Проклятието на краля

The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels #7

by Philippa Gregory, Филипа Грегъри

Маргарет Поул, родена като една от престолонаследниците на Плантагенетите, през целия си живот трябва да крие името си и принадлежността си към една велика династия. Брат й е обезглавен на Тауър Хил, още почти дете. Маргарет вижда как нейни роднини, близки и единомишленици един след друг извървяват пътя към ешафода.

Трудно е да запазиш своя живот и живота на близките си в един кралски двор, изпълнен със страх и коварство, под мнителния поглед на един крал, затъващ в безумно самолюбие и мания за преследване. Вярна придворна дама на Катерина Арагонска, вярна привърженица на католическата църква, Маргарет се лута между стария и новия свят, укривайки спомена за проклятието, което една скърбяща майка отправя към Тюдорите – проклятие, което започва да се сбъдва...

Добре известна истина е, че историята се пише от победителите, но в „Проклятието на краля” Филипа Грегъри поставя в центъра на действието губещите и онеправданите, което прави романа дори още по-завладяващ.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Tudor Period, British Literature, Audiobook, Romance

680 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2014

About the author

DR PHILIPPA GREGORY studied history at the University of Sussex and was awarded a PhD by the University of Edinburgh where she is a Regent and was made Alumna of the Year in 2009. She holds an honorary degree from Teesside University, and is a fellow of the Universities of Sussex and Cardiff. Philippa is a member of the Society of Authors and in 2016, was presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Historical Fiction Award by the Historical Writers’ Association. In 2018, she was awarded an Honorary Platinum Award by Neilsen for achieving significant lifetime sales across her entire book output. In 2021, she was awarded a CBE for services to literature and to her charity Gardens for the Gambia. and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

She welcomes visitors to her site www.PhilippaGregory.com.

Philippa's Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/PhilippaGregoryOfficial

Reviews

[Iset · Rating 1 out of 5]

First thing’s first, I do have to say I think The King’s Curse is better than The Kingmaker’s Daughter and The White Princess. The Kingmaker’s Daughter had what was, for me, a really grating first person voice and I simply could not care for what happened to Anne Neville and her obviously skewed world view. With The White Princess it was simply a case of boredom. The character of Elizabeth of York in that novel was dull and uninteresting, and I grew weary of her constant recycled conversations with Henry VII about whether she knew of any “York boys”. As for the rest? Well...

Repetition

Let's start with a Gregory staple. Old habits die hard. Remember Elizabeth of The Virgin’s Lover tearing at her cuticles, Mary of The Other Queen saying she was three times a queen, Hannah Green of The Queen’s Fool wiping imagined smuts from her face? How about Catalina of The Constant Princess and her gardens, Katherine Howard of The Boleyn Inheritance counting her things, Margaret Beaufort of The Red Queen and her anachronistic obsession with Joan of Arc, and not forgetting Elizabeth Woodville and Jacquetta St Pol of The White Queen and The Lady of the Rivers and their fixation on the Melusine myth? Well, if you don't because you haven't read them, you get the idea from the above lengthy list. The most obvious repetition in the book is the king's curse. Well, that is the title of the book, so you’d expect it to be a running theme. I don’t even mind the bit at the beginning where it’s explained once again what the supposed curse is, for those readers who haven’t read Gregory’s previous novels. However, the frequency with which talk of the curse is repeated throughout the novel is just too much. It’s even repeated in the last 10% of the book, as if readers need to be reminded this late on into the story that the whole book is about the king’s curse. The curse is really a detriment to the story; the whole thing feels like it is being told with way too much hindsight. Gregory has only invented the curse because she knows what happened later. But real life people don’t, and the prophecies come off as glaringly groan-worthy, not clever.

Another continuous repetition is the Mouldwarp. Gregory creates a folk myth of the Mouldwarp as the king transforms into some sort of terrible supernatural creature to explain his increasing tyranny. Again this is repeated far too frequently. Yes, we get the idea; the king’s terrible transformation into tyrant is like he’s become some sort of nightmarish creature; this idea doesn’t need to be repeated over and over again. The odd thing about this one is that, as lovers of the Little Grey Rabbit series will know, mouldwarp is just an Early English appellation for a mole. Another repetition is the explanation that the Plantagenet name comes from the Latin for the broom flower, planta genista. Of course, this is nothing new to those of us who love our Medieval Plantagenet novels. But it’s repeated over and over again in this book. Another repeated theme is the idea that Henry VII’s mercenary army brought the Sweating Sickness to England, but more on that later. It’s almost as if in the course of her research for this book Gregory came across the fact about the Plantagenet name and this Early English word, mouldwarp, and was so taken with what was new information to her that she simply had to work them into her latest novel. Repeatedly. As often as possible.

As You Know Bob, aka Telling Not Showing

The issues with names and titles could also come under unnecessary repetition. Characters who’ve known each other for years, even close family members, refer to each other by either title or full name, or state their family relationship, e.g.; “Son Montague”, “Gertrude, my cousin Henry Courtenay’s wife”. You don’t need me to tell you that this feels incredibly forced and unnatural. But in fact this is the case in all of Philippa Gregory’s Tudor and Cousins’ War novels. So why does she write it that way? It’s an As You Know Bob – where characters explain to each other what they both already know, not for the characters but for the reader, to let the reader in on what is going on and who is who. As You Know Bobs are classic examples of telling over showing – instead of showing the reader the information through action or in an appropriate and subtle manner, the author flat out tells the reader through this awkward contrivance of unnecessary character dialogue for the benefit of the reader. It’s usually considered poor writing. An As You Know Bob may be necessary at the beginning of a book, to introduce the characters, for example, however, what’s particularly noteworthy about Gregory’s practise of using full names, titles, and family relationships is that she continues to do it throughout the book, even when there’s less than 50 pages left (in a book that’s a little more or less than 600 pages depending on the copy you’ve got). Why does she still need to do this when the characters have been introduced long ago? Because the author thinks her readers won’t remember or won’t know what’s going on unless it is explicitly spelled out for them. Let me offer some succinct advice: readers are intelligent. They don’t need handholding. If you absolutely must offer some sort of guidance, include a dramatis personae in your book so people can refer back to it. Don’t write down to your readers. It's a cardinal sin of writing.

