The Lady of The Rivers

This is another of Philippa Gregory's Cousin's War series (about the Wars of the Roses) and it does not disappoint. This novel tells the story of Jacquetta, who is Elizabeth Woodville's mother (Elizabeth's story is told in The White Queen). Jacquetta is a young French beauty who marries the much older Duke of Bedford, but upon his untimely death she stoops to marry her true love, Bedford's squire Richard Woodville. Jacquetta and Richard become close friends to King Henry VI and his Queen Margaret d'Anjou.

Of course that's not all there is to the story. Jacquetta is a descendant of the goddess Melusina and may or may not have the Sight. She and Richard survive a great deal with the upheaval and turmoil surrounding the early days of the Wars of the Roses. Henry VI and Margaret are incompetent rulers at best, murderous despots at worst, so there's a lot to be said for just surviving in those days.

Gregory once again shows that she is a true scholar, creating a fascinating story about a woman who, though she certainly played a pivotal role in British history, was a mere footnote in the history books. Obviously there is fictionalization, but the bones of the story are factual, which makes the fiction just that much more enjoyable.

The Lady of the Rivers