September Book of the Month: The Women of the Cousins' War

•Pub. Date: September 13, 2011

•Publisher: Touchstone

•Format: Hardcover , 352pp

#1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory teams with two eminent historians to explore the historical characters in the real-life world behind her Wars of the Roses novels.

PHILIPPA GREGORY and her fellow historians describe the extraordinary lives of the heroines of her Cousins’ War books: Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford; Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV; and Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII.

In her essay on Jacquetta, Philippa Gregory uses original documents, archaeology, and histories of myth and witchcraft to create the first-ever biography of the young duchess who survived two reigns and two wars to become the first lady at two rival courts. David Baldwin, established authority on the Wars of the Roses, tells the story of Elizabeth Woodville, the first commoner to marry a king of England for love; and Michael Jones, fellow of the Royal Historical Society, writes of Margaret Beaufort, the almost-unknown matriarch of the House of Tudor.


In the introduction, Gregory writes revealingly about the differences between history and historical fiction. How much of a role does speculation play in writing each? How much fiction and how much fact should there be in a historical novel? How are female historians changing our view of women in history?


The Women of the Cousins’ War is beautifully illustrated with rare portraits and source materials. As well as offering fascinating insights into the inspirations behind Philippa Gregory’s fiction, it will appeal to all with an interest in this period.

What a lovely surprise I had delivered to me today at work. A copy of Philippa Gregory's first work of non-fiction, THE WOMEN OF THE COUSINS' WAR.  The book is clearly intended to be a companion to her historical novels THE RED QUEEN, THE WHITE QUEEN, and her latest about Jacquetta Woodville THE LADY OF THE RIVERS.  The book is co-written with two other historians, David Baldwin and Michael Jones who I am not familiar with.

I can't wait to get home and dig into the book! Given our awful the weather has been, a nice cup of tea and this book will be a nice way to while away the weekend.

Find out more about the book at Gregory's web-site:  http://www.philippagregory.com/