her first marriage and Edward, but we feel her sorrow when many of her and Edward's children die from sickness or murder.  It was a dangerous life for the children of royalty and they had to go to great lengths for the children's well-being.

This was a great book to listen to and I recall thinking that I wanted to hear more throughout most of it.  Now I know why!  With themes of magic, royalty, and love, this may be a novel you would enjoy also.  I don't hesitate in recommending the abridged version, but I sure do long to hear the unabridged version as well.

My Rating:  4/5

Disclosure:  I borrowed this audiobook from the local library to listen for my own entertainment.

Audiobook Review: The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory

Title:  The Kingmaker's Daughter

Author:  Philippa Gregory

Narrator:  Bianca Amato

Unabridged Length:  15 hrs, 7 mn.


Here is a summary of the novel from the Simon and Schuster website:

The Kingmaker’s Daughter is the gripping and ultimately tragic story of the daughters of the man known as the “Kingmaker,” the most powerful magnate in England through the Cousins’ Wars. In the absence of a son and heir, he uses the two girls as pawns in his political games, but they grow up to be influential players in their own right. In this novel, her first sister story since The Other Boleyn Girl, Gregory explores the lives of two fascinating young women.

At the court of Edward IV and his beautiful queen, Elizabeth Woodville, Anne grows from a delightful child brought up in intimacy and friendship with the family of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, to become ever more fearful and desperate when her father makes war on his former friends. Her will is tested when she is left widowed and fatherless, with her mother in sanctuary and her sister married to the enemy. Fortune’s wheel turns again when Richard rescues Anne from her sister’s house, with danger still following Anne, even as she eventually ascends to the throne as queen. Having lost those closest to her, she must protect herself and her precious only child, Prince Edward, from a court full of royal rivals.

My Review:
I have to admit that I was hesitant to listen to this historical fiction novel after the last one totally missed the mark with me.  Not so with The Kingmaker's Daughter by Gregory!  I absolutely loved this novel and the narrator, Bianca Amato, gave me a vivid picture of our heroine Anne, by embracing her character in every way.

The story opens with Anne and Isabel as young girls, clueless as to what their father has planned for their futures.  Their father, Richard Neville, is a politically powerful man, who decides the fate of the individual that will sit on the throne.  Not only has he put men on the throne, but he has been responsible for removing kings from the throne as well.

As the girls get older they have the opportunity to visit the court of King Edward and Queen Elizabeth.  Anne is fascinated by the beauty of the Queen, admitting that she has never set eyes on anyone more beautiful.  When Anne and Isabel decline the Queen's offer to join her court as maids in waiting, the Queen develops an anger for these two girls that will continue for the the rest of their lives.

When Isabel marries King Edward's brother, George, the Queen dislikes the girls even more, knowing that if anything were to happen to Edward, Isabel and George could take over the throne.  Isabel develops a fear towards the Queen when she convinces herself that both the Queen and the Queen's mother know how to practice witchcraft and they probably put a curse on both herself and Anne.  Anne tries to discount Isabel's claims, but eventually these thoughts will consume her also.

After all the political struggles between several countries, Anne finds herself married to the King's younger brother, Richard, who she hoped to marry years before but the Queen would not allow it.  I cheered when Anne was finally going to have a bit of happiness in her life.  It doesn't take long after their marriage, for the Queen to self-destruct and lose her position on the throne, leaving Anne and Richard as the King and Queen of England.

I didn't realize that this is the fourth novel in the series until after I had started it.  I did not feel lost in the novel because of this, but it does make me want to read the other books that precede this one.  This novel contains so much more than what I have listed above.  Anne and Isabel's sisterly relationship is compromised at one point, and it is a hard journey for them to find their way back to one another.  With themes of sisters, love, power, and loyalty this was an amazing novel to listen to and I highly recommend it!

My Rating:  5/5

Disclosure:  This audiobook was provided to me by the publisher through Audiobook Jukebox in exchange for an honest review.