Okay.  I’m one of those annoying people who always want to read the book before I watch a TV or movie adaptation.  It’s just in my nature.  I knew that Starz was adapting “The White Queen” by Philippa Gregory, and I thought….”hmm…period piece, medieval England, kings and queens?…..yup, that’s in my wheelhouse!”  At the time, I didn’t subscribe to the Starz channel….that changed with the Outlander adaptation.  (Which again, I read all the books before I started the show….but that’s for another time).

“The White Queen” is the story of Elizabeth Woodville who rose to become Queen of England by marrying Edward IV (of the house of York).  What follows is the story of rising to power and staying in power during a tumultuous time in English history.  Most people know this as the Cousins war…..it pitted family against family and ended up leading to the reign of the Tudor’s.  It also lead to one of the most enduring mysteries of the time….what happened to the two princes in the tower?

The book is a good read.  It starts from when Elizabeth first meets Edward and their love story begins.  It also takes great pains to show the brutality of the time period and just how often the men would be summoned to war.  It is a fictional book, so I’m sure some plot points are made super dramatic and obviously we can never know what really was said in private moments, but I found the book to be interesting.  I knew a little about the events leading up to the Princes in the tower mystery, but never knew some of the backstory of their mother.  She did live in Sanctuary several times during and after her husband’s reign.  I love how strong she was and how equally obsessed as the men she was with power and family.  I started reading this book on a vacation at my mom’s house, and I didn’t want to put it down.

For those with a fascination with English history, but also want a little more fictionalized drama, this book hits the spot.  Action, romance, history?  Yup, I’m down.

So now I’ve gone into my on demand and “downloaded” all 10 episodes from Starz.  Now I just need another snow day to watch them all!

The White Queen