About the book:
THWARTED QUEEN is a portrait of a woman trapped by power, a marriage undone by betrayal, and a King brought down by fear.
Cecylee is the apple of her mother’s eye. The seventh daughter, she is the only one left unmarried by 1424, the year she turns nine. In her father’s eyes, however, she is merely a valuable pawn in the game of marriage. The Earl of Westmorland plans to marry his youngest daughter to 13-year-old Richard, Duke of York, who is close to the throne. He wants this splendid match to take place so badly, he locks his daughter up.
The event that fuels the narrative is Cecylee’s encounter with Blaybourne, a handsome archer, when she is twenty-six years old. This love affair produces a child (the “One Seed” of Book II), who becomes King Edward IV. But how does a public figure like Cecylee, whose position depends upon the goodwill of her husband, carry off such an affair? The duke could have locked her up, or disposed of this illegitimate son.
But Richard does neither, keeping her firmly by his side as he tries to make his voice heard in the tumultuous years that encompass the end of the Hundred Years War – during which England loses all of her possessions in France – and the opening phase of the Wars of the Roses. He inherits the political mantle of his mentor Duke Humphrey of Gloucester, and become’s the people’s champion. The rambunctious Londoners are unhappy that their country has become mired in misrule due to the ineptitude of a King prone to fits of madness. Nor are they better pleased by the attempts of the King’s French wife to maneuver herself into power, especially as she was responsible for England’s losses in France. But can Richard and Cecylee prevail? Everywhere, their enemies lurk in the shadows.
This book is filled with many voices, not least those of the Londoners, who forged their political destiny by engaging in public debate with the powerful aristocrats of the time. By their courageous acts, these fifteenth-century Londoners set the stage for American Democracy.
My Review:
I really enjoyed reading this book about Cecylee, a fascinating woman who lived during such a turbulent time in history. I appreciated how Haggard made Cecylee a believable character with both strengths and weaknesses. I may not have agreed with all of the decisions that she made in her life, but there is no denying she was a strong, intelligent woman who fought for family. I actually enjoyed the first part of the book the most because it was in these pages we really got to know Cecylee and the things that were important to her.
The second part of the book was not as good for me. I felt like a lot of it was just a list of all of the events that happened in those years and how the different sides fighting for power either won or lost. There did not seem to be as much of a connection with the characters. By the end so many people were losing their lives in this power struggle and there seemed to be little emotional response by any one to all of the lives lost.
Even with the problems I had with the book at the end, it was still a worthwhile read. Cecylee was fascinating to read about and I learned a lot more about this bitter feud for power during this time. If you are a fan of history about the Wars of the Roses, you will enjoy all of the characters and history that are included in this book.
My rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5
About the author:
Born and raised in Surrey, England, CYNTHIA SALLY HAGGARD has lived in the United States for twenty-nine years. She has had four careers: violinist, cognitive scientist, medical writer and novelist. Why does she write historical novels? Because she has been reading them with great enjoyment since she was a child. Because she has a great imagination and a love of history that won’t go away. And because she has an annoying tendency to remember trivial details of the past and to treat long-dead people as if they were more real than those around her.
Cynthia’s biggest influence was her grandmother, Stephanie Treffry, who had a natural story-telling ability. As a widow in 1970s Britain, Grandma Stephanie didn’t drive a car, so would spend time waiting for buses. Her stories were about various encounters she had at those bus-stops. Nothing extraordinary, except that she made them so funny, everyone was in fits of laughter. A born entertainer, Cynthia tries to emulate her when she writes her novels.
The rest of the tour can be found here.
Cecylee is the apple of her mother’s eye. The seventh daughter, she is the only one left unmarried by 1424, the year she turns nine. In her father’s eyes, however, she is merely a valuable pawn in the game of marriage. The Earl of Westmorland plans to marry his youngest daughter to 13-year-old Richard, Duke of York, who is close to the throne. He wants this splendid match to take place so badly, he locks his daughter up.
