Philippa Gregory

[Brian G Turner]

Has anyone here read any of Philippa Gregory's novels?

I noticed there are a number based around the Tudor period, but also one called the White Queen that is based on Elizabeth Woodville in the Wars of the Roses!

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I read the Other Boleyn Girl, and quite enjoyed it. I'm not hugely into historical fiction, though, but she managed to keep the narrative flowing very well, and I'd reccommend it.

 

[Anne Lyle]

I enjoyed "The Constant Princess", which is about Catherine of Aragon, but found "The Virgin's Lover" (Elizabeth I and Dudley) a bit too focused on the romance. I was expecting more about the death of Dudley's wife in allegedly suspicious circumstances, but it was relegated to a chapter or so at the end.

(Personally I don't think it was suspicious. I reckon she committed suicide, but the stigma against it was so strong back then that juries often brought in a verdict of accidental death to spare the family the shame of such an accusation, as well as a burial of their loved one in non-consecrated ground.)

 

[Lady of Winterfell]

Yes, I've read 8 of her books so far. I have enjoyed her Tudor books more than the War of the Roses, but they certainly aren't bad.

 

[Nesacat]

I've read several of her books, the latest being The Other Boleyn Girl and enjoyed them all. She's keeps things moving along well and the books make for very easy reading. I have not read War of the Roses but I did like her Tudor books.

 

[Ivanya]

I realise this topic is fairly old now, but on the subject of Philippa Gregory, I remember greatly enjoying "Wideacre" when I was younger. Not exactly material a fourteen year old should have been reading, but I seem to recall it being one of the first historical novels I'd read where the heroine wasn't some struggling young woman where the whole thing played out with predictable cliches. In fact, having just looked it up, I can tell you Wikipedia says it was her first novel. Worth a read.

 

[jastius]

ii think she is an amazing author. i loved reading her books especially the other boleyn girl, until they made the movie.. which sort of spoiled it..

 

[svalbard]

I haven't read any of her books, but watched the White Queen on BBC a few months back. I imagine her books are better than TV adaption

 

[JoanDrake]

Tudor Queens, Wars of the Roses, Richard I galloping all over and letting King John screw the whole country.

You seem such sensible people in other ways. Why didn't you just behead the lot about the same time the French did? Would have really simplified the whole Napoleon business as he'd have had no real legitimate reason for a war with you and would probably have revealed himself as the megalomaniacal little **** he was a lot sooner. Instead you still have them, and they cost you about a billion or so annually for a nice speech or two.

 

[thaddeus6th]

Not my bag of monkeys, but I think (a few years ago) I bought a few of her books for my mother, and she liked them.

Joan, actually the Civil List (expenditure from the Treasury to fund royal activities) is dwarfed by income from the Crown Estates (property of the monarch, technically, but the profits of which are delivered straight to the Treasury due to a deal George III made with... er someone. Maybe Pitt the Younger).

 

[paranoid marvin]

Tudor Queens, Wars of the Roses, Richard I galloping all over and letting King John screw the whole country.

You seem such sensible people in other ways. Why didn't you just behead the lot about the same time the French did? Would have really simplified the whole Napoleon business as he'd have had no real legitimate reason for a war with you and would probably have revealed himself as the megalomaniacal little **** he was a lot sooner. Instead you still have them, and they cost you about a billion or so annually for a nice speech or two.

Actually the aristos of the day were really rather worried that we would do exactly that. The honest answer is that us Brits will moan about things but very rarely get off our butts to actually do anything about it.

Whether it's a President or a King at the top makes really little difference. In any country there will always be the 1% at the top of the scale that share 90% of the nation's wealth and power between them.

As for Gregory, although a love historical drama, her style of writing doesn't appeal to me. Perhaps I'm too accustomed to Bernard Cornwell's style to like anything too dissimilar. I do like CJ Sansom's Shardlake series though which is set in Tudor times.

 

[Gramm838]

Wasn't it the Holy Mrs T who told one of the French Presidents something like "we had a revolution 100 years before you, but then realised it was a very bad idea"?

In any case, in medieval times we expected the peasantry to become rather good with a longbow, but they never turned on the aristocracy

 

[paranoid marvin]

Wasn't it the Holy Mrs T who told one of the French Presidents something like "we had a revolution 100 years before you, but then realised it was a very bad idea"?

In any case, in medieval times we expected the peasantry to become rather good with a longbow, but they never turned on the aristocracy

In my opinion one of the main reasons that the French had a revolution and we didn't is that we had a Parliament more than able to curtail the more extreme excesses of the monarchy whilst the French did not. Rather than have a peasant's revolution we had a 'Glorious Revolution' where Parliament showed that they could depose a monarch not in favour and replace him with someone they deemed more suitable; and every monarch after knew it.

 

[nixie]

I've read a number of her books, on a par with Jean Plaidy enjoyable but not thought provoking. Not as good as Sharon Penman.

 

[SevenStars]

I have read some of her books, have to say they were just okayish.