- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: The History Press (Nov 1 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0752445634
- ISBN-13: 978-0752445632
- Product Dimensions: 19.3 x 12.4 x 2.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 295 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #425,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"'Lust, butchery and witchcraft... richly readable' THE OBSERVER, 'This book has mastered the bewildering shifts of power and concentration of allegiance of the period and made them an old-fashioned, close-packed good read... Few authors can capture the fifteenth-century so vividly' THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, 'A stirring story, told with great verve and a splendid feeling for history' WOMAN'S JOURNAL; 'With much dedication and with even more imagination Rosemary Hawley Jarman's version of the Wars of the Roses should intrigue all lovers of romantic historical fiction' THE EVENING STANDARD, 'A complicated tale, but an absorbing one, told with fine feeling for the beauty and the brutality, the pageantry and theunderlying squalor of fifteenth-century England' THE SCOTSMAN."
Book Description
The King's grey mare was Elizabeth Woodville, Queen and wife of Edward IV. Beautiful beyond belief, with unique silver-grey hair, she had once known joy of a marriage based on love—only to see it snatched away on the battlefield. Hardened and changed by grief, Elizabeth became the tool of her evil ambitious mother—the witch, Jaquetta of Bedford—who was determined that her daughter should sit on the throne of England. By trickery, deception, and witchcraft, Jaquetta's wish was fulfilled. But even a witch could not have known the tragedy which lay in store for the King's grey mare.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Elizabeth Woodville, witch or maligned by history?,
By
This review is from: The King's Grey Mare (Paperback)
Jarman recounts the life of Elizabeth Woodville, daughter of Richard Woodville, Earl Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxembourg. As a young girl she serves at the court of Henry VI as maid of honor to Marguerite d'Anjou until she meets and marries John Grey (a true love match according to the author) and bears two sons. When Grey is killed while fighting for the Lancastrians, Elizabeth's mother Jacquetta sets her sights on Edward IV and herein Jarman weaves the story of the Woodville's alleged sorcery and descent from Melusine as they drive Edward mad with lust that can only be slated with a wedding ring.The novel then moves on to known history, Elizabeth's marriage to Edward, her times in sanctuary, the infamous Jane Shore, Edward's death and the ascent of Richard III to the throne as through Titulus Regius Edward and Elizabeth's children are named illegitimate. After Richard is defeated at Bosworth the story then focuses more on Edward's illegitimate daughter, Grace Plantagenet, and her love/hate relationship with Elizabeth. This all sounded promising, even though the witchcraft and descent from Melusine are allegedly nothing but rumor and speculation. Unfortunately the author's over the top flowery prose and the "visions" and "dreams" not only didn't hold my attention, she flat out lost me at times and I couldn't follow what was going on. A minor quibble and not being a historian I can't say if its right or wrong, but the author had both Marguerite d'Anjou and Elizabeth (when Queen) addressed as "My Liege" instead of "Your Grace", or she switched between the two and that also kept throwing me out of the story. In the end, it's certainly not the worst book I've read on the period but then it's far from being the best either. Get it from the library if you must and then buy it if you love it. Three stars.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written but depressing historical fiction,
By Kelly (Fantasy Literature) (Columbia, MO United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The King's Grey Mare (Hardcover)
Elizabeth Woodville was the ambitious, much-maligned wife of King Edward IV, the mother of the little princes in the tower, and rumored to be a witch. Rosemary Hawley Jarman does a wonderful job of bringing this fascinating figure to life, even though all but the barest facts about her are lost to history.Jarman's Elizabeth is, at the beginning of the novel, an ordinary noble teenager of her times; sweet, passionate, but hot-headed. But when her first husband, whom she married for love, is killed in battle, she vows revenge and hardens her heart. With the help of her mother and Melusine, the ancestral spirit who haunts her family, Elizabeth brews up a plot to enchant the King of England and make her family the most powerful in the country. But her reign is cut short by the violent years of the Wars of the Roses, and suddenly Elizabeth is playing for her very survival. Intertwined with her story is that of King Edward's illegitimate daughter, Grace, who adores the icy Queen Elizabeth but loves one of her greatest enemies. This novel is a vivid depiction of the turbulent era of the Wars of the Roses. The writing is beautiful and descriptive, and I especially loved the little dash of the supernatural that Jarman adds to her brew. That said, I did have a little bit of trouble sticking to the course with this book, since it is very much a downer! Most of the characters are utterly unsympathetic (except Elizabeth as a young girl, and Grace who is sweet but a complete doormat most of the time), and almost nothing happy occurs in the entire book. This is NOT Jarman's fault--these were terrible times that brought out the worst in almost everybody--but it does make for a story that is often painful to read.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.3 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews) 36 of 38 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Jarman's best historical novel,
