The Lady Of The Rivers by Philippa Gregory

Title: The Lady Of The Rivers

Author: Philippa Gregory

Released: September 2011

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 nineteen she took the extraordinary risk of marrying a gentleman of her house-hold for love, and then carved out a life for herself as Queen Margaret of Anjou's close friend and a Lancaster supporter - until the day that her daughter Elizabeth Woodville fell in love and married the rival king Edward IV. Of all the little-known but important women of the period, her dramatic story is the most neglected. With her links to Melusina, and to the founder of the house of Luxembourg, together with her reputation for making magic, she is the most haunting of heroines.

Rating: 5 Stars

Positives: As always Philippa Gregory has managed to recreate historical England perfectly. We are drawn straight into Jacquetta's life and the tumultuous politics of England as the Lancasters and Yorkists do battle. Even if you don't know much of the politics at this time, they are portrayed easily enough in this book that you can get to grips with what is going on. 

For me Philippa Gregory's novels always hold that little bit extra as I'm very distantly descended from Jacquetta myself, so for me this was the perfect novel to give me some insight into my ancestors. Of course this is a fictional account, but the author is known for always doing her research around her subject. 

The characters themselves are extremely loveable, and I always found myself worrying for Richard Woodville's safety every time he was sent into battle. The only character who I absolutely despised was Margaret of Anjou, the moment her name was first mentioned alarm bells started ringing in my head. She was a vile character, albeit with a softer side at times, and I think she was captured perfectly. 

Negatives: I can't say I have many bones to pick with this book. I think my only thing is that I would have liked to have seen more of Jacquetta's gifts, but I do have to accept that in 15th century England they are something that would have been well hidden. 

Would I recommend this book? Yes I would. I already recommended it to a friend after only five chapters, and now having read the whole thing I definitely think it is an excellent read.