Author: Philippa Gregory
Published: 2011, Touchstone
Rating: 5/5
This is Gregory's latest novel which came out on October 18, 2011. It is the last installment in The Cousins' War and is one of her more powerful works.
Jacquetta has a power forbidden by the society she is born into. She has the gift of the Second Sight. As she watches Joan of Arc burn she realizes the deadly dangers for women who are different or even dare to think. After her first husband dies she marries his squire, Richard Woodville, for love and a simple life. However, they soon find themselves trusted friends of Henry VI and his young queen. As the royal family crumbles with the king's mental illness Jacquetta fears for her family and England. Unable to continue their support to the house of Lancaster, Richard and Jacquetta swear allegiance to the house of York. While she wished for a simple life herself, she dares to hope for much more for her children.
Gregory has reached a new depth in this novel. She pulls her readers into Jacquetta's world and will keep them reading with each scene. One of Gregory's strongest craft elements in this novel was her scenes. Each is fascinating in its own way and the reader will want to know even more what's going to happen as the years pass in the novel. My personal favorite scene takes place when Richard Woodville is teaching Jacquetta to ride a horse. While she is bound to her life, the reader senses Jacquetta's strong desire to be free as the galloping horse. Yet, her horse is bound to nobly serve her mistress. The two are more alike than some could perhaps know or understand.
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