The event that fuels the narrative is Cecylee’s encounter with Blaybourne, a handsome archer, when she is twenty-six years old. This love affair produces a child (the “One Seed” of Book II), who becomes King Edward IV. But how does a public figure like Cecylee, whose position depends upon the goodwill of her husband, carry off such an affair? The duke could have locked her up, or disposed of this illegitimate son.
But Richard does neither, keeping her firmly by his side as he tries to make his voice heard in the tumultuous years that encompass the end of the Hundred Years War – during which England loses all of her possessions in France – and the opening phase of the Wars of the Roses. He inherits the political mantle of his mentor Duke Humphrey of Gloucester, and become’s the people’s champion. The rambunctious Londoners are unhappy that their country has become mired in misrule due to the ineptitude of a King prone to fits of madness. Nor are they better pleased by the attempts of the King’s French wife to maneuver herself into power, especially as she was responsible for England’s losses in France. But can Richard and Cecylee prevail? Everywhere, their enemies lurk in the shadows.
This book is filled with many voices, not least those of the Londoners, who forged their political destiny by engaging in public debate with the powerful aristocrats of the time. By their courageous acts, these fifteenth-century Londoners set the stage for American Democracy.
My Review:
I really enjoyed reading this book about Cecylee, a fascinating woman who lived during such a turbulent time in history. I appreciated how Haggard made Cecylee a believable character with both strengths and weaknesses. I may not have agreed with all of the decisions that she made in her life, but there is no denying she was a strong, intelligent woman who fought for family. I actually enjoyed the first part of the book the most because it was in these pages we really got to know Cecylee and the things that were important to her.
The second part of the book was not as good for me. I felt like a lot of it was just a list of all of the events that happened in those years and how the different sides fighting for power either won or lost. There did not seem to be as much of a connection with the characters. By the end so many people were losing their lives in this power struggle and there seemed to be little emotional response by any one to all of the lives lost.
Even with the problems I had with the book at the end, it was still a worthwhile read. Cecylee was fascinating to read about and I learned a lot more about this bitter feud for power during this time. If you are a fan of history about the Wars of the Roses, you will enjoy all of the characters and history that are included in this book.
My rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5
About the author:
Born and raised in Surrey, England, CYNTHIA SALLY HAGGARD has lived in the United States for twenty-nine years. She has had four careers: violinist, cognitive scientist, medical writer and novelist. Why does she write historical novels? Because she has been reading them with great enjoyment since she was a child. Because she has a great imagination and a love of history that won’t go away. And because she has an annoying tendency to remember trivial details of the past and to treat long-dead people as if they were more real than those around her.
Cynthia’s biggest influence was her grandmother, Stephanie Treffry, who had a natural story-telling ability. As a widow in 1970s Britain, Grandma Stephanie didn’t drive a car, so would spend time waiting for buses. Her stories were about various encounters she had at those bus-stops. Nothing extraordinary, except that she made them so funny, everyone was in fits of laughter. A born entertainer, Cynthia tries to emulate her when she writes her novels.
The rest of the tour can be found here.
Posts
It sounds like a good book, but historical isn't really my thing, especially when there is a lot going on. If it focuses around one event that's better for me.
ReplyDeleteYou always find great historical fiction! I do find the Wars of the Roses endlessly intriguing so I may have to pic up a copy of this book. Thanks for the great review!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read a historical fiction like this one in awhile. Great review! I'm glad you enjoyed it, despite the issues you had with it.
ReplyDeleteI'm encouraged to know that you enjoyed the book. I've finished with the first part of the novel and I can't say that it's working for me up until this point. I've read a lot of Wars of the Roses-era historical fiction and it is one of my favourite time periods in history so my expectations for books set in this era are pretty high.
ReplyDeleteSounds good, even though the end went downhill a bit. Great post.
ReplyDeleteI'm about 2/3 of the way through this book. I'm having some of the same feelings as you...
ReplyDelete