FTFT#5: "The Red Queen" by Phillipa Gregory

I have a secret to share.  I love historical fiction.  And I mean LOVE.  I mean, get married, have babies, live together forever, LOVE historical fiction. 

Sidebar:
So not a great secret, but I was thinking this is a Tammy fact that not many people know.  I don't share my literary pursuits with people in my everyday circles, because they will once again look at me like I am insane.  No one wants to know that I read two full books this weekend and considered it a highly pleasurable experience. I think even the librarians at the Wayne County Public Library are shocked to see someone coming in a check out books with such regularity that are purely for reading enjoyment. I am not trying to insinuate that my current place of residence is devoid of culture or intellectual pursuits (at least not too much).  I have been impressed with the many efforts to improve the cultural experience of this community.  There is a small, but thriving community theatre effort and a impressive arts council.  However, change takes time and it won't happen if people won't let it.  Enough of that....let's talk 15th century England now.

"The Red Queen" is the latest book from Phillipa Gregory, the undisputed Queen of Historical Fiction.  If you have been under a literary rock for the last decade, she wrote "The Other Bolelyn Girl".   Even though Gregory had been writing excellent novels for many years prior, "The Other Boleyn Girl" catapulted her into the general popular culture spotlight.  Though it resulted in a highly anticipated, but ultimately disappointing movie, my appetite for this kind of book and this time period has not diminished.   Gregory has kept us satisfied with more and more.  What I like most about her work is that she mostly uses a female voice to tell these histories. 

For her latest series, she is examining the era right before the Tudor Era known as the War of the Roses.  The first book was "The White Queen" about Elizabeth Woodville the beloved queen of Edward IV the York King. "The Red Queen" followed about Tudor matriarch Margaret Beaufort who clawed, schemed and prayed her son's way to the throne.

I enjoyed this book, but not with the passion that I did "The White Queen" or others.   Though I knew they were condensing at least 40 years of tumultuous history into one average sized book,  it felt rushed.   What I liked the most about it was how it parallelled "The White Queen".  The events happen at the exact same time.  When you read both books, you are truly getting both sides of the story.  You want to hate Margaret at the end of the first book and by the end of the second you feel compassion for both women.

Find it on Amazon!