21st Century Voice

The 21st century voice was another big no-no. This ties in to the As You Know Bob point. The characters in The King’s Curse often combine As You Know Bob dialogue with a very modern, 21st century voice. For example, when Margaret Pole asks her husband why she should not grieve the execution of her brother: ‘Why should I not grieve?’ ‘Because they won’t like it.’ Richard Pole’s response to his wife is phrased in such an overtly modern way that it’s distracting. He doesn’t say "Because it wouldn’t be prudent" or "You know full well why" or "Do you mean to incur the wrath of the king?" All of which would’ve been far more in tone with the novel’s Tudor setting. It’s all about who likes and dislikes whom and what, a regular feature in Gregory’s novels where complex historical events and social webs are usually reduced down to who’s friends with whom. That particular example is also an As You Know Bob because Margaret, the niece of two kings and brought up in the world of the court where knowledge of etiquette and political manoeuvring was vital to survival and getting ahead, ought to have known full well why it might be a bad idea to openly mourn someone executed as a traitor – brother or no. Whilst a novel full of “prithees” and “forsooths” would be equally as inappropriate and silly sounding, a novel peppered with not just modern slang – which would be glaringly obvious – but certain modern turns of phrase, is just as out of place in a historical setting. A good historical fiction author has to find the correct balance between the two extremes. Margaret even describes court ladies as “trés chic” (the word chic dates to the mid-19th century, a good 300 years later). Henry VIII says “or something”. One nonsensical sentence even says; “I have a bad taste in my mouth every day on waking and I think it is the odour of cowardice.”

Key Events Occur "Off-Screen"

Perhaps the worst writing faux pas that Gregory makes is her overuse of summaries – and once again this is not a new feature to her books. One year is summarised in a mere four sentences. If it’s that inconsequential, just have your characters mention anything of note when you come back to them – don’t write a separate heading for that year, give it four sentences and then that’s it. The bad thing about this is that key events are summarised in direct narrative from the first person narration, instead of being allowed to play out “live” in front of the readers’ and characters’ eyes. It’s the literary equivalent of something that happens “off-screen”. We don’t actually get to see it, we’re just told about it by some omniscient narrator. This is okay occasionally, but you don’t want to miss the key events of the story, do you? It’s like watching an action movie, getting to see the characters plan out their big move, reaching the climax of the movie… and then a voice-over narration tells you what happened. The Battle of Flodden is summarised with simply; “Their battle plan is astoundingly successful”. This is how the main character’s sons invading France is handled: “We may be exiled from court but the king still calls on us when he wants outstanding military leaders. Both my boys, Montague and Arthur, are summoned to serve as the king invades France. Montague is appointed captain and Arthur fights so bravely at the forefront on the field of battle that he is knighted and is now Sir Arthur Pole. I think how proud his father would have been, I think how pleased the king’s mother would have been, and I am glad that my son has served hers.” That’s it. That’s all it gets. Four sentences. But the main character wasn’t actually there to witness these events, you cry! True – which is why, incidentally, third person is often a much better choice than first person in historical fiction, but that’s another matter. However, we could at least “live” the events with our first person narrator. We could wait with her as she receives news of the battles, tension palpable, as word or letter tells her that her sons are safe, share in her joy and celebration that they have distinguished themselves. Summarising what should be key events in the story or primary concerns for your main character only rip the heart out of your story, sapping it of tension, excitement, and ultimately soul.

Historical Inaccuracies

Some instances of historical inaccuracy in this book were just plain odd. Gregory changes the birth order and years of Margaret Pole’s five children, for example. This is a fairly basic fact to get right for your main character in a historical novel, and can be easily discovered in two clicks online. Perhaps Gregory deliberately changed this, but in her Author’s Note she makes no mention of it, let alone why she would have changed it. At one point we are told that Thomas Cromwell “allowed George Boleyn himself to tell the court out loud that the king was incapable of fathering a child”; when in fact the reverse is true; at his trial George Boleyn was handed a note which he was specifically told not to read out loud – though defiant George did so anyway. The old chestnut about Jane Boleyn being a bitter shrew who gives evidence against her husband and sister-in-law is trotted out yet again despite no sources ever naming her and in actual fact all the evidence suggesting that Jane never betrayed her husband or his family. There's no evidence that she did. The idea that the Sweating Sickness came to Tudor England with Henry VII’s mercenaries at the Battle of Bosworth is repeated ad nauseam. It most likely didn't. Gregory maintains her Margaret Beaufort Killed The Princes In The Tower theory. In fact Margaret, or her son Henry VII, are unlikely suspects. Anne Boleyn is accused of being a Lutheran. She wasn't. George Boleyn is described as being "quite useless". Far from it. And the old Anne Boleyn Tried To Murder Bishop Fisher nonsense from The Other Boleyn Girl. She didn't. Not forgetting, of course, "Sir Thomas and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of the old Duke of Norfolk – see their pretty daughter in a new light, as a step to wealth and position, and like a pair of cheerful bawds wash her and dress her and bejewel her and present her to the king as if she were a fat little pigeon ready for the pie". In the words of the late Irene Rheinwald, scholar of the Tudor era and the Boleyns in particular; "horrifying thought. Boleyns always MARRIED well".

Regarding historical accuracy; take for example the changing of the children's ages. It's a small point and doesn't have that great an impact on the story. It would be nice if PG explained why she changed it, but it's forgivable. One of my favourite historical novels changed the age of one of its characters so he would be closer in age to his brother, whereas historically they were ten years apart in age - and the author acknowledged it and made it work so well in the story that I almost couldn't imagine it any other way now. So, to clarify - it's not that I'm some stuffy old stickler for complete accuracy. I can overlook small changes, or big changes if they work well within the story and are acknowledged. What's jarring is big changes that are not explained and do not work well - things that would be so out of character for the real historical figure that they're just unbelievable, or changes that are silly or implausible, or worse a disservice to the real person. Because then it affects my suspension of disbelief and I can't get on board with it. Changing historical facts in a historical novel is another balance thing. It's about how far you can push it, how you can integrate it seamlessly, how you can use it to improve the story, without getting people and events so far removed from themselves that they're unrecognisable, maintaining a level of staying true to the people and the history. The allure of historical fiction is the spice that it's a true story. What's the point of a historical setting if you're going to change it to the point of not staying true to the people and history? You might as well set it in a completely imaginary, fantasy world.

Bias and Lack of Understanding

What’s particularly glaring is the double standard throughout. “All this – all this! – to legitimise their claim to a throne which in any case they took by conquest”; Edward IV of the House of York won the throne by conquest. So did the co-monarchs William III and Mary II. So did Henry IV. So did William the Conqueror. Generally speaking, before the days of constitutional monarchy, that’s what it was all about – being strong enough to hold on to the throne or strong enough to take it. It was at least as valid as blind hereditary right, where you could end up with a beloved saint or a mad tyrant on pure luck. “The Tudors shore up their royalty with the trappings of wealth as if they hope that playing the part will make it real” when in fact it was normal practise for royalty of the time to proactively display their wealth – it was something the York royals did rather ostentatiously, and Edward II was ridiculed for having common hobbies and not behaving more kingly. “All the Tudors are a fearful family” when in fact a monarch’s watchfulness and ability to circumvent or crush problems in the bud were a sign of success in Medieval and Renaissance Europe – and Elizabeth I made a famous speech about placing her safety in the hands of her people. "Henry Tudor is newly royal and has always had his battles fought for him." Henry VII's early life was far from easy in actuality, forced to flee into exile for his life at the age of 14 and spending the next 14 years impoverished and abroad, risking everything on engaging Richard III in one decisive battle at Bosworth Field where his opponent outnumbered his forces 2:1. One gets the impression that Gregory has no real understanding of the social mores and cultural values of the times she’s writing about at all.

