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Book - The Women of the Cousins’ War
Oct. 20th, 2012 11:16 am.
I’m not particularly interested in reading the Cousins’ War novels, but I thought I might get this, which purports to be the research behind the novels. Does anyone have any thoughts on whether it’s worth reading?
In particular, the phrase “...the extraordinary 'true' stories...” makes me wonder how much of the book is informed extrapolation and how much sheer fantasy.
I was highly amused to note the following differences between the synopses at Amazon and The Book People:
The Book People
Esteemed historians Philippa Gregory, David Baldwin and Michael Jones have combined to write The Women of the Cousins' War: The Duchess, the Queen and the King's Mother - a book that contains three biographical essays. The book covers the lives of Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beufort and Jacquetta (Lady Rivers) and gives readers the extraordinary 'true' stories of the life of these women who have now largely been forgotten by history. It considers their background and times and highlights the questions raised in fiction and in Philippa's successful Cousins' War novels about each lady. Beautifully illustrated, she writes revealingly about the differences between history and fiction and examines the gaps in the historical record.
Amazon
Philippa Gregory and two historians, leading experts in their field who helped Philippa to research the novels, tell the extraordinary 'true' stories of the life of these women who until now have been largely forgotten by history, their background and times, highlighting questions which are raised in the fiction and illuminating the novels. With a foreword by Philippa Gregory - in which Philippa writes revealingly about the differences between history and fiction and examines the gaps in the historical record - and beautifully illustrated with rare portraits, The Women of the Cousins' War is an exciting new addition to the Philippa Gregory oeuvre.
I’m not particularly interested in reading the Cousins’ War novels, but I thought I might get this, which purports to be the research behind the novels. Does anyone have any thoughts on whether it’s worth reading?
In particular, the phrase “...the extraordinary 'true' stories...” makes me wonder how much of the book is informed extrapolation and how much sheer fantasy.
I was highly amused to note the following differences between the synopses at Amazon and The Book People:
The Book People
Esteemed historians Philippa Gregory, David Baldwin and Michael Jones have combined to write The Women of the Cousins' War: The Duchess, the Queen and the King's Mother - a book that contains three biographical essays. The book covers the lives of Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beufort and Jacquetta (Lady Rivers) and gives readers the extraordinary 'true' stories of the life of these women who have now largely been forgotten by history. It considers their background and times and highlights the questions raised in fiction and in Philippa's successful Cousins' War novels about each lady. Beautifully illustrated, she writes revealingly about the differences between history and fiction and examines the gaps in the historical record.
Amazon
Philippa Gregory and two historians, leading experts in their field who helped Philippa to research the novels, tell the extraordinary 'true' stories of the life of these women who until now have been largely forgotten by history, their background and times, highlighting questions which are raised in the fiction and illuminating the novels. With a foreword by Philippa Gregory - in which Philippa writes revealingly about the differences between history and fiction and examines the gaps in the historical record - and beautifully illustrated with rare portraits, The Women of the Cousins' War is an exciting new addition to the Philippa Gregory oeuvre.
