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The Reluctant Queen de Jean Plaidy
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The Reluctant Queen (original: 1990; edição: 1992)

de Jean Plaidy

Séries: Queens of England (8)

MembrosResenhasPopularidadeAvaliação médiaMenções
270797,571 (3.5)11
In 1470, a reluctant Lady Anne Neville is betrothed by her father, the politically ambitious Earl of Warwick, to Edward, Prince of Wales. A gentle yet fiercely intelligent woman, Anne has already given her heart to the prince's younger brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Unable to oppose her father's will, she finds herself in line for the throne of England--an obligation that she does not want. Yet fate intervenes when Edward is killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury. Anne suddenly finds herself free to marry the man she loves--and who loves her in return. The ceremony is held at Westminster Abbey, and the duke and duchess make a happy home at Middleham Castle, where both spent much of their childhood. Their life is idyllic, until the reigning king dies and a whirlwind of dynastic maneuvering leads to his children being declared illegitimate. Richard inherits the throne as King Richard III, and Anne is crowned queen consort, a destiny she thought she had successfully avoided. Her husband's reign lasts two years, two months, and two days--and in that short time Anne witnesses the true toll that wearing the crown takes on Richard, the last king from the House of York.… (mais)
Membro:J.Sealy
Título:The Reluctant Queen
Autores:Jean Plaidy
Informação:Fontana Press (1992), Paperback, 295 pages
Coleções:Sua biblioteca
Avaliação:****
Etiquetas:Fiction

Informações da Obra

The Reluctant Queen: The Story of Anne of York de Jean Plaidy (1990)

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Mostrando 1-5 de 7 (seguinte | mostrar todas)
Once again, I really enjoyed this historical read by Jean Plaidy. I know there are lots of options out there for books on the history of the monarchy and many say these aren't the best options, but I really love it that they're clean and chock full of history.

When I read the back-o'-the-book blurb, I thought it sounded very sympathetic to Richard III. I've never really liked him and must admit I think he's good for the death of his nephews. However, I was willing to give the story a chance to change my mind. To be honest---I still think he's guilty.

The story runs the whole course of Anne's life and, as per usual for Plaidy, she's a young and inquisitive teen who turns into a very strong and influential wife over her husband. I liked reading about Anne's friendship with Margaret d'Anjou---it reminded me of my own relationship with my step-mother-in-law. Once she became romantically involved with Richard, the story took the usual Plaidy turn, having him being mostly good and making many decisions based on his love for her. I think this is overly romanticized but I do like it that the author tends to see the best in everyone. I'm looking forward to ordering and reading the next in this series of the queens of England. ( )
  classyhomemaker | Dec 11, 2023 |
I feel like half of the women who become Queen of England are reluctant (see almost every single Tudor queen except for the first two). Anne Neville is one such woman who would rather never see the glittering court. She's so reluctant that, as part of a condition of marrying Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, she must give up several estates that were slated to be hers after her father's death, and she is perfectly happy to do this. Despite this reluctance to be queen (and for good reason), Anne was still a determined person. However, this is much more evident earlier in the novel. By the end, Anne is a shadow of a person and of a character.

As the daughter of the great Kingmaker, the Earl of Warwick, Anne is at the center of the turbulent War of the Roses. While she is too young to be an active player at this point, Plaidy has given Anne some unique insights that make her something more than a historian. She is skeptical, loyal, and demure, as complex and interesting as the charismatic Edward IV or ambitious Warwick. As Anne ages, she becomes more determined, bordering on stubbornness as she strives to marry her beloved Richard while managing to have an open enough mind to sympathize with both her sister Isabel and Margaret of Anjou, as they navigate their lives and opposing desires.

Her devotion to Richard is sweet and romantic, and his affection for her is the stuff of fairy tales. Honestly, I think they're my favorite royal couple. Everything I read of them illustrates they had a mutual respect and love for one another, and he was far more faithful compared to his brother Edward, whose marriage to Elizabeth Woodville is legendary. Their union was constantly something to root for without it becoming Anne's dominant personality trait, as so often happens in Plaidy's novels.

However, Anne's complexity goes downhill as soon as Anne becomes queen. Now that she's reached the highest position in the realm, she becomes almost invisible. The narration is still told from Anne's perspective, but it is exclusively concerned with Richard's side of things. Major historical events are glossed over with barely a reaction from Anne. Most significantly, the deaths of their nephews in the Tower. It's hinted at that there are "rumors" that the boys are dead, but it's hinted they're not actually dead yet, and there's no reference at all to their actual deaths, which is just bizarre to me. Additionally, it's known that there seemed to be a flirtation between Richard of Gloucester and his niece Elizabeth of York. Elizabeth and Anne both arrive at a Christmas festivity dressed in the same gown, and Anne just blithely accepts that she is being replaced. She showcases no emotion when she confronts Richard about it, which is also strange. While it's known this happened, it's unclear if Anne was "in" on it or not. Philippa Gregory writes about the same experience in her novel The Kingmaker's Daughter, and there, she presents Anne as more active and of manipulating Elizabeth to suit Richard's needs. So, it was disappointing, to say the least to find Anne so passive in this book, especially when she's in the role of queen, which should give her more agency and privileges then she's ever had before.

