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    The Lady of the Rivers
    The Lady of the Rivers
    The Lady of the Rivers
    Audiobook19 hours

    The Lady of the Rivers

    Written by Philippa Gregory

    Narrated by Bianca Amato

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    #1 New York Times bestselling author and “queen of royal fiction” (USA TODAY) Philippa Gregory brings to life the story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, a woman of passion and of legend who navigated a treacherous path through the battle lines in the War of the Roses to bring her family unimaginable power.

    When the young and beautiful Jacquetta is married to the older Duke of Bedford, English regent of France, 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 has visions of the growing threat from the people of England and the danger of their royal York rivals. Jacquetta fights for her king and queen, as she sees an extraordinary and unexpected future for her daughter Elizabeth: a change of fortune, the white rose of York, and the throne of England…
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateOct 18, 2011
    ISBN9781442344136
    The Lady of the Rivers
    Author

    Philippa Gregory

    Philippa Gregory is an internationally renowned author of historical novels. She holds a PhD in eighteenth-century literature from the University of Edinburgh. Works that have been adapted for television include A Respectable Trade, The Other Boleyn Girl and The Queen's Fool. The Other Boleyn Girl is now a major film, starring Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and Eric Bana. Philippa Gregory lives in the North of England with her family.

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    Reviews for The Lady of the Rivers

    4.5/5

    247 ratings51 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I have been listening to this series of books on audio, and let me tell you, I am so glad that I have chosen this method. Amata has done most of the narrating in the series so far and she doesn't fail to nail the characters every time! You get a glimpse of Jacquetta in previous installments so it was interesting to see things from her point of view this time.When Jacquetta is just a young girl, one of her aunts sees a special gift in her. A mysterious gift that has been attained by many females in the family. Jacquetta will spend years learning to harness her powers to help herself and her entire family. Although the book touched on this subject it wasn't overwhelming as it really was a small but important element of the story. It did help to clarify events from the previous installments though.From the previous books I had labeled Jacquetta to be a heartless and cruel woman, but this novel proved her to be the exact opposite. She was a passionate woman who would do anything to protect those she loves. And the love she declared for her mate was proved countless times, with the many children they had together. Although this is part of a series, I think this book would also be fine as a stand alone novel. I did enjoy this audiobook, but it probably is my least favorite so far, but maybe that's because Jacquetta is my least favorite character! With themes of love, family, and war, you may enjoy this book just as much, if not more, than I did. I recommend this novel for either personal leisure or as a book club selection.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      This book tells the story of Jacquetta of Luxembourg, briefly the wife of the John, Duke of Bedford, uncle to Henry VI and then of Richard Woodville, his squire. I thought the prose unremarkable, but the story moved right along, especially considering that Jacquetta is not one of the really major characters in this saga.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      The first book in the Wars of the Roses focusing on the life of jacquetta. Absolutely superbly told!
    • 5/5
      This book was an amazing love story that lasts despite wars between friends and familial bonds. The focus of the story is on Jacquetta de Pol, a noblewoman of the house of Luxemburg and her marriage of to the Duke of Bedford. This raises Jacquetta to the highest ranking woman in English held France. The story follows Jacquetta to England as the Dowager Duchess carves out a new life for herself with the love of her life, Richard Woodville. As Duchess of Bedford, Jacquetta is endebted to serve her Brother-In-Law, King Henry VI and his Bride, Margaret of Valois.
    • 4/5
      The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory; (4*)The story of Jacquetta (Lady Rivers) is so interesting that it is surprising she has been quite lost to history. She was a Frenchwoman who married the most powerful Duke in England and goes to live in the country who which was the enemy of her homeland. Jacquetta goes on to break every rule and marries for love, influencing the kingdom as one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting. And all of this before her daughter became Queen of England.Jacquetta was the mother of Elizabeth Woodville and is a fascinating woman to read about. She appears right in the middle of the War of the Roses & history dictated the role she was to play. I had never heard of her before reading The White Queen. I felt I wanted to know more about her as she has been my favorite character in this series. This book describes a time in England's history that is difficult to imagine and fills in a good deal of information missing from the other books of the series.I quite enjoyed it.