And what the main character tells us, throughout, is that when the House of York does something, it's good, but when the Tudors or Boleyns do it, it's bad. When Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV marry in secret, it’s okay, but when Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII marry in secret, it’s bad. When Katherine of Aragon can’t give the king a son, it’s just bad luck, or the curse, but when Anne Boleyn can’t do it it’s proof of God withholding blessing. The Yorks have it all – the “York good looks”, the “York charm”, the “honest York gaze”. This black-and-white stereotyping creates shallow, clichéd characters and does a disservice to the real people of history. And this is far from the first time Gregory has dealt with her characters by dividing them up into passive saints and ambitious no-good graspers, The Other Boleyn Girl being notable for it. Worst of all is the outright slut-shaming of Anne Boleyn that goes on in this book. Anne is repeatedly called a “slut” throughout the course of the book ("Norfolk-born slut"; "troublesome slut"), despite the irony that the key difference between Anne and the king’s other amours was that she flat out refused to become sexually involved with him. And Philippa Gregory calls herself a feminist author?! I don’t think so. In the words of Emily Bazelon, slut-shaming is “retrograde, the opposite of feminist. Calling a girl a slut warns her that there's a line: she can be sexual but not too sexual.”

Concluding Thoughts

Going into this review I honestly thought I would be giving it two stars. After all, I didn't become so bored with it that I abandoned it, like The White Princess, and the narrator wasn't irritatingly whiny like The Kingmaker's Daughter, so it seemed like it deserved a higher rating than those books. But totting up the litany of issues with The King's Curse has changed my mind. Technical errors, tedious repetition, simplistic style, anachronistic voice - this is poor writing indeed - but they pale in comparison to the book's major problems; seriously questionable accuracy, talking down to readers, taking all the heart and soul out of the story by the author's inability to bring key events to life and habitual summarising, and the sheer lack of understanding on the part of the author about the era she's writing about.

1 out of 10

[Misty Marie Harms · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 7 finds us with Margaret Pole in the countryside, hiding her Plantagenet name. Also, this marks the time Henry VII finally kicks the bucket and probably ends up in hell. Which of course brings Henry VIII to the throne. Henry becomes a one-man wrecking ball, destroys his own country and beheads a few wives. The curse lives on. No male child survives yet to become an heir. Poor Margaret has spent the last few books in utter ruin, I was happy to see her prosper. Then Henry of course just like his raggedy father becomes a tyrant that ends with Margaret's head on the block. Sis couldn't catch a break. Excellent read.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love English history-but don't like dry history-read these books. Phillippa Gregory has a wonderful way of making English history come alive.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margaret Pole is a fascinating woman! I'd read a bit about her in the earlier novels and online, but Philippa Gregory has brought the lady to life in The King's Curse, the 7th book in her Plantagenet and Tudor historical fiction series. To date, I've read the previous 6 and number 8, so I had to catch up and get back to reading the rest in order. I'm a big fan of this period in English history, and I must admit, it inspired me to read a lot more about the history of territorial disputes between England and France.

It's horrific to think about how some people were treated five centuries ago, especially to see the blind eyes and ears Henry VIII hid behind when it came to kidnapping, torturing, and killing people he assumed had been treasonous. After all her service, he failed to properly take care of this woman... and while she did support some who were against the king, it was all for her queen, and never outright and direct. She was loyal and always tried to do what she thought was necessary to help him. And to watch what happened to her sons, grandsons, cousins, and more! Ugh... what an intense period in history.

Gregory thoroughly drew me in with this story. It covered 40 years of Margaret's life, and I felt for her when she was troubled, smiled when she came out victorious. So much drama and so little change. I'm impressed how Gregory covers similar time periods across all her books but changes the perspective of a character so it's never repetitive. I am determined to finish this series in 2021, and then I will either start one of her other series or I might look at other books on the same royal lines from this time period. It's utterly fascinating, and I constantly stop to look at genealogical maps to ensure I'm remembering all the connections. Highly recommended!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as an advanced reading copy to give it an honest review (may contain spoilers).

This is the 6th book in the Cousins War series and the one which most closely entwines itself with the Tudor Series that Philippa Gregory had previously written. It focuses on Margaret Pole, the daughter of the Duke of Clarence, who was executed by drowning in a vat of wine. She was a Plantagenet Princess and this book covers the period (1499-1541) in time from when Katharine of Aragon comes to England and her eventual death. Although Margaret Pole had been mentioned in other books about the Cousins War, I knew little about her before reading this book.

This book, as with the others is well researched and detailed, but doesn’t as others have re-worked the same information from a different perspective. It is further down the timeline and the Tudors are on the throne and not the Yorks. Because of the long period of time that the book covers, there is little information during periods of time where little happens in England. The main focuses are the significant events that first affect Katharine of Aragon and then her daughter, Princess Mary, as Margaret Pole is friend and Lady-in-Waiting/Governess to both and this loyalty is what leads to the Pole family’s eventual downfall for supposed treason.

I read the book very quickly as I wanted to know what happened next in the life of Margaret Pole. The Tudor times were filled with drama and Pole was one of the few women of the time who was powerful in her own right and this book covers what she does to pull her family out of poverty that the Tudors put her family in initially, through her rising to power again and then her visit to the tower. It was an excellent insight into a women who obviously held a lot of power within the Tudor Court, was well respected and an important woman in history, but due to other women of the time we know very little about her and she is pushed to the background.

Many other aspects of the Tudor period are covered, such as the downfall of the Church and Henry VIII becoming the Head of the Church of England, and his gradual descent into madness over who he can and cannot trust, especially after hearing about the curse on his family, about not having any male heirs. The overall story of Henry VIII and his wives and daughters is well known and the story is brought together by Margaret Pole who has links to all. She was part of the Plantagenet family who put the curse on the Tudors, was both Arthur Tudors Chamberlain and was cousin to Henry Tudor’s mother, the second Elizabeth of York, and was then a lady in waiting to Katherine of Aragon and Governess to Princess Mary. Her son Reginald was also given the job of restoring the Catholic Church to England by the Pope. A lot of time was covered by the Tudor Period and a lot of changes made, and by focusing on one character is allowed the plot to develop, and events to be covered, without the overall story seeming very fractured.

