An epic feminist retelling of the War of the Roses

I'm not sure how an author can take a subject they are obviously passionate about, dedicate themselves to years of research, and then somehow kill the story in the telling - but Annie Garthwaite managed just that with her debut novel. I will admit that the 1500s are not my favourite historical era, and I knew next to nothing about Cecily and Richard of York, yet I found the Wikipedia pages about both more compelling than this fictional account. The strange combination of third person present tense narrative voice somehow deprived Cecily of telling her own story while also cutting the reader out of key historical events - when the battle with Queen Marguerite and Edward Beaufort kicked off, the action was relayed via correspondence. And Cecily spent most of the time having babies, which is accurate - she had twelve children, seven living beyond infancy - but horrendously dull to read about. And she was 'a natural mother', was she? Only to her favourite son!

I admire the author for redressing the balance between matriarch Cecily and her more renowned son Richard III (of car park fame), but reading about 'idiot kings, French queens and rich men doing what they like' bored me senseless and nearly killed my reading mojo for the month. I am going to try Philippa Gregory's 'Cousins War' series, however, to see if a favourite author can bring the era to life for me! ( )

Cecily Neville was born the youngest daughter and married to a noble whose loyalty was in question. Son of A traitor, Richard is restored to the Dukedom of York and tasked by the king to govern France. However factions at court dislike Richard and soon the whiff of treachery haunts the family. Cecily is determined that her husband be allowed to continue to work for the crown but the Queen is a enemy and the King weak. When civil war looms, Cecily's family may pay a high price before they see glory.
As the mother of two kings and a pivotal early player in the Wars of the Roses Cecily has been sidelined for too long. In this book Garthwaite fictionalises her story but with enough research to ensure that this reads as a strong history book as well. It's a terrific tale that places a lot of the subsequent thirty years into perspective. ( )

Wife ● Mother ● Politician ● Traitor ● Fighter ● Survivor

Cecily! What a woman. Duchess of York, mother of 12 including two kings of England, and a feminist.

For this book Annie Garthwaite clearly carried out meticulous research to bring to life the story of Cecily's marriage to Richard, Duke of York, her life with him, and beyond that as the king's mother. I must admit to knowing nothing about her, and this period in history, the 1400s, is not one that I am as familiar with as some other periods. I came away thinking that Cecily was a woman way ahead of her time, a woman who knew when to go forward and when to hold back, and one who knew how to survive all that life threw at her.

These were dangerous times, when one moment you were on the winning side, the next about to lose your head. It's really hard to imagine living in those times but I was able to do so vicariously through the words in this book as the author immerses the reader in the heart of the action and in the bosom of Cecily's family.

There are a lot of characters to get to grips with and I must admit I struggled to keep track of who was who and their political leanings, especially in the early chapters. The family trees were really useful but I could probably have done with a list of the main players as well. However, the attention to detail and authenticity is really strong and each character has an important part to play. Cecily's story is a powerful and inspirational one, a feistier and cannier heroine you couldn't hope to meet, and Garthwaite has made quite the mark with her historical debut. ( )