White Queen

By: Philippa Gregory

Narrated by: Susan Lyons

Length: 15 hrs

Publisher's summary

Brother turns on brother. The throne of England is at stake. The deadly Wars of the Roses have begun....

They ruled England before the Tudors, and now internationally best-selling author Philippa Gregory brings the Plantagenets to life through the dramatic and intimate stories of the secret players: the indomitable women.

Elizabeth Woodville, a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition, secretly marries the newly crowned boy king of England. While she rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for the success of her family, her two sons become the central figures in a famous unsolved mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the lost princes in the Tower of London.

Philippa Gregory brings the artistry and intellect of a master writer and storyteller to a new era in history and begins what is sure to be another best-selling classic series.

©2009 Philippa Gregory (P)2011 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"It would be hard to make history more entertaining, lively or engaging." ( Sunday Express)

"Queen of the historical novel." ( Mail on Sunday)

"Gregory brings to life the sights, smells and textures of 16th-century England." ( Financial Times)

Can't wait to see what's happens next.

I think that she does a great job of mixing fact with story. I found myself thinking about the book when I was doing other things. I differently got involved in their lives. Excellent read.

Brings history to life

Loved the narrator. Enjoyed the story -- one I was not familiar with. Of course, much is fictionalized or conjecture based on letters, documents, legend, but Philippa Gregory did her research, and the story was entertaining, bringing the 15th Century to life.

Ms. Gregory seems to have a writing style that occasionally repeats certain phrases. Not sure if this works better in print by using visual separation (maybe chapter or paragraph breaks) then tying back with the repeated phrase -- but it's a little clunky in an audio book. In fact once or twice I thought I'd accidentally hit pause and repeat. This became a minor issue, but I did wonder if she thought maybe we weren't paying attention thus her need to remind us of certain things.

Repetition aside, I loved the story so much, I'm downloading the next in the Cousins War series ("The Red Queen") as I type this review.

This series was not written in chronological order. If you don't like jumping around your timeline of monarchs in medieval England and want to read them chronologically, then it's suggested to start with "Lady of the Rivers" (Book 3), then "The White Queen" (Book 1), and "The Red Queen" (Book 2). Then, follow the order they were written with Book 4 ("The Kingmaker's Daughter") and Book 5 ("The White Princess"). I didn't do that, and I've survived just fine.

Another great story from P.G.

If you love the Tudor Dynasty then this is a must read. The White Queen is a dynamic love story with a "can do" attitude.

Easy to listen to, great story.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is the way we should teach & learn history. Not just painless, but enjoyable.

Have you listened to any of Susan Lyons’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't, but look forward to hearing more from her.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, too long.

Can't wait to read the next one...

Would you listen to White Queen again? Why?

Yes, love the writing style, it grabbed my attention during the first few minutes of the first chapter.

Who was your favorite character and why?

None, but enjoyed it as a whole.

Have you listened to any of Susan Lyons’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was the first one.

Boring

Any additional comments?

I'm not sure how they made a series out of this book. I like Phillipa Gregory's books for the most part. This one was just boring, waiting around, nothing going on. Skip this one.

Great story

I saw the “White Queen” series on TV and was curious about the book. The author paints such a beautiful picture of life then.

Great

Great book and great listen I highly recommend this and all of her books and stories!

Love it!

I love This series!it is very engaging and illuminates the imagination. I bc like the person voice who narrates the story

Prep for Starz Drama

Elizabeth Woodville a strong, ambitious commoner marries Plantagent King Edward for love. The York family featured in this book is part of Gregory’s “Cousins War” series exploring the War of the Roses from different sides. This was my first book in the series and while I enjoyed learning a little history while being entertained, I won’t read any of the others immediately; maybe at a later date. All Philippa Gregory books I’ve read are interesting, a little fact mixed with fiction, drama, intrigue, and love interests blended in a standard formula. You can enjoy and multitask simultaneously. Narrator delivers a solid performance with strong voice for Elizabeth and moves seamlessly between other characters.

Starz miniseries “The White Queen” airs in August exploring the stories of Elizabeth, Margaret Beaufort, and Anne Neville. Listening has given me enough background to prep and hopefully enjoy the new series. Reports thus far give the drama good marks and name Rebecca Ferguson as a possible breakout star. This book was worth my credit.