The weird rushing of the ending of the book is a major reason why I rated this novel only three stars. Another reason is due to the historical inaccuracies in the book. I already mentioned the boys in the Tower and the Elizabeth of York issues. The other major inaccuracy is that Plaidy posits that Anne Neville was never actually married to Margaret of Anjou's son. I know she despised the guy, but it is weird that a part of history is just scrubbed out. There really wasn't a need to, as Anne's feelings would not have changed, so it's just strange.

For these two reasons, I rated the book 3/5 stars. The historical inaccuracies from false claims to omitting major events make it hard to enjoy this book at times, even though the first 2/3 of it are quite riveting. The lackluster ending really did this book a disservice, which is such a shame, as both the character and the time period are so fascinating. ( )
  readerbug2 | Nov 16, 2023 |
I thoroughly enjoyed this book even if it was a bit more romanticized then I believe the relationship between Anne Neville and Richard III truly was. I love this author and so far she has not disappointed. ( )
  ChrisCaz | Feb 23, 2021 |
“The Reluctant Queen” is Anne Neville, second daughter of the famous “King Maker”, the Earl of Warrick, and wife of England’s controversial King Richard III.

We see the Wars of the Roses through Anne’s eyes. At least that’s the idea. In fact, for much of the time we read Anne’s second-hand account of events. Sometimes this is done via dialogue, such as when Margaret of Anjou relates her early years with Henry VI, all of which is more for the reader’s benefit than Anne’s, while it’s not really significant to Anne’s story. Other times we have Anne saying, “I heard later …” or “Richard told me that …”, which is sometimes necessary, but often it’s not.

The problem with this is that it creates a passive story. We hear reported speech. We’re “told” instead of “shown”.

After detailing much of Anne’s early life, the author skips on to about a decade later. Why? Wouldn’t it make more sense to have cut – or at least reduced – the amount of the other characters’ back stories and focused on her heroine?

This is a first-person narrative, thus one expects to experience that character’s life, not hear second-hand accounts of the other cast members’ past endeavours.

Okay, you may argue that Ms Plaidy skipped over ten years or so because she felt nothing much of interest happened during that time, or because so little is known of Anne Neville from that period, but this is where an author with a good imagination conjures up something to entertain the reader.

She proves she can do this during a spell were Anne winds up in a cookshop. This is the least likely section in the whole book to hold any truth, yet it’s one of the most engaging parts. This could’ve been expanded and made even better.

Novels that feature Richard III tend to be either for or against the former king. Few strike a realistic balance. Some authors paint him too black, and Ms Plaidy is one who paints him too white. This doesn’t ruin her characterisation of Richard by any means, but it does spoil it a little.

I’ve read many different books on the Wars of the Roses – fiction and non-fiction – and this one ranks somewhere in the middle. Despite all the above criticisms, “The Reluctant Queen” does have merit, and it was worthwhile reading it … but just the once. ( )
  PhilSyphe | Jun 24, 2017 |
Many history lovers are familiar with the general story of Richard III, but less so with his queen consort, Anne Neville. As their lives are quite intertwined from the beginning, this story really follows the two of them from early childhood through their adulthood, marriage, and beyond.

The book talks a lot about the political climate during this time in British history – we cover threats from the Lancastrians, to the York reign, back to plots against the Yorkists from a variety of individuals. It’s a wonder that Richard was even able to hold onto the throne for as long as he was, given the fact that his beloved brother, Edward IV, had so many problems despite his popularity.

To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog. ( )
  dorolerium | Jun 11, 2012 |
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In 1470, a reluctant Lady Anne Neville is betrothed by her father, the politically ambitious Earl of Warwick, to Edward, Prince of Wales. A gentle yet fiercely intelligent woman, Anne has already given her heart to the prince's younger brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Unable to oppose her father's will, she finds herself in line for the throne of England--an obligation that she does not want. Yet fate intervenes when Edward is killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury. Anne suddenly finds herself free to marry the man she loves--and who loves her in return. The ceremony is held at Westminster Abbey, and the duke and duchess make a happy home at Middleham Castle, where both spent much of their childhood. Their life is idyllic, until the reigning king dies and a whirlwind of dynastic maneuvering leads to his children being declared illegitimate. Richard inherits the throne as King Richard III, and Anne is crowned queen consort, a destiny she thought she had successfully avoided. Her husband's reign lasts two years, two months, and two days--and in that short time Anne witnesses the true toll that wearing the crown takes on Richard, the last king from the House of York.

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