The White Queen

By: Philippa Gregory

Narrated by: Bianca Amato

Length: 6 hrs

Publisher's Summary

BROTHER TURNS ON BROTHER to win the ultimate prize, the throne of England, in this dazzling account of the wars of the Plantagenets. They are the claimants and kings who ruled England before the Tudors, and now Philippa Gregory brings them to life through the dramatic and intimate stories of the secret players: the indomitable women, starting with Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen.

The White Queen tells the story of a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition who, catching the eye of the newly crowned boy king, marries him in secret and ascends to royalty. While Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for the success of her family, her two sons become central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the missing princes in the Tower of London whose fate is still unknown. From her uniquely qualified perspective, Philippa Gregory explores this most famous unsolved mystery of English history, informed by impeccable research and framed by her inimitable storytelling skills.

With The White Queen, 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 from this beloved author.

©2009 Philippa Gregory Limited (P)2009 Simon & Schuster

Fiction with Bonuses

The White Queen reminds me of a fairy-tail because of the alleged magic use. I read The Red Queen first so I found it quite fascinating when the stories and scenes intersected.

In response to the book's historical usefulness, I agree with Catherine's "Be Fair" comment. I do not speak for all Americans but, for many, keeping track of Britain's history consisted mostly of studying for school tests in the distant past.

To draw a parallel, when the television series The Tudors debuted, the critics repeated how the history was "bastardized" and "Americanized." Maybe this is true; however, I found the subject fascinating enough to look up the history (and stumble across a review all but equating "bastardized" and "Americanized").

I am still intrigued by Britain's history. I am not expert enough to read the books wished for by other commentators that are full of historical facts, as I do understand all of Gregory's references; however, I am interested and am exploring. I appreciate learning about Britain's history while listening to an intriguing work of fiction.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Enjoyable

I found this listen to be an enjoyable introduction to the history of the war of the roses. I couldn't resist looking up the history and family tree online after finishing the book.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Not the full book?!

Not sure what is left out, but this seems to be abridged and based on the Starz tv show. Very disappointed. Should be a disclaimer stating it’s abridged. I want full books!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Be fair.

This is a historical novel written primarily for a female audience by the woman who brought us The Other Boleyn Girl. It is not non-fiction. Of course it tends towards the romantic. It isn't fair to expect too much more from it. Elizabeth Woodville as a whole wasn't Elizabeth I or Anne Boleyn...or even Mary, Queen of Scots. Those women, even impulsive Mary, were women who DID things in history. Elizabeth Woodville had a great deal done TO her. You can't compare her story to theirs.
As such I thought this was a fairly good introduction to the story of the War of the Roses. Not great, but interesting. I was always interested in the princes in the tower. I hope Gregory takes the story through to the Tudor era. It would be interesting for a few books to focus on the time prior to Henry VIII.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Well done and quite enjoyable

Would you listen to The White Queen again? Why?

Actually, I have. The story is captivating and the reading is well done. Having listened to The Red Queen, it was interesting to experience the story from the other side.

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

Biancs Amato read The Red Queen. She read both stories with the same ease and cadence. Her committment to each of the main characters and her emotional involvement with them was believable and added to the story overall.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

About one of Henry the VIIIs grandmothers

This is the story of one of Henry the VIII's grandmothers. It is somewhat melodramatically read. But if you are interested in this period, I think you will like it.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

I was enthralled

I love the historical novels of Philippa Gregory. I just want to live there. It would take a great misstep for me not to automatically love a new Philippa Gregory novel, so I know I'm biased. I just find her novels fascinating, and so enjoyable to read or to play as an audiobook. I

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

short romance novel

The reader did a great job, but the novel itself amounted to a short romance. I expected more character development, more history, and a more complex set of characters.

19 of 25 people found this review helpful

rehash

I have read a number of Gregory's books, this was an uninspired rehash of the others, without emotion,detail or life..a waste..read the Other Boleyn Girl instead..

4 of 7 people found this review helpful

Not her best work.

I've been a fan of this author for several years, and some of her books are amazing. Unfortunately, this is not one of them.

This book was annoying and tedious almost from the beginning. The protagonist, Elizabeth, is one of the least sympathetic and most frustrating I've encountered. Her ambition and greed are so great that they are disturbing.

I do not know how much of this book is "historical" and how much is "fiction," but I was aware of the disappearance of the two princes imprisoned in the Tower of London by their uncle Richard. This novel addresses the confusion and controversy about their fates, but seems to take no definite stand on what actually happened, which is fine. The problem is that the protagonist, their mother, seems to care about her sons only in their capacity as heirs to the throne, and I can't imagine that that was actually the case. I know it's a work of fiction, but I truly despised this character.