The Red Queen | Hardback

Margaret Beaufort's only desire in life is for her son, Henry Tudor, to become the King of England. This book is the story of how she sacrificed everything to ensure that that happened.

She believed she was special and that the Lancaster House was blessed by God, she spends hours on her kness in prayer and her heroine was Joan of Arc, in fact she often asked herself 'What would Joan do now?' when she was faced with a tough decision.

"I am a highly intelligent, highly educated woman, from a royal family, called by God to great office, guided personally by the Maid, and constantly hearing the voice of God in my prayers."

It is narrated by Margaret who comes across as not very likeable, incredibly pious, very jealous of her rival, Elizabeth Woodville (The White Queen), single-minded and devious. Philippa Gregory has really brought her to life and I was gripped by the seemingly endless battles between the armies of the Lancaster and the Yorks, but Margaret never stopped… more »

Margaret Beaufort's only desire in life is for her son, Henry Tudor, to become the King of England. This book is the story of how she sacrificed everything to ensure that that happened.

She believed she was special and that the Lancaster House was blessed by God, she spends hours on her kness in prayer and her heroine was Joan of Arc, in fact she often asked herself 'What would Joan do now?' when she was faced with a tough decision.

"I am a highly intelligent, highly educated woman, from a royal family, called by God to great office, guided personally by the Maid, and constantly hearing the voice of God in my prayers."

It is narrated by Margaret who comes across as not very likeable, incredibly pious, very jealous of her rival, Elizabeth Woodville (The White Queen), single-minded and devious. Philippa Gregory has really brought her to life and I was gripped by the seemingly endless battles between the armies of the Lancaster and the Yorks, but Margaret never stopped hoping and plotting and scheming, even when her son had to be raised by her enemy she continued telling him that he was still a Lancaster and that one day he will be the King, and not to give up believing.

I enjoyed the first book in 'the cousins war' The White Queen but I enjoyed this even more, I thought the writing was more descriptive and flowed easier. Although I really didn't like the emotionally cold Margaret Beaufort I did admire her determination and self-belief.