    • 4/5
      The last of the selection of library books I offered up to my reading group, not chosen, but I read them all anyway. I was happy with the lot except one which has not been reviewed as I gave up - yes - gave up! This is my second Philippa Gregory, the first being The Other Boleyn Girl which of course was made into a film. I thought this was a much better novel. I loved the 'other worldly' interest of second sight and alchemy. Of course, astrology was used in those days alongside belief in herbology. However, it had to be hidden as many believed it to be the power of witchcraft. The book starts with our heroine, Jacquetta meeting Joan of Arc before she was taken and burnt at the stake in Rouen, accused of witchcraft.The book follows Jacquetta's rise to a place at the court of King Henry VI, and she spends many years as a close confidante of his queen Margaret of Anjou. It is a story of love, civil war between the Yorks (white rose) and the Lancaster's (red rose) and betrayal. Gregory has researched her history well and points out in the Author's notes that there is no biography of Jacquetta and the author has written the book using what historical fact she has found and combined it with fiction. This combination works well and is proof to me why Ms Gregory is such a popular author of historical fiction.
    • 3/5
      Descended from Melusina, the river goddess, Jacquetta has always had the gift of second sight. As a child visiting her uncle, she meets his prisoner, Joan of Arc, and recognizes her own power 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. Married to the Duke of Bedford, English Regent of France, Jacquetta is introduced by him 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.My Thoughts:What I can never deny about PG is the research. The books are full of historical detail and are always a pleasure to read. I do find however that they can be a bit longwinded and I do find that I can easily become slightly bored.This book isn?t one of favourites in the series. I found I enjoyed ?The White Queen? and the others I have plodded through. I think the reason being is that I am been told the same story but from the view point of a different person, and I am reading the same thing.I did enjoy the mystical element in this one and the fact that Jacquetta can read the cards, as I have an interest in tarot myself.The books are always well written and heavily researched and should appeal to anybody who likes history, but I just wish PG would leave alone this peroid now and move on. I am looking forward to the new BBC drama ?The White Queen? which is based on three of PG books.
    • 5/5
      I would give this more than five stars if I could! A superb book. The madness of Henry VI was brilliantly portrayed, as was the character of Maragret of Anjou. The slide into war is chilling, and I got to the point where I could scarcely turn the pages as I knew the Battle of Towton was looming. Having encountered Jacquetta in the previous two books it was good to have a novel told from her point of view.
    • 4/5
      A miandering tale definitely worth a listen tracing the wheel of fortune's turning for many intertwined lives.
    • 2/5
      When I read The White Queen a couple of months ago, I was immediately blown away by it. The War of the Roses was a new topic for me, Gregory was a new author for me and I just generally fell in love with it. My fascination with Gregory is starting to fade off, mostly because of this book. The Lady of the Rivers tells the story of Jaquetta of Luxemburg, the mother of Elizabeth Woodville (aka The White Queen), and her story is not that interesting to be honest.Jaquetta is basically used in this book to tell the story of Margaret d'Anjou and the beginning of the War of the Roses. In this way the author can imply, a lot of things about Margaret without really going into detail. An example, Margaret's relationship with the Duke of Somerset we never know if they are indeed lovers because we read everything from Jaquetta's POV, who also doesn't know. Jacquetta's first marriage is simply not interesting enough to hold your attention through out the first third of the book, and the author uses an alchemy and links it to Jacquetta's visions (rumor was that she had "powers") but again it's not substantial enough to hold the reader's interest. The book doesn't really grab your attention until you begin to see Margaret's struggles to remain queen of England. The first third of the story seems rather unnecessary and uninteresting.
    • 4/5
      The best of the series...so far. Really enjoyed it.
    • 4/5
      What can I say - another great book by Philippa Gregory which focuses on a woman at the centre of some of the most turbulent times in English history - Jacquetta of Luxembourg - lady in waiting and friend to Margaret of Anjou (wife of the Lancastrian King Henry VI) and mother of Elizabeth who married the York King Edward - fascinating, easy to read and well written.
