The White Princess: Cousins' War 5

I bought this book after first seeing the TV series. As is the case with most books that have been adapted for the big or small screen, I expected the book to be the better format. I was looking for a less sensational - albeit fictional - account of historic events in the context of the eventually happy marriage between King Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth of York. This book isn't it. King Henry VII comes across as immature and petulant. If you're expecting a transformation in his character as the story progresses (similar to how this is depicted in the TV series), you will be very disappointed. He is unlikeable throughout the book. This contributes to making the book rather tiresome - quite an achievement since this is a rather exciting time in England's history.

If you like historic fiction bases on facts (faction) the this is a brilliant series. There are 6 books and, although each book stands alone, if you are going to read all 6 you should/must read them in the right order. Lady of the Rivers, White Queen, Red Queen, Kingmakers daughter, White Princess and Kings Curse. I found each difficult to put down. They all look at the same period of history but each from the view of different women of the time. They are a brilliant read. Each is a great story, brilliantly told, based on historical facts and not a little imagination. Highly recommended.

I really disliked the portrayal of Henry as a rapist. Quite nasty of the author to do that without proper references.Henry and Elizabeth have been held up as a loving family, and for the author to change this without evidence is quite unpleasant.I don't believe Margaret Beaufort would have in any way suggested her son rape his bride..Also the dialogue is terrible. It's nothing like Phillipa's early work. So repetitive and going nowhere.There is NOTHING about Elizabeth of York after the Perkin Warbeck and we know from other works how devoted they were...Don't read this. Read Judith Arnopp or Samantha Wilkinson.

The fifth in the cousins war series.This book concentrates on Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Elizabeth Woodville(the White Queen) and Edward IV and sister of the princes in the tower.She is a young woman caught between her own mother's rebellious ambitions and her domineering mother- in- law, mother of Henry VII. It is essential for Princess Elizabeth to bear children for the Tudor dynasty and unite the white rose of York with the red rose of Lancaster. Henry brutally makes sure of a pregnancy as soon as their betrothal is arranged.Elizabeth loathes him for killing her beloved uncle, Richard III( remains dug up in Leicester car park very recently)with whom she had been having an affair. The tensions between the main characters are maintained by the possibility that one of Elizabeth's missing, presumed murdered brothers, survived under the guise of Perkin Warbeck. This claim became a threat to Henry VII, dividing loyalties and challenging Elizabeth's husband's and childrens' right to inherit the throne of England.Enjoy this book for what it is,an entertaining romp through history, there are times when it is acceptable to be more interesting than accurate.There is a good bibliography at the end of the book for those who want more to read more scholarly views on the historical accuracy.j

I can't recommend this book enough- I was riveted from start to finish . The author backs up her theories on the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower with the evidence/ opinions of dozens of historical texts and books - in particular the romance between RICHARD and his niece Elizabeth. Why would she love a man who murdered her brothers ? Far more likely that Henry VII and his mother did the deed - they had so much more to gain. All of this is entwined in a riveting story that the author paints of the war between the two houses through the eyes of Elizabeth. A must buy.