This is a very fitting conclusion to the series and links the Yorks and the Tudors well together. If you haven’t read about what happens to Princess Mary or Princess Elizabeth, or either of the Queens – Katharine and Anne – the Philippa Gregory’s Tudor series covers these. This is also why I think that there was no chapter about what happened after Margaret Pole’s execution. These can be read elsewhere. I really enjoyed the read, as I have with the other books in the series, and liked learning about a person I knew little about. The family trees were very helpful as it is a while since reading the previous books and therefore needed to get family relationships straight in my mind and it was good to keep referring back to them, especially as many of the characters were named after other characters. Short, sharp chapters made it easy to pick up and put down, without having to wait for an excessively long section to come to an end before putting down, and because much of what was happening was explained in a way that you didn’t have to have previous historical knowledge or even have had to read any of the others in the series. A bit sad it’s all come to an end really, and interested to know which historical period will be covered by Philippa Gregory next.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The King's Curse published in 2014, spans forty years of Lady Margaret Pole's presence in and around the Tudor Court, as she and her family rise and fall from favour with Henry VII and then Henry VIII. Philippa Gregory presents a well researched historical fiction about a less well known woman who serves as a compelling protagonist for the final installment in the Cousins' War series.

Before God, I am a Plantagenet, I am a daughter of the House of York. My own father broke sanctuary, murdered a king, and was killed by his own brother. My mother followed her father into rebellion and then changed sides and waged war with her husband against him. We are a house of men and women who always follow our own wills; we cannot be made to fear consequences. If you show us danger we will always, always go towards it. They call us the demon's brood for our devilish willfulness. (page 87 of my 2015 paperback edition)

Although this could be read as a stand alone, I highly recommend ALL of the books in this series. Arguably the best( my personal opinion) in the series are The Red Queen and The Kingmaker's Daughter but I would not even flinch in placing this book in the top three. The love of her family and the need to protect them from the Tudor paranoia endeared Margaret Pole to me. As the years passed, the White Rose of York continued to hover over the House of Tudor and despite my knowledge of how everything was going to play out, I was left with the hope that history would not repeat itself.

I think that money or love offered to the Tudors is always wasted, for the Tudor boy who was so well loved by his mother had been spoiled by us all.

At almost 600 pages, this was a hefty read that I was unable to put down for fear of missing out on all the court intrigue. I guess I am just unable to escape the Gregory magic!

[Tessa Nadir · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Insa Elisabeta si cu mine suntem invatate cu pierderea, suntem Plantageneti - mancam tradare si suferinta pe paine."
Cu acest roman autoarea continua seria dedicata dinastiei Tudor si dinastiei Plantagenetilor. Cartea urmareste destinul Margaretei Pole, fiica lui George de York. Aceasta a fost executata de Henry al VIII-lea pe pajistea Turnului Londrei la varsta de 67 de ani. Nu a fost nici condamnata nici judecata si a refuzat sa puna capul pe butuc, gestul ei reprezentand un omagiu adus femeilor care refuza sa accepte pedeapsa nedreapta. Este considerata martira de Biserica si este sarbatorita ca Binecuvantata Margaret Pole in fiecare an pe 28 mai.
Romanul prezinta de asemenea soarta lui Henry al VIII-lea si transformarea sa dintr-un tanar print rasfatat intr-un tiran.
In ceea ce priveste actiunea, ne aflam in 1499 si o gasim pe Margaret, fosta printesa de York, casatorita de Tudori cu un cavaler modest, Richard Pole. Fratele ei, Edward, contele de Warwick este executat la Turnul Londrei doar pentru ca este Plantagenet.
In 1501 Margaret devine apropiata Caterinei de Aragon in timp ce aceasta este casatorita cu Arthur, printul de Wales.
Intre timp sotul ei Richard Pole moare si ea ramane singura si saraca, fiind nevoita sa se retraga la manastire si sa-si trimita copiii departe. Norocul ii surade mai apoi si Henry al VIII-lea ajunge rege, casatorindu-se cu Caterine de Aragon, care o cheama la Curte spre a-i fi doamna de onoare.
La inceput, regele binevoitor ii inapoiaza titlul de ducesa si averea, insa, cu timpul, Henry devine din ce in ce mai suspicios si paranoic fata de Plantageneti, fiind mereu preocupat ca acestia sa nu-i uzurpe tronul.
Odata cu inlaturarea lui Caterine de Aragon de la tron si ascensiunea Annei Boleyn ca regina soarta ei devine din ce in ce mai grea, iar in 1538 fiul ei Geoffrey este arestat in Turn pentru tradare. Acesta consimte sa-si parasca fratele si mama in schimbul unor favoruri in inchisoare. Fiul ei mare, lordul Montague este executat impreuna cu verii lui. Margaret Pole este interogata si i se cere raspicat sa marturiseasca daca a complotat impotriva regelui. Pana la urma se gaseste o brosa la ea cu o Roza Alba.
In 1539 este dusa in arest, iar in 1541, la varsta de 67 de ani e anuntata ca va fi executata pe pajistea Turnului Londrei. Executia este sangeroasa, ea refuzand sa puna capul pe butuc, fiind lovita prima data in ceafa, cazand si fiind mai apoi lovita in cap, abia la a treia lovitura dandu-si duhul.
Finalul e cumplit, scena executiei e tulburatoare si impresionanta si se citeste aproape in lacrimi. Demnitatea Margaretei este graitoare: a trait ca o luptatoare, o mare doamna, o insotitoare inteleapta pentru Caterine si o companie calda si loiala pentru fiica ei Maria. Pana la urma, cand moartea era iminenta, a refuzat sa plece capul in fata unei decizii nedrepte, in fata unui tiran. Cinste ei!
Ultimele sale ganduri s-au indreptat catre Roza Alba:
"Noi suntem Roza Alba - floarea straluceste pana in lastarisul cel mai des, mai intunecat; poate fi vazuta pana si in creierii noptii, ca o luna cazuta licarind stins prin frunzisul razletit."
In incheiere va recomand acest roman pentru dedicarea si pasiunea cu care dezvaluie actele de curaj si eroism ale acestei femei nobile cu un destin tragic, care a trait sub domnia nefasta a lui Henry al VIII-lea si va atasez cateva citate care mi s-au parut frumoase:
"... a carmui un regat este o datorie sfanta, pentru care te rogi seara, inainte de a pune capul pe perna, si primul lucru la care te gandesti cand te trezesti."
"Cine poate porunci unui rege, cand nu mai este print? Cine ii poate porunci leului, dupa ce a descoperit ca nu mai este doar un pui?"
"Stiti, nu e femeie in Anglia trecuta de 30 de ani care sa nu inteleaga suferinta reginei. Dar femeilor trecute de 30 de ani nu li se cere parerea, spun eu. Cui ii pasa ce credem noi?"
"Singurul lucru pe care l-as fi putut face sa-l inteleaga , daca l-as fi pastrat langa mine, este sa nu te saturi niciodata de viata, ci sa tii cu dintii de ea. Viata: aproape cu orice pret. Eu nu m-am pregatit niciodata de moarte, nici macar cand eram gata sa nasc, si n-as fi pus niciodata capul pe butuc."