    • 4/5
      Philippa Gregory, the well-known Queen of historical fiction, returns with another wonderful journey into the fascinating, though at time treacherous, times of the Cousins' War. This time, Gregory takes on the fairly-unknown Jacquetta, the long-time friend of Lancaster queen Margaret of Anjou and mother of Elizabeth Woodville, the wife of York king Edward, and main subject of "The White Queen."According to interviews and other conversations with Gregory I've read, her initial inspiration for the novel came during her research on Elizabeth Woodville, thus she decided to hold off on the previously planned third book, The White Princess, and make a small detour with Jacquetta's story. However, when Gregory went to research more thoroughly into Jacquetta's life, she found that virtually no research had been done, and that the only way for her to find the information she needed, was to conduct her own research into original source documents, which not only led to the creation of The Lady of the Rivers, but also to the creation of The Women of the Cousins' War, a non-fiction exploration of the three ladies Gregory has written on so far in the series.Jacquetta is quite possibly the most fascinating woman Gregory has explored thus far. Born into a well-to-do family in Luxembourg, Jacquetta grew up knowing that she was descended from the water goddess Melusina and related to much of European nobility. Married off to the Duke of Bedford, the English regent of France, Jacquetta finds a scholarly intellectual of a husband, though the two share no bonds of love. After her husband's death, Jacquetta dares to fall in love with a lowly squire, Richard Neville, and the pair marry in secret. Once the couple returns to England, Jacquetta carves out a place for herself at the court of Henry VI, and becomes a close friend to Queen of Anjou.After The White Queen, I was somewhat tired of the constant discussion of Melusina and medieval witchcraft, and was honestly not too excited to see that Gregory chose to have this same discussion again in Lady of the Rivers. Thankfully, it was not as large of a piece of the book as in White Queen, but I was still a little tired of it. Despite this, reading about Jacquetta's life felt like I was opening up a door to an unknown and unexplored life of passion, triumph, love and politics. I was particularly intrigued by the opening (though it likely never happened), when, as a young woman, Jacquetta meets Joan of Arc while visiting her uncle. Spending time with Joan had a profound impact on Jacquetta, introduced her to the horrible realities of life, and somewhat foreshadows Jacquetta's own destiny.Though it was a little sad to see Jacquetta becoming such close friends with the Lancasters, while knowing from The White Queen how she completely and somewhat shamelessly switches side later, Gregory weaves together another fascinating tale with her lovely, signature prose that's sure to please historical fiction fans.
    • 5/5
      Listened to this Wonderfull novel
      With so much well researched history
      I shall do so again
      Loved it
      So well read too
    • 4/5
      I found this book a bit boring in the beginning, but I really grew to love it. I will admit I had to do a lot of Googling to understand the history of the character Jacquetta and what was going on in the time period. Philippa did a great job making these characters come to life. I can see why the Plantagenets were interesting enough for her to write about. I can't wait to sink my teeth into the next book in the series (I'm reading them in chronological order).
    • 3/5
      I was surprised to see the story go backwards a generation in this third installment. It is just my personal preference for chronology I guess. But the characterization of the main players was great, as always. Much of the time that Jaquetta was waiting, I felt that I was waiting as well. The timing of the narrative seemed to stall as the war dragged on. Overall it was a good story and I am thrilled that we got to see so much of Jaquetta.
    • 4/5
      You pretty much know what you are going to get with Philippa Gregory, and if that's your cup of tea then "The Lady of the Rivers" won't be any different.This book tells the story of Jacquetta of Luxembourg (mother-in-law of King Edward IV), from her early life in France to her role as prominent friend and advisor to Margaret of Anjou during the Wars of the Roses.As with most of Gregory's work, you are getting historical fiction lite here. There's nothing wrong with that, but if you are looking for something more substantial then you will probably be disappointed. Gregory uses the historical record as a jumping-off point from which to build her characters, and she weaves in lots of mythology and magical elements.Overall, I enjoyed this book for what it was: an entertaining and light read about an intriguing time period and cast of characters.
    • 4/5
      Philippa Gregory is a bestselling author in historical fiction. The Lady of the Rivers is the third book in her The Cousins' War series. However, this is the first book written by Ms. Gregory that I have ever read. Even though it's the third of a series, the novel read fine as a stand-alone.It's obvious a lot of research went into the novel, as a lot of historical facts were presented. However, the book never feels like a history textbook. Ms. Gregory manages to bring the historical characters to life, each with their own personality. Of course, the idea that Jacquetta was psychic and/or could practice magic is up to each reader to believe or not on their own.The story flowed well, but not always at a brisk pace. The plot got a bit hung up with excessive detail where no real action was going on; such as traveling here and there, and Jacquetta having yet another child. All in all, I enjoyed this book and think anyone who reads historical fiction will as well. I will be reading more of her books!
