In fact, I went shopping for Philippa Gregory’s latest novel so early in the morning that Barnes and Noble barely had its display ready! What can I say–I’m a Wars of the Roses novel junkie. First, despite its title, The Red Queen is not about Margaret of Anjou, but about Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond, …
Yes, I Bought The Red Queen the First Day It Came Out Read More »
Having read the reviews of this novel about this year’s “It” girl in historical fiction, Eleanor of Aquitaine, I fully expected to hate this book. Instead, I found myself rather liking it. The Captive Queen follows Eleanor from her marriage to Henry II to his death, with an epilogue that breezes through Eleanor’s last years. …
One of the worst things about summer, aside from the heat and the humidity, is having to wait until publishers bring out their fall books. Here are some of the ones that I’m awaiting eagerly: Elizabeth’s Women: Friends, Rivals, and Foes Who Shaped the Virgin Queen by Tracy Borman (already published in the UK; September …
A couple of weeks ago on e-Bay, I came across a book called Infamous Women Paper Dolls, featuring, among other women, Margaret of Anjou. Naturally, I had to see a copy, and it arrived in my mailbox today. Infamous Women was published in 1994 by Bellerophon Books, which has produced a number of other books …
In Which We Review a Paper Doll Book for the First Time Read More »
While I’m pondering my next blog topic, I thought I’d stop by to mention a couple of books I’ve recently read. (As I haven’t started writing my T-novel yet and am awaiting edits for my Margaret of Anjou novel, I’ve had some more leisure reading time lately.) First, I just finished G. W. Bernard’s Anne …
Although this very blogger has propagated ten rules for writing fiction about Richard III (which, I am pleased to say, continue to be followed), and Kathryn has provided us with her excellent rules for writing about Edward II and Isabella, no one seems to have provided guidance for depicting Margaret of Anjou in historical fiction. …
Ten Rules for Depicting Margaret of Anjou in Historical Fiction Read More »
Remember a few posts ago, I showed you an old print of the marriage of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou? I knew the style looked vaguely familiar, and that’s because it is by John Leech, a well-known illustrator for Punch. John Leech did a whole series of illustrations for a 1847 book called The …
Four years ago at a flea market, I found an 1898 book entitled History of England in Words of One Syllable, which was part of an entire series entitled “Burt’s One Syllable Histories.” And except for proper nouns (which are broken up syllabically), the author, Mrs. Helen W. Pierson, accomplishes her task according to her …
This will probably be my last post for 2009, so I wanted to start off with some search terms: queen isabella s what happened with piracy She gave it up after deciding that the eyepatch was just too unbecoming, darling. cases of siblings mistakenly marryingPractice moderation on New Year’s Eve, folks, or this could be …
Some time ago, I read The King’s Touch by Jude Morgan (about James, Duke of Monmouth) and loved it, so I’m surprised it took me so long to read Morgan’s latest novel, The Taste of Sorrow. The Taste of Sorrow tells a familiar story, that of the Bronte sisters’ childhood, rise to fame, and premature …