The Kingmaker's Daughter
'I have lost my father in battle, my sister to Elizabeth Woodville's spy, my brother-in-law to Elizabeth Woodville's executioner, my nephew to her poisoner, and now my son to her curse...'
The gripping and ultimately tragic story of Anne Neville and her sister Isabel, the daughters of the Earl of Warwick, the most powerful magnate in England through the Cousins' Wars. In the absence of a son and heir, he ruthlessly uses the two girls as pawns but they, in their own right, are thoughtful and powerful actors.
Against the backdrop of the court of Edward IV and his beautiful queen, Elizabeth Woodville, Anne turns from a delightful child growing up in intimacy and friendship with the family of Richard Duke of York to become ever more fearful and desperate as her father's enemies turn against her, the net closes in and there is, in the end, simply nowhere she can turn, no one she can trust with her life.
The gripping and ultimately tragic story of Anne Neville and her sister Isabel, the daughters of the Earl of Warwick, the most powerful magnate in England through the Cousins' Wars. In the absence of a son and heir, he ruthlessly uses the two girls as pawns but they, in their own right, are thoughtful and powerful actors.
Against the backdrop of the court of Edward IV and his beautiful queen, Elizabeth Woodville, Anne turns from a delightful child growing up in intimacy and friendship with the family of Richard Duke of York to become ever more fearful and desperate as her father's enemies turn against her, the net closes in and there is, in the end, simply nowhere she can turn, no one she can trust with her life.
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Book details:
- Simon & Schuster UK |
- 448 pages |
- ISBN 9780857207463 |
- August 2012
£18.99 List Price
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Praise
Read an Excerpt
My lady mother goes first, a great heiress in her own right, and the wife of the greatest subject in the kingdom. Isabel follows, because she is the oldest. Then me: I come last, I always come last. I can’t see much as we walk into the great throne room of the Tower of London, and my mother leads my sister to curtsey to the throne and steps aside. Isabel sinks down low, as we have been taught, for a king is a king even if he is a young man put on the throne by my father. His wife will be crowned queen, whatever we may think of her. Then as I step forwards to make my...
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Book Reviews
Reading Group Guide
This reading group guide for The Kingmaker's Daughter includes an introduction, discussion questions, ideas for enhancing your book club, and a Q&A with author Philippa Gregory. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.
Introduction
The Kingmaker’s Daughter is an adventurous and exciting novel that tells the story of the daughters of the ruthless Earl of Warwick. Anne, the Earl’s youngest daughter and the novel’s narrator, is a fanciful young girl at the start of the story—but by the end, she has grown into a woman who knows of both the pleasures of love and the deep, devastating pain of loss.
The destinies of Anne and her elder sister, Isabel, have been decided by their father, and they are used repeatedly as pawns in his plays for political power. But when he turns against Queen Elizabeth and King Edward IV, the same king he fought to put on the throne not so long ago, he is killed in battle, leaving Anne and Isabel to fend for themselves in the lives he has created for them. Their paths ultimately lead them to the court of Elizabeth and Edward, where it is never fully clear to them who is friend and who is foe. Anne and Isabel, both having married one of the King’s brothers, must fight to pro see more
Introduction
The Kingmaker’s Daughter is an adventurous and exciting novel that tells the story of the daughters of the ruthless Earl of Warwick. Anne, the Earl’s youngest daughter and the novel’s narrator, is a fanciful young girl at the start of the story—but by the end, she has grown into a woman who knows of both the pleasures of love and the deep, devastating pain of loss.
The destinies of Anne and her elder sister, Isabel, have been decided by their father, and they are used repeatedly as pawns in his plays for political power. But when he turns against Queen Elizabeth and King Edward IV, the same king he fought to put on the throne not so long ago, he is killed in battle, leaving Anne and Isabel to fend for themselves in the lives he has created for them. Their paths ultimately lead them to the court of Elizabeth and Edward, where it is never fully clear to them who is friend and who is foe. Anne and Isabel, both having married one of the King’s brothers, must fight to pro see more
Video
How was Anne Neville's story?
Philippa Gregory discusses how she found researching Anne Neville's story and how it differed to the rest of the story.
Videos related to this book
How was Anne Neville's story?
Philippa Gregory reads from her novel The Kingmaker's Daughter...
Tell us about Anne Neville's view of Elizabeth Woodville...
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