The Lady Of The Rivers

The War of the Roses is arguably the most interesting and the most ridiculous events in the history of English royalty. Several authors have touched upon this era, mesmerised in part by the speed of the events and partly by the sheer stupidity of the actors in this great game. 

 

It has seen numerous historical books, plays, adaptations and fictions written around it. And one of the most interesting of them all has been the fictionalised account of events written by British writer-historian Philippa Gregory.

 

The Lady of the Rivers is Philippa Gregory’s third installment in her widely read and acclaimed ‘Cousins’ War’ series. Narrated through the perspective of Jacquetta of Luxembourg, readers experience the events leading up to the fall of the House of Lancaster, characterised chiefly by King Henry VI, Margaret of Anjou and Duke of Somerset and the eventual ascent of the House of York characterised chiefly by Edward IV.

 

The plot hovers around the turmoil of England as they scramble to maintain their hold on the lands in France that the late Henry V won after years of sweat and blood, but his son and heir, the juvenile and inherently weak Henry VI, is not only surrounded by courtiers and relatives who clog his mind with stupid advice, but also the politics of the factional tussle.

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