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The Lady of the Rivers  By  cover art

The Lady of the Rivers

By: Philippa Gregory
Narrated by: Bianca Amato
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Publisher's summary

Passion. Danger. Witchcraft....

The Lady of the Rivers is number-one New York Times best-selling author Philippa Gregory’s remarkable story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, a woman who navigated a treacherous path through the battle lines in the Wars of the Roses.

Descended from Melusina, the river goddess, Jacquetta always has had the gift of second sight. As a child visiting her uncle, she met his prisoner, Joan of Arc, and saw her own power reflected in the young woman accused of witchcraft. They share the mystery of the tarot card of the wheel of fortune before Joan is taken to a horrific death at the hands of the English rulers of France. Jacquetta understands the danger for a woman who dares to dream.

Jacquetta is married to the Duke of Bedford, English regent of France, and he introduces her to a mysterious world of learning and alchemy. Her only friend in the great household is the duke’s squire, Richard Woodville, who is at her side when the duke’s death leaves her a wealthy young widow. The two become lovers and marry in secret, returning to England to serve at the court of the young King Henry VI, where Jacquetta becomes a close and loyal friend to his new queen.

The Woodvilles soon achieve a place at the very heart of the Lancaster court, though Jacquetta can sense the growing threat from the people of England and the danger of royal rivals. Not even their courage and loyalty can keep the House of Lancaster on the throne. Henry the king slides into a mysterious sleep; Margaret the queen turns to untrustworthy favorites for help; and Richard, Duke of York, threatens to overturn the whole kingdom for his rival dynasty.

Jacquetta fights for her king, her queen, and for her daughter, Elizabeth, for whom Jacquetta can sense an extraordinary and unexpected future: a change of fortune, the throne of England, and the white rose of York.

A sweeping, powerful story rich in passion and legend and drawing on years of research, The Lady of the Rivers tells the story of the real-life mother of the white queen.

©2011 Philippa Gregory (P)2011 Simon and Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

“Sexy… scandalous… smart.” ( Redbook)
“Gregory is a consummate historical author.” ( Historical Novels Review)
“Confident, colorful, convincing, and full of conflict, betrayal, and political maneuvering.” ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about The Lady of the Rivers

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Exceptional!!

Exceptional!
Wonderful interpretation of history mixed with the writers personal interpretation of a true lady.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great Book

Love the book. I love history and fitting it together. Wonderful book and narration. There were a couple of hiccups but they were barely noticeable.

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What an interesting person

Philippa Gregory does a great job of putting you in the shoes of Jaquetta and making you feel the time and place. It’s a longish book so especially in audio it’s possible to become a bit bogged down by the story but otherwise I really liked it very much . the narrator is great . she has the right level of emotion and she does different voices wonderfully well I would recommend this book for anyone interested in historical fiction and the Tudor period

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great series

I love this series.. very rich in historical context and character.
The reader is very good and nice to listen to.

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Great books

I enjoy listening to these books in chronological order. Philippa Gregory has a way of making you feel like you are a part of the story.

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book crack

i love english history and have read the white queen in one night in highschool so decided to start from the begging and was not disappointed. see title.

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Loved it

This was a wonderful book that was interesting and a perfect length. I would recommend it as the beginning book in this series.

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Best! Wow! Amazing!

Love this book. I will read again and again. So excited to start the next book. Even more excited to know how long this series is!

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Fiction based in the past

Not to be confused with actual history, but loosely based around historical events. Very good story. Characters feel real and I love that the narrators are female. The characters have good archs, not overly complex, easy listen. Narrator does a great job. Clear quality recording. Series is fun and entertaining. I love how each book is a continuation but completely new too. I enjoyed this prequel to The White Queen.

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  • 03-27-23

My favorite!

I have probably listened to this book over 20 times and it never gets old. I love so many quotes she has and the reader of the book is my favorite person to listen to. I wish they would make a movie of this one.

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