    • 4/5
      Excellent! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Jacqueline, Lady Rivers and her husband are presented as very likable characters placed in a very bad position by the Lancastrian king and his queen that they serve, a very reluctant service at times as they can see the disaster looming in the future even without Lady River's second sight.
    • 4/5
      This book is told from the viewpoint of Jacquetta of Luxemburg, who became the Duchess of Bedford when she was 17, making her wife to the regent of England - the duke being uncle to Henry VI who was then too young to rule.The story covers the period of 1430-1464, thus it comprises of the times leading up to the Wars of the Roses, and the early years of these conflicts.When the duke dies not long after their marriage, the duchess "lowers" herself by marrying Sir Richard Woodville. Together they produce many children, one of whom - Elizabeth - grows up to marry Edward IV, so as their eldest daughter goes on to marry Henry VII, Jacquetta - a little-known historical figure - is in fact Henry VIII's great-grandmother.Author Philippa Gregory notes that she considers Jacquetta an overlooked woman form history. As there is little info on Jacquetta's life, Ms Gregory was able to use her imagination to fill in the gaps, focusing heavily on the superstition that Jacquetta was descended from the legend of Melusina; a woman believed to be a goddess who associated her powers with water.I think I may have enjoyed this story more had there been less emphasis on the supernatural and a bit more realism, but that's not to say the magical elements drag the novel down. I'm also not a fan of narratives told in the present tense, but this is just a personal taste, not a criticism of the author.Worth reading.
    • 3/5
      The Good Stuff Wonderfully authentic, and obviously thoroughly researched Intriguing storyline with Jacquetta's relationship with Joan of Arc You can feel the respect and love the author has for her subject matter History really comes alive & what could have been a seriously dull story is brought alive by the authors imagination Liked the witch-craftish moments woven into the story, again livens up what could have been a dull story Author is a gifted storyteller and brings alive some fascinating characters that history has sorta just skipped over. Learned a lot about the history of the War of the Roses, which I have to be honest I knew barely anything about (I usually get hooked on all of the Henry VIII and Elizabeth I era novels) Intrigues me to do some further reading about Jacquetta's daughter Elizabeth Woodville Fabulous Bibliography for further readings Extremely helpful Family Tree and Map Would have liked more about Jacquetta's later years which Philippa alludes to in the author's note - that sounds intriguing and should have been put in and maybe skipped the dull popping out baby chaptersThe Not so Good Stuff Could have really benefited from some editing, there is a lot of repetition in terms of always having to mention the characters name and their status OK I know this is really picky but it did affect my enjoyment of the book. I know its is very authentic in terms of a women's role in society during these time, but the constant mentioning of being a proper lady and doing what one was told by a man made me want to gag Jacquetta isn't an awful likable strong character during most of the story (again very authentic, but it did irritate me) She sorta notices the poor but does nothing about it , and a bit of a doormat, which differs from the description of her for the book Certain chapters just jump through years and really could have just been left out - basically for a while she is in country side popping out babies and coming back to court once in a while -- its a wee bit dull and again, I think some better editing would have tightened up the story and made it a more interesting readFavorite Quotes/Passages"He was Edmund Beaufort's older brother, but he made a fool of himself in France and came home and died, so promptly and conveniently - just ahead of a charge of treason - that Richard says it was by his own hands and was the only good thing he ever did for his family.""A spell and a prayer and knowing your desire are all the same thing.""Elizabeth draws a circle in the air wither her forefinger, the sign for the wheel of fortune, which can throw a woman so high in the world that she can command a king, or pull her down to this: a dishonored agonizing death."Who should/shouldn't read Fans of Philippa Gregory's previous works will enjoy Anyone with an interest in the history of The Wars of the Roses3.5 Dewey's
    • 3/5
      Again, it's been a while since I read this one, so I won't have much to say about it. I'm working on catching up, I promise!I almost backed out of reading this one even after I had picked it up from the library. The description makes it sound like there's a lot of witchcraft in the book and that just doesn't interest me. However, it's really not that much. The main character has some uncanny abilities, but she's determined to hide her skills to avoid getting dead. There was never so much that I considered putting the book down. I'm glad that I decided to give it a chance, because I enjoyed it. I liked reading about the romance between Jacquetta and Richard, the family they built together (seriously, they bred like rabbits), and her attempt to balance her responsibilities to her monarchs and her responsibilities to her children.Speaking of her army of children, she once says "My favorite of them all is Elizabeth's brother: Anthony." and that struck me as odd. Why refer to your child (especially your favorite child) as the sibling as another of your children instead of just as your child? It seemed like Gregory was just trying to be more creative than saying "my son", but it was just weird.Yeah, that's about all I've got. I enjoyed "The Lady of the Rivers" and I'm looking forward to continuing along this timeline of books!
