Ana reviewed The White Queen by Philippa Gregory (The Cousins' War, #1)
Review of 'The White Queen' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
I have a hard time describing my feelings about The White Queen.
When I first started reading the book, I didn't think it was good. The writing style felt a bit different at first, but I enjoyed the imagined scenes of Edward and Elizabeth's relationship. The romance was a bit fairytale, but I could look past that, and I could dismiss the reeling in of the ring as superstition.
Gregory then begins skipping ahead, providing us with only a few short pages before skipping ahead again. Though I understand there are fewer sources from this period than from the Tudor times, shouldn't a good writer fill in the gaps and develop their characters instead of rushing ahead to the subsequent dramatic development? It feels like Edward is just riding off to the subsequent rebellion all the time: Gregory covers the same ground repeatedly, cutting out huge chunks of what is …
I have a hard time describing my feelings about The White Queen.
When I first started reading the book, I didn't think it was good. The writing style felt a bit different at first, but I enjoyed the imagined scenes of Edward and Elizabeth's relationship. The romance was a bit fairytale, but I could look past that, and I could dismiss the reeling in of the ring as superstition.
Gregory then begins skipping ahead, providing us with only a few short pages before skipping ahead again. Though I understand there are fewer sources from this period than from the Tudor times, shouldn't a good writer fill in the gaps and develop their characters instead of rushing ahead to the subsequent dramatic development? It feels like Edward is just riding off to the subsequent rebellion all the time: Gregory covers the same ground repeatedly, cutting out huge chunks of what is happening.
It was also difficult for me to get into the whole witchcraft angle. You shouldn't call it historical fiction if you're going to include curses and supernatural events. That is pure fantasy. It wasn't even cleverly used.
There is also the problem of not being able to keep track of who is who with White Queen. Everyone is named Richard, Edward, or Elizabeth. It should be noted that Gregory introduces us to many characters with the same name; in fact, there were other names in the 16th century.
Also, there are many court dramas that don't exist. This would have been more enjoyable if it dealt with a shorter time period and we had more time to grow attached to the characters. There isn't much information about the people or how their lives are. There are vague descriptions of who is fighting whom, who is marrying whom, and the political implications. There was a lot of drama and action, but I was bored.
This book and its predecessor have lost my interest despite my fascination with this period of history. There was a lot more going on at the French court.
The book feels rushed and hasty, with big chunks missing from the story. A fairytale romance between Edward and Elizabeth quickly deteriorates into repetitive goodbyes. A lack of story plot and too many characters with the same name kills my interest in this book.