[Yu-Jie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved Philippa Gregory's books once. I still love some of her earlier works, either because I was younger when I read them and my tastes have since changed, or because she simply wrote with more skill, and more care then. Either way, her last few works, indeed, every one that has covered the Cousins' War, have been a complete and utter disappointment to me. She has become a prolific writer in the sense that she will churn out a new book every year, or every second year, but the protagonist in each, hell, all the characters in each, will speak with the exact same voice, and be apparently incapable of anything but endless repetition. They are mind-numbing and stripped of all the vibrancy of life. You would not think reading these books that these were the women who were beautiful enough and clever enough to be the greatest in the land, to survive and triumph at the heart of a court driven by ambition, intrigue and betrayal. You would not empathise with them, or feel anything beyond frustration at their portrayal.

This is particularly true of this sixth instalment in The Cousins' War series. Margaret Pole was by all accounts a great lady by birth, and a great lady who gained and held an estate and title in her own right in a time when the only other was Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second queen. Her greatness does not come across, for all that Gregory makes her assert that it is so. Instead, she appears no more special than the helpless vapid girl she describes Jane Seymour as, only infinitely more self righteous because she was a Plantagenet, a York, and the world knows that a Plantagenet and a York can do no wrong.

By this point it is nothing but a sense of morbid curiosity that makes me pick up each new Gregory release, to see how she will manage to dull another period of fascinating history. For those who seek well-written historical fiction, that captures the facts but manages to bring them to life, I implore you to look elsewhere.

[Orsolya · Rating 4 out of 5]

For staunch Tudor lovers, the name Margaret Pole is not an unfamiliar one. Yet, even though the Countess of Salisbury was smack-dab in the middle of courtly drama; she seems to play a side note in most books. Phillippa Gregory brings Pole to the forefront in her latest historical fiction novel, “The King’s Curse”.

Before I even proceed further, I want to make something clear for those who aren’t regular readers of my reviews: I do not think of Gregory as a God nor of her work as the Bible. Her books of the past few years have been fluffy, filled with historical liberties, and with an overabundance of fantasy topics like magic. Don’t even get me started on her obsession with the, “As you know, Bob”- style of writing. To say the least, I have not been impressed. Lo and behold though, ladies and gents, because it appears that PG finally listened to complaints and produced a work which actually isn’t terrible!

“The King’s Curse” begins with Pole characterized as an adult so there is no discrepancy of the strain of growth from childhood to adulthood. Following Pole’s life (both personal and courtly); her feelings and role come alive with a strong portrayal. Readers will actually feel as though they are walking into Margaret’s psyche and not in a dummied down version, either. Margaret is both believable and accessible.

The most stroking trait of “The King’s Curse” is its accuracy which has not been the way to describe PG lately. In this novel, Gregory stuck mostly to the facts with the liberties being more on par with various debated theories historians have proposed versus fluff created in Gregory’s mind. Meaning, the novel is NOT thoroughly accurate but the inaccuracies are based on proposed theories and ideas. The descriptions and speaking style feel mostly authentic and the visuals are rich. Best of all? The “As you know, Bob” style is very limited! It is still present but rarely. I’m telling you: “The King’s Curse” is a million times better than the past few years of Gregory output.

The pace of the plot is also solid and with an exciting heartbeat. Although much of the novel focuses on courtly affairs (the downfall of Henry VIII); the novel is moving and dare I say: a page-turner. All of the other characters are well portrayed with Mary Tudor (future Queen Mary) being a standout. In fact, many of the events are quite vivid and emotionally poignant. No mention of magical crap was even needed to do so (believe it or not, the silly curse is barely mentioned despite the novel’s title).

On the negative end, some of the hatred in “The King’s Curse” towards Anne Boleyn and the frustration with Henry VIII is somewhat over the top. Yes, Margaret was a supporter of Katherine of Aragon and Mary Tudor but the spewing of anger and calling Anne a ‘whore’ numerous times was a bit much. We get it! Margaret didn’t like Anne! Sheesh! On the other hand, this is a sort of refreshing look from the opposition of the Anne camp versus those novels focusing on Anne’s wit and charisma. Regardless, some Anne supporters may be offended or annoyed.

Notably, Gregory intersperses the novel with genealogical charts (instead of singularly just in the beginning of the novel) which illuminate some of the figures featured in the respective chapters. This is definitely unique to “The King’s Curse” (and I couldn’t decide whether I liked it or not).

The final quarter of the “The King’s Curse” suffers from a great decline in the pace and effectiveness as much of the plot is told (with the characters discussing events) versus being ‘lived’. This is tedious, boring, and sadly more like Gregory’s other novels. This flows into an anticlimactic ending which is rushed and not on-par with the lead-up of the entire novel.

On the bright side, Gregory does explain some historical liberties in her ‘Author’s Note’ hopefully showing readers that her writing is not the word of God. Plus, her sources listed are those which Tudor readers are familiar with and mostly support.

Overall, quite shockingly, “The King’s Curse” is unlike Gregory’s recent novels with very little or none of the traits readers have been complaining about. The angle of the story is unique while Margaret Pole is presented as a complex figure inviting further research which is quite a feat coming from Gregory. “The King’s Curse” may not be the best historical fiction novel on the market; but the best from the author in years.

Note: My rating is perhaps more of a 3.5 in terms of HF novels overall (and therefore I would have given it a 3 rating) but because I am taking into consideration PG’s other works and comparing it to those previous works; it is being rated as a 4

[Constantine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5.0/5.0

Genre:
Historical Fiction

This is the 7th book in Philippa Gregory's series on the Plantagenet and Tudors. Tells the story of Margaret Pole. A princess who stayed all her life in fear of having the same fate as her father and brother. No matter how much she tried to remain (or pretend to be) faithful to the Tudors, they still at the end took her life the same way if not worse. Margaret was a Plantagenet, the only surviving daughter of George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence (The White Rose). After Henry VII became the King of England, his mother Margaret Beaufort married Margaret to Sir Richard Pole. She remained all her life under her husband's name without mentioning whose daughter she was all her life.

“Life is a risk, who knows this better than me? Who knows more surely that babies die easily, that children fall ill from the least cause, that royal blood is fatally weak, that death walks behind my family like a faithful black hound?”


The author has successfully presented the main character this way as I have read her story in some history books. She was not the courageous woman who would stand up to her values and beliefs if that meant opposing the King or his wish. She might have been open to her own children and a very close circle of family and friends only, but when it came to criticizing the King's cruel behaviors and actions she preferred to show that she was in his support. In this book, we follow her story from the reign of Henry VII to Henry VIII who ordered her execution. They claimed that she was conspiring against the King but many historians say that she was beheaded with no trial or proof of treason. The last few pages of the book were hard to read because one cannot feel anything but really sorry for a 67 years old lady to be killed this way.