    • 4/5
      I've been a fan of Philippa Gregory since, years ago, I picked up The Other Boleyn Girl. I can't help it - I love easy to read historical fiction, and Philippa Gregory provides enough meat in these books to make me feel like I'm learning and being entertained, all in one fell swoop.I've had The Lady of the Rivers on my shelf for a year now - and I'm ashamed of myself that I'm just now getting to it. For some reason, I was thinking it would be a huge time investment, as historical novels tend to be, but then once I picked it up and started reading, I remembered how impossible stories like this were to put down.So once again, I ended up reading into the night, turning page after page, devouring the life of Jacquetta like she was my BFF. This book follows her from her loveless marriage, through the death of that husband, and finally her love match with her final husband. It touches on Joan of Arc, on the trials of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou, the war between the cousins, in all its bloody glory. But it never really gets deep into the descriptions of blood and gore, as Gregory decides, instead, to focus mainly on Jacquetta. Jacquetta had a busy life, that's for certain - I lost count toward the end but around 10-11 children? Plus traveling, plus placating a very, very headstrong woman in Queen Margaret. I was reminded, again, that no matter how we romanticize those times, things would not have been easy. And most of all, I was thoroughly entertained (although toward the end things seemed to really rush a bit, but I suspect that was due to Gregory's excitement to move on to the next book, as she indicates in her afterward).Recommended for fans of historical fiction - I liked this one a bit more than The Red Queen, and found it a fun romp through history.
    • 4/5
      Where I got the book: review galley from NetGalley.Philippa Gregory takes a step back farther in time with The Lady of the Rivers; after exploring the lives of the various Tudor women in a succession of novels, she now dives into the rich and complicated history of the Wars of the Roses. This was a period in the 1400s in which two branches of the Plantagenet royal family struggled for power over England (and various bits of France). The protagonist in The Lady of the Rivers is Jacquetta of Luxembourg, who is not generally a well-known historical figure. The story covers Jacquetta's life from adolescence to middle age, and Gregory fans will realize that it ends with the beginning of Gregory's 2009 novel The White Queen.I've been critical of Gregory's kings-and-queens novels in the past, mostly because I would like to see more pure fiction from her, but I enjoyed The Lady of the Rivers. As usual, though, I did not find the protagonist particularly interesting; I felt that she was an observer of history rather than being a participant in it. Of course, in those days a noblewoman's role was to run the house and lands while the men fought (Jacquetta does plenty of that) and produce children (Jacquetta had sixteen). So maybe the impression of passivity that I received was due to the necessity of sticking fairly close to historical fact. The bits of white magic that all of Gregory's heroines inevitably indulge in do not come across as exciting enough to compensate me for the lack of action.And yet there were some definite improvements over recent novels in the series. For one thing, Jacquetta gets to travel around quite a bit, and even though she's not in the battles I did get a better sense of being near to the action than I usually do. And the supporting cast was good; I particularly liked Margaret of Anjou, Henry VI's queen, and I found the account of Henry VI's mental illness compelling. There were several other memorable characters; in fact, I now understand the Wars of the Roses a whole lot better. So if you read historical fiction for the history, you'll be satisfied.I'm not going to say much about Gregory's writing idiosyncracies here, since what I was reading was a galley (which had not even been edited for capitalization and paragraph layout; that surprised me). I desperately want to send her the gift of a big bag of semicolons, though. Gregory is the undisputed queen of the comma splice.One last comment; I have been reading Gregory for years, and am fascinated to note that the novels are getting less sensual as time goes on. This one was PG-rated.Overall impression: a good Gregory, and recommended for lovers of English history.