By strega2 "strega2" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The King's Grey Mare (Hardcover)
Jarman picks up the setting of her earlier "Crown in Candlelight," telling the story of the breathtakingly beautiful Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV, and grandmother of Henry VIII. Jarman's usual brilliance at weaving a written tapestry is everywhere in evidence. Elizabeth is the daughter of a powerful and none too scrupulous enchantress, who spins a complex web to further her family's fortunes, setting in motion a chain of events that help topple the Plantagenet dynasty and bring the Tudors to power. Elizabeth is the most complex and finely drawn of Jarman's fine characterizations, as she is caught up in the chaos of the War of the Roses that costs her her life's love and happiness. She is the mother of the 2 princes who died in the Tower, and this enduring historical mystery, as well as the supposed villainy of their uncle Richard III, is very believably and logically portrayed. Why is this wonderful novel out of print? Grab it if you ever see it--it is one of the finest historical novels around.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Anti-Elizabeth but still a great read!,
By ladyamythyst69 "amythyst69" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: King's Grey Mare (Hardcover)
Poor Elizabeth Woodville! Her character and role in history is plagued by the same problems as Richard III. It seems there is no grey area (forgive the pun!) - you are either pro-Elizabeth or anti-Elizabeth. The pro-Elizabeth faction (and I own to being in this category) is enchanted by the story of her romance and secret marriage to Edward IV. The mysterious death of her two sons in the Tower, the two periods in which she fled into sanctuary at Westminster and her daughter Elizabeth of York's marriage to Henry Tudor only add to the drama of her life. The anti-Elizabeth faction views her legendary beauty with suspicion (she must have ensnared the King into marriage through witchcraft!) and as a greedy woman who ruthlessly promoted the interest of her numerous relatives thus adding to the tensions which led to Richard III's usurpation of the throne. If you are a pro-Elizabethite book then this book is not for you. She is portrayed as being quite cold, ruthless, scheming - literally a witch! However, if you can look past this you may enjoy the book as I did. There is a somewhat jarring transition of Elizabeth's character after the death of her first husband but otherwise the book is well written and plotted. The other characters are interesting as well, particularly Margaret Beaufort, Jacquetta and Grace. If you approach the book expecting Jean Plaidy's rather dry style of fictionalizing history then you will be disappointed. If you enjoy a little more fantasy and color and can accept the harsh portrayal of Elizabeth than you will be pleasantly surprised. I look forward to reading more of this author's works!
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written but depressing historical fiction,
By Kelly (Fantasy Literature) - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The King's Grey Mare (Hardcover)
Elizabeth Woodville was the ambitious, much-maligned wife of King Edward IV, the mother of the little princes in the tower, and rumored to be a witch. Rosemary Hawley Jarman does a wonderful job of bringing this fascinating figure to life, even though all but the barest facts about her are lost to history.Jarman's Elizabeth is, at the beginning of the novel, an ordinary noble teenager of her times; sweet, passionate, but hot-headed. But when her first husband, whom she married for love, is killed in battle, she vows revenge and hardens her heart. With the help of her mother and Melusine, the ancestral spirit who haunts her family, Elizabeth brews up a plot to enchant the King of England and make her family the most powerful in the country. But her reign is cut short by the violent years of the Wars of the Roses, and suddenly Elizabeth is playing for her very survival. Intertwined with her story is that of King Edward's illegitimate daughter, Grace, who adores the icy Queen Elizabeth but loves one of her greatest enemies. This novel is a vivid depiction of the turbulent era of the Wars of the Roses. The writing is beautiful and descriptive, and I especially loved the little dash of the supernatural that Jarman adds to her brew. That said, I did have a little bit of trouble sticking to the course with this book, since it is very much a downer! Most of the characters are utterly unsympathetic (except Elizabeth as a young girl, and Grace who is sweet but a complete doormat most of the time), and almost nothing happy occurs in the entire book. This is NOT Jarman's fault--these were terrible times that brought out the worst in almost everybody--but it does make for a story that is often painful to read. |
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