Henry VIII was truly a mad man, the more I read about him the more I dislike him. Margaret was a friend of his mother and a good friend to his first wife Katherine of Aragon. She was also the governess of his daughter Princess Mary and remained faithful to her all her life according to historians. But Henry was truly a tyrant who had to kill everybody surrounding him depending on his changing mood! I love the title of this book. and how Philippa Gregory used the curse factor in this story. If you have read the previous books you will know what I am talking about here. Afterall a supernatural touch has made an interesting story more appealing.

“How would I know? I don’t hold with prophecies and predictions and long-lost kings. I don’t have giants in my family tree, like you Nevilles. I don’t have three suns in the sky like you Yorks. I am not descended from a water goddess who comes out of a river to mate with mortals! When your family was founded, no one had ever heard of us. When your uncles were on the throne, mine were quiet City men. I don’t know what you might have, what you might have kept from those times—a banner or a standard, a bead-roll or letter. Anything that shows your descent, anything that shows your royal blood, any prophecy that you once had the throne and will have it again. But whatever you have, your ladyship, clear it out and burn it. Nothing is worth the risk of keeping.”


The book is so rich with events and lots of beheading due to treason. Henry VIII's reign was truly a sick era filled with all cruelty. And as a reader one can feel it while reading this novel. Yes, I felt angry many times with the main character because she was a coward from inside as she was describing herself, but at the same time I could not blame her a lot because of her fear of being taken to the tower was genuine, her father, her brother and her son all were taken there and had the same fate on the block! Finally, she followed them too.

I am in love with this series. I am not just reading for enjoyment but when I read about an interesting event in these books it makes me go and research more about it. Gregory keeps the main events intact but the things that historians are conflicted about she gives her own version of the story, what she thinks. This book gets 5.0 out of 5.0 for me. Another favorite!

This is the poem that was written on the wall of Margaret's cell in the tower:
For traitors on the block should die;
I am no traitor, no, not I!
My faithfulness stands fast and so,
Towards the block I shall not go!
Nor make one step, as you shall see;
Christ in Thy Mercy, save Thou me!

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this better than I remembered. It could be the direct comparison to the dismal book before this one in the series.
Maragaret de la Pole is an interesting and truly tragic Tudor character. She helps to raise Henry VIII and his siblings as well as Queen Mary I. From the scanty historical records which survive from that period that include women she was often in favor with his parents and her appointments at court likely reflect a closeness between Queen Consort Elizabeth and her cousin Lady eventually Countess Margaret. Still her life is heartbreaking on almost every level.
She survives so very much of her family line to end, well, in horrifying brutality.
Her story is well handled in this novel.
In this novel PG tones down the sexist Anne Boleyn storyline and instead holds Henry responsible for his unstable and murderous behavior.

Original Review:
All in all a pretty solid if formulaic installment in Gregory's Cousin's War Series. I enjoyed it. This novel is about the life of Margaret Plantagenet the daughter of George Plantagenet Duke of Clarence-brother to Edward IV and the granddaughter of Warwick the Kingmaker.

[Debbie W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Ms. Gregory gave a good perspective of a woman (i.e. Margaret Pole) in this time period that a lot of information would not be found. Overall, it is interesting, informative and fast-paced!

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who is ever going to find the courage to name what is more and more clear: that the king does not see the world as it is, that his vision is unreal, that-though it is treason to say it-the king is quite mad.

At first I thought that I may have read too many Henry VIII novels, as everything felt very familiar, but as I got further into the book I understood why Philippa Gregory decided to use Margaret Plantagenet as the narater. It allows a much wider view of this era, as well as Henry. Most of her other books tells the story of a specific queen, which obviously only allows us to see what is happening in the court. Margaret is able to do this, but also give us a much bigger perspective as to what was happening in the country and how the king's choices affected everyone. But even more than that, she is able to really show us how shocking the changes in Henry's personality was, as she knew him from birth. I've read quite a few books on Henry VIII, but I don't think I've ever understood how extreme these changes were, and that he became such a tyrant and persecuted and killed so many people. As the Plantagenet's were rivals to the Tudor reign Margaret is once again ideally situated to illustrate this - her father, her brother and her son was taken to the tower and executed. She was Henry's oldest victim, and was executed at the age of 67. Philippa created a strong, engaging and authentic protagonist. At the end of the King's curse I felt I had a much clearer picture of Henry's madness.
If you enjoy HF, I highly recommend this book.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have great respect for any author that can make history "cool" and as such I am a huge Philippa Gregory Fangirl. I have read all of her Tudor Court and Cousins War novels and unfortunately I must say that this was my least favourite of hers. The quality of writing is still just as high as all of her other works, but I found Margaret Pole to be an unlikable character...and I'm saying this as someone who has read The Other Boleyn Girl

I think I may also have disliked this book a little simply because I have read so many of Ms.Greggory's books that pertain to this time period, that it started to feel a little tiresome. However at the end of the day the quality of writing was high, the research was impressive and the characters jumpeded off the pages. I will definitely read anything that this author pens, and I will be eternally grateful to her for igniting my passion for Tudor England.

[``Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone interested in learning more about the life of Margaret Pole, the daughter of George Plantagenet, the 1st Duke of Clarence and Isabella Neville, eldest daughter of the Kingmaker, will find Philippa Gregory's research interesting and informative.

[Maja - BibliophiliaDK ✨ · Rating 1 out of 5]

THIS, SADLY, MARKS THE END OF MY ACQUAINTANCE WITH PHILIPPA GREGORY 😔

✨ Popsugar Reading Challenge 2019✨
✨✨A novel based on a true story✨✨

I have been a great fan of Philippa Gregory's Plantagenet and Tudor books since I read The Other Boleyn Girl. However, the latest few book have deeply disappointed me. This one was no exception. I have the feeling that Gregory is just going through the motions. She is just repeating herself over and over again. This book was the last nail in the coffin for me.

👎 THE THINGS I DISLIKED 👎

Repetition: I don't see any real difference between Gregory's last 3 books. She has lost the ability to reinvent herself and the Tudor era. So many people write about this period or make movies or TV shows. The strength of some of Gregory's earlier books such as The Other Boleyn Girl and The Queen's Fool was that she took an innovative approach to her subject. That is definitely not the case anymore.

Margaret: Margaret is the main character as well as the narrator of this story. And she pissed me off! She was a shadow character more than anything else. She was passive, lacked any kind of personality whatsoever and was more of a spectator in her own story than an active participant. Again, this is a flaw I have observed in Gregory's recent books - she writes wholly unlikable main characters!

Length: Yeah, the length of this book was completely unwarranted. Nothing happened during the 600+ pages. It was just drawn out and uninteresting.

Writing: Maybe I am just too sad and disappointed to be unbiased, but event eh writing here bugged me. It felt detached, bored and passionless.