    • 4/5
      3-1/2 StarsA little slow paced at times, but I loved the time period and the characters. Fascinating main character! Would have given 4 stars if the story didn't drag on at times.
    • 5/5
      Stunning Imagery, Magical, And Mystical Fiction!
      The story captured the essence of courtly life. Historically, the accuracy was portrayed in the lives of the characters. Get ready to fall in love with Richard!
    • 5/5
      My Opinion: When I requested this book from NetGalley I wasn't aware that it was the third in a series, but I was happy to find out that each book tells about a different woman from the time of the War of the Roses. Therefore, this installment was able to stand on its own very well. The Lady of the Rivers tells the story of Jacquetta, who as a child meets Joan of Arc and who as a young woman and adult becomes a friend and confidante to young Margaret, the queen of England. She is married to an older Englishman, John, Duke of Bedford, uncle to Henry VI, when she is still very young, and is widowed when she is not much older. She defies the rules of the time and becomes the lover, and later wife of the Duke's squire, Richard Woodville. While that could have been the end of her life at court, she is not allowed to leave for long because the queen, Margaret, insists she needs her close. She spends her life trying not to get caught between all of the rivalries at court, and the constantly changing social strata of the many players. Philippa Gregory is a masterful storyteller and I enjoyed this book very, very much. Saying that it is a sweeping, powerful story is an understatement! Now, I have to go back and read the first two books in this amazing series, The Red Queen and The White Queen :D
    • 5/5
      One thing that sets out Philippa Gregory from other historical fiction authors is her willingness to find lesser known historical figures and with research build their story (obviously with artistic liberties as this is a work of fiction) for readers to enjoy as she has done with this novel. The Lady of the Rivers is the story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, and her life through her first marriage to the Duke of Bedford, through her second marriage to Richard Woodville to her daughter, Elizabeth, meeting her future husband Edward IV. Set during the War of the Roses, Jacquetta is loyal to the House of Lancaster and becomes close to the Queen Margaret of Anjou, who was married to Henry VI (who was suspected to be schizophrenic, his illness being a main cause of the turmoil in this book). A descendent of the river goddess Melusina, Gregory's Jacquetta possesses the Sight and the mystical arts are prevalent throughout the book which I liked (indeed the historical Jacquetta was charged with witchcraft but was exonerated).
    • 5/5
      I first saw the tv show based on the book that comes after this one, but I wanted to have the full picture, from start to finish with this story
      First, the narrator's voice is perfect for it, calm, neutral most of the time, but sweet and endearing when needed.
      Second, the MC is relatable in many ways, she is loyal, indeed, but, her family comes first, she is gifted but tries to use her power only when it's necessary, doesn't like to have to go around causing trouble, she is just there, seeing everything, and likes to keep it that way.
      Third, Jaquetta and her husband are an example of what true love looks like
      Fourth and final, it feels like a trip, the narrative is slow and calm but it takes you through many years and conflicts where you get to see the characters grow, evolve, change, some for the better, some for the worst.
    • 5/5
      Philippa Gregory has, once again, written a keeper. I have never read a book by this author that I haven't enjoyed, but this one has definitely risen to the top as my favorite. It is one of those books that a reader can get lost in: Jacquetta's life becomes a part of the reader's reality. It is such a joy to read a book that recognises the power women always have held, even when it wasn't widely acknowledged. And the love that existed between Jacquetta and Richard is inspiring and delightful. I don't know what lapse in my education left me unaware of Jacquetta, Dowager Duchess of Bedford, Lady of the Rivers, descendant of Melusina the river goddess. Learning about the War of the Roses in school would have been much more interesting had there been a unit on her, for sure! (and yes she was a real person and the book is based on historical fact.)In case you also missed out in history class, Jacquetta of Luxembourg was born in about 1415 and at the age of 17 was married to John of Lancaster, first Duke of Bedford. This alliance to the Lancasters would be one she honored even in times of trial and disaster for the family. She became the second most powerful woman in England and ancester to the present British monarchy. From all accounts she was a strong willed woman who followed her heart no matter the cost. She is said to have dabbled in witchcraft, just a bit - or maybe more, who knows for sure. What we do know about her life sparks the imagination and Philippa Gregory used that spark to create a work of literary art.