On a whim I decided to read Philippa Gregory's main series in chronological reading order. I figured that this would be a good way to a) catch up on her series as I've only read a book here and there and b) read about some of my husband's direct ancestors (yay genealogy research!). I thought that this first novel (not Gregory's first but, rather, first in the timeline) was...just ok. I'd probably rate it about a 2.5 if I were being honest. At the end of the day there just isn't that much historically available about Jacquetta of Luxembourg. In fact, most of the novel seemed to just be a vehicle for glossing over the first part of the War of the Roses. And "glossing" is the best word for it. Gregory slams a WHOLE bunch of factoids into one paragraph...too much, really. There are sections of the book that just seem like info dumps (one of my pet peeves). Gregory stuck Jacquetta in the back of a room somewhere and...BAM...we've dropped a whole bunch of history-ish facts down that she's "observed" or "overheard". The parts concerning Henry's illness were interesting...as were the interactions between Margaret d'Anjou and Jacquetta. I'm just not sure if the random interesting bits make up for the info dumps and the feeling that this was all just an extended introduction to her "real" books on this era in history -- The White Queen and The Red Queen and following. And, since The Lady of the Rivers was really just an introduction, I think Gregory stops the book prematurely (with Elizabeth going out to meet King Edward on the road...which is where, I believe, The White Queen picks up) as Jacquetta still has a few more documented things to experience. I am sure Gregory addresses these other things in the later book, however, I don't believe the later books are from Jacquetta's viewpoint as this one was. This is a jumbled review...the TLDR of it is this: an "OK" book heavy on the info dumps that appears to exist only because her other books on the series sold well. It's missing that "spark" that are in some of her other works. Rating:
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