The Women of the Cousins' War: The Duchess, the Queen and the King's Mother - Softcover

"An engrossing introduction to three courageous matriarchs who shaped English history." -"Publisher's Weekly""" "[Gregory] again brings insight to English history, recreating the power struggle between two of the nation's most notable women in a tale fresh for modern readers. There's no question that she is the best at what she does." --"Associated Press" "An engaging and interesting read . . . Fans of Gregory's novels should enjoy this glimpse into both her creative process and her essays on the three women who served as inspiration for her 'Wars of the Roses' novels." --"The Post and Courier" (Charleston) "The publication of two books this season by Philippa Gregory gives us not only two more fascinating portraits of the English Wars of the Roses, it also opens a window onto the way the bestselling author of "The Other Boleyn Girl" applies her craft." --"Los Angeles Times"

Elizabeth Woodville, The White Queen (2009), Margaret Beaufort, The Red Queen (2010), and Jacquetta, Lady Rivers, The Lady of the Rivers (2011) are the subjects of the first three novels in Philippa Gregory's Cousins' War series, and of the three biographical essays in this book. Philippa Gregory and two historians, leading experts in their field who helped Philippa to research the novels, tell the extraordinary 'true' stories of the life of these women who until now have been largely forgotten by history, their background and times, highlighting questions which are raised in the fiction and illuminating the novels. With a foreword by Philippa Gregory - in which Philippa writes revealingly about the differences between history and fiction and examines the gaps in the historical record - and beautifully illustrated with rare portraits, The Women of the Cousins' War is an exciting new addition to the Philippa Gregory oeuvre.