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[Sarah u · Rating 1 out of 5]

DEC 2014: I've had this given to me for a Christmas gift (2014), so it looks like I'll be reading it after all.

JAN 2015: Well, I think I've given this book a good shot, but I can't read any more. I DNF at 59%.

I just cannot get on with Gregory's newer work. This book plodded along, racing through the life of Margaret Pole without creating any emotional connection, any excitement, or any tension. It was just there, repeating itself endlessly (we are the White Rose, reminders of people's names and titles, the usual), and relying too much on hindsight. The battle with Scotland while Henry was in France early in his reign was done in a page, the death of his little son Henry after two months in a single sentence. There was just nothing going on here to make me care about the characters or what happened to them, and I should care, because this was the first historical period that I really fell in love with and cared about at school. This read like a dry and basic retelling of a well known story, or a list of the periods key events; the bones without the meat.

I think I've read enough to realise I won't enjoy the rest of this novel, so I yield.

[Paula K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philippa Gregory's The King's Curse is the 6th book in her Cousin's War series. Seen thru the eyes of Margaret Pole, a Plantagenet of royal blood, she narrates about the struggles of the Plantagenets, House of York, during King Henry VIII's reign.

Gregory has done some painstakingly detailed historical research for this book. It's quite well done with many historical characters like Cromwell and Wolsey. The reader gets a good look at what it was like to live in those times. The King's Curse is filled with betrayal, religion and its impact on divorce, loss of wealth, restoration of wealth, imprisonment, and execution. Real interesting is the curse that was put on the male line of theTudors, and Henry VIII's loss of any male births from his numerous wives, which was predicted.

Gregory has written some very fine fiction set in these times like The Other Boleyn Girl and the Other Queen, 2 of my favorites.

4 out of 5 stars.

[Shirley Revill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never been disappointed with a book by Philippa Gregory.
She knows her subject well.
Highly recommended.

[Marialyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully interesting story of Henry VIII told through the eyes of Margaret Poole his aunt and a Member of the Plantagenet family. It was a harrowing tale for this family who claimed to have had the throne wrestled from them by Henry Tudor. It had just the right mixture of history and the cunning vile nature of the at that time British aristocracy. Always jockeying for position and ever mindful of the whims of a king who declared himself both above man and god, this book was a through look into the mind and actions of a tyrant.

It is hard to fathom in this day and age living as these people were forced to live. Always being mindful of your words and actions while always trying to be true to yourself is a most difficult task and as Margaret Poole tries diligently to keep herself and her family safe, she often had to do the opposite of what she knew to be right.

Henry was a cad and at worst a devil who would turn on you faster than imaginable. He was a user who as he aged became more tyrannical and coupled with Cromwell destroyed the country and the church his people so loved and wanted. They were both ruthless and blood thirsty and woe to those who even "thought" differently. It was a bloody time and many including children lost their lives because of Henry's zeal to enforce that fact that he ruled them all.

Wonderfully written, engaging, and certainly a page turner! Ms Gregory has created another vivid tale of the reign of a cruel and oftentimes evil man and the people who suffered because of his devilry.

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm....what did I think?
Well first off, I haven't read any of the other "Cousins Of War" books and by the reviews,
you either love the series or hate it.
I never read a trilogy/series backwards or in another order because I always feel I "miss" something that way.
So..the only reason I have done so was because my library got it in (the hold would be forever and I got it first) and I know nothing about Margaret Pole.
And this can be read as a "stand on it's own."
The setting for the story is 15th Century England, a time that England was rife with grim realities and marriages and politics and a woman who plays the game as needed to survive, yet holds onto her personal values.
Margaret's story opens with King Henry VII, imprisoning then beheading her brother then marrying Margaret off to Sir Richard Pole the governor of Wales.
Margaret lives quietly with her husband, but keeps the knowledge of an ancient curse on the House of Lancaster.
Was this true? Who knows?
But it worked for me this curse put on the future Tudor sons.
When Prince Arthur and his bride Katherine of Aragon visit, Margaret befriends the newlyweds and becomes Arthur's guardian from a promise she made to Queen Elizabeth.
After Arthur's death, Katherine honors his wish that she wed his brother Henry VIII.
Margaret now must navigate a dangerous court and keep herself, and her husband and sons safe. Because who know's what lies in the heart of a fickle King?
I really enjoyed the story.
I felt it was more told in the hearts and minds of people, rather than dates and wars.
But there was just enough historical background to give the reader a glimpse of what events led to what.
I really liked Margaret Pole, to me she made the story here.
I did not care for Katherine in this story as I have in others, I found her rather conniving.
And yes, there are a few of the usual Philippa Gregory quibbles that I hear about in the story but they didn't bother me, and I just listened to Margaret's story being told.
So.. I may just start with the first book sometime in the future.

[Wilja Wiedenhöft · Rating 2 out of 5]

nicht mein Lieblingsteil. war sehr langatmig, erinnerte mich an The last Tudor.
Es ist der Übergangsteil zwischen den Rosenkriegen und den Tudors. muss man nicht gelesen haben.

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The King's Curse is, once more, a retelling of the reign of Henry VIII. This time the narrator is Margaret Pole, last of the Plantagenet line. The Plantagenets had been the ruling house until they were overthrown by Henry VII of House Tudor.

Margaret must walk a very thin line as her past family relationships cause her to be the object of Henry's paranoid actions. As relatives from Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, to her own son, Reginald, conspire and are executed, Maragret goes from the coveted position as the governess of Princess Mary to becoming the object of Thomas Cromwell's ire. In the end, it was "off with her head".

While similar to Gregory's other novels, the change in perspective gives a new feel to the story of Henry the VIII's rule. At once enlightening historically and entertaining to read-this is a great book for anyone interested in the Tudor period.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last book in the Cousin's War series and a very good way to end. Using Margaret Pole as her narrator created the opportunity forma somewhat wider view of this period. As she was Elizabeth of York's cousin and guardian to the young couple Catherine of Aragón and the Prince of Wales. Later lady in waiting to Queen Catherine. Royal in her own right she led a stressful life, tight roping her way between first Henry the seventh and then the whims of his infantile son when he became king.

It also provided the chance to see a different view of the conspiracies in play, and the reactions of the people working the land. In particular their hatred of Henry and his treatment of the monasteries. Though at one time loved, Henry of course became much hated but always feared.

Of course I knew how it all ended, nevertheless this book did capture and hold my interest, ably taking me back to this time period.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars (very minor spoilers)- I have conflicted feelings about this book. It starts strong and it ends strong but pages 200-500 are a long, boring, redundant mess.

I found Margaret Pole interesting at first. I would be interested to learn more about her actual life. However, I think the author wrote her too wishy washy and not very like-able.

For example- she doesn't seem to like or appreciate her husband until after he's gone. At which point she says how wonderful and what a good husband he was. Also, she sends one son away. Understandable the first time, but as she continues to keep him away from the family I can't help but wonder why she would keep a boy, who so clearly wants to come home, away? How can she not even attempt to bring him home? How can she continue to encourage him to do "what's best" when he doesn't like it or desire it at all? She often reminds me of Mrs. Bennett from Pride & Prejudice- using her children for her own benefit and nothing else.

Aside from that she often talks about how powerful her family once was or currently is, but she never really seems to do anything about it. I understand surviving to fight another day but she just never seems to really fight. She talks about it a lot, but never does anything. Quite frankly it was exhausting to read because by page 300 I knew nothing she thought or felt mattered because she wasn't going to do anything about anything. Why bother even complaining about a fate you have so obviously accepted?

My last complaint about this book is something I think could have been easily fixed and made the book a better read. I once read that when a writer revises their work, they should take out any and all writing that does not advance the story. Gregory didn't do this and the book suffered immensely for it. I remember reading one "chapter" which was essentially: "The summer had returned and with it the sweats. The king is on the run from the Tudor disease again." Or the fourth detailed account of Katherine's fourth dead baby. (Seriously? Have I not read this exact story three times already?) I was dangerously close to giving the book up at that point. This was pointless. This seems to make up the entire middle of the book. Absolutely pointless words that add nothing to the story.

All that aside- I did enjoy some parts of it. I thought Katherine or Aragon and her daughter were well written and I wish there had been more of them in the book. The details of the period are well written and I appreciated that as well. If the book had been trimmed down by summarizing some of the less relevant plot details I'd have appreciated it much more. (As a point of reference- I actually enjoy long books that tell detailed and complex stories- but I guess I just can't appreciate detail for detail's sake. I don't know- it just didn't work here.)

[Karen’s Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very lucky to have received an ARC from Touchstone in exchange for an honest review.

This final book in The Cousin’s War epic series by Philippa Gregory is told from the POV of Lady Margaret Pole, daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, who was executed for treason by his own brother, King Edward IV. Lady Pole is a beloved cousin to King Henry VIII’s mother, Queen Elizabeth of York, but because of her royal blood, seeks to stay in the background so as to draw as little attention to herself and her children as possible because of their Plantaganent bloodline and the fact that they are contenders to the throne. Her innocent brother was executed as a young man just because of his royal blood.

This fascinating insight of a member of the royal family during the Tudor Period was absolutely riveting and I could barely put this book down. I’ve read some of the books of Ms. Gregory’s The Tudor Court series and loved getting a fresh perspective of this engrossing time period. I am scrambling to read the rest of The Tudor Court now as I am hopelessly addicted to Philippa Gregory’s writing and her enthralling world of the Yorks, Lancasters and finally, the Tudors.

I absolutely loved this epic finish to this series and am saddened that this is the final book in this particular series. Well done, Ms. Gregory!!

[Kara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, it’s not quite a clip show.

Rather than straight up clips assembled from all her other Plantagenet and Tudor Books, Gregory re-writes scenes from her books from the point of view of Lady Margaret Pole. If you’ve read her other books, you won’t get anything you haven’t already read, just tweaked a little to try and convince us Gregory wrote something new.

On the one hand, yes Lady Margaret lived through a lot of events, and, even if she was not a personal witness of everything, she would have been highly aware of the tumultuous times she was unlucky enough to be part of.

(Personally, I think she should have caught the first boat for France after her dad was executed and spent the rest of her life hanging out with her aunt in civilized Burgundy – but hey, hindsight is 20/20, right?)

On the other hand, covering her entire life means there is little in the way of a plot arch – just one bad thing after another happens to her, all leading up to a death that gives her a place in the footnotes of history as Henry VIII’s oldest victim of his judicial murders – and the only one to not go quietly into that good night.

That scene, actually, was one of the few interesting scenes as we see what goes through her head and the courage it takes to simply say ‘no.’

But sadly, one well written scene does not a good book make.

[Sean Barrs · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a poor conclusion to a disproportionate series in terms of quality. The Red Queen was fantastic, The White Queen was enthralling but the Kingmakers daughter was bland. The White Princess sat somewhere in the middle whereas this was just uninspiring.

Perhaps I am fed up with Philippa Gregory’s bland tone or perhaps I’ve just read too many of her books. This felt rushed: King Henry goes from young promising King to brutal tyrant in a few hundred pages. With the first three books we have three perspectives all at the same time, it may be one per book but it captures the wholes plot not just one arc.

The plot from this book is as follows:



Loyal to Tudor-Scared of Henry-Convinces him of innocence- Loyal to Tudor- Scared of Henry- Decides to plot-Excecuted.

I don’t think I’ve cared less about a protagonists death in a book more than this one. Take it from someone who loved the rest of the series has a whole: This is a let-down.

[Tucinkata · Rating 4 out of 5]

"— Трябва да приемете онова положение в живота, което Бог ви дава — напомням й тихо.
— Не го приемам.
— Ваша светлост, вие претърпяхте огромна загуба, но трябва да приемете съдбата си. Бог изисква от всички ни да приемем съдбата си. Навярно Бог повелява да се примирите? — предполагам.
— Не повелява — заявява тя твърдо."

"— Знаеш ли, понякога си мисля за Тауър като за наш семеен дом — казва той много тихо, толкова тихо, че едва го чувам. — Най-старото и най-истинското седалище на семейството ни. И че гробището на Тауър е нашият семеен гроб, гробницата на Плантагенетите, накъдето в крайна сметка всички сме се запътили."

[Sofialibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Herdeira dos Plantageneta, Margarida, foi sempre vista como uma ameaça e é sempre mantida por perto mas longe, foi também muitas vezes tratada de forma injusta, no entanto, sempre leal, com uma fé inabalável e com uma capacidade para se reerguer fora de série.
Foi dama de companhia e muito próxima de Catarina de Aragão, o que levou a que fosse muitas vezes, durante toda a sua vida, a ser confrontada sobre a quem prestar lealdade.
 
Esta é a parte da história que nos traz um Henrique VIII tirano, inseguro, muitas vezes com medo, inconsequente, sem piedade, mulherengo, instável, brutal e corrupto. Sobre o jovem e belo príncipe, visto como salvador do país, que se transformou num velho gordo, sozinho, à sombra de uma maldição, é também a história do verdadeiro déspota.
 
Margarida, apesar de não ter tido uma vida tão interessante como todas as outras mulheres que conhecemos até agora, é homenageada neste livro num tributo a esta e a todas as mulheres que recusam aceitar o castigo que lhes é imposto de forma injusta e cruel.
 
Não foi dos livros que me cativou mais, arrastei a leitura durante algum tempo, embora já não seja a primeira vez que a Gregory repete a mesma parte da história sob outro ponto de vista, desta vez infelizmente não achei a vida da Margarida Pole tão interessante assim, embora tenha acabado por perceber toda a relevância da personagem no final.