By Phillipa Gregory
There’s something about immersing yourself…
…in a few of these historical novels that lends them greater poignancy, since I read “Lady of the Rivers” right before and was intensely converted to their cause. I’d also read “The White Queen” several years ago, and it was startling to follow a character (Margaret Beaufort) from the other camp. Margaret is portrayed with great sensitivity. While we mourn the naivete of her early life and fanatic devotion to the cause of her son, they make her character believable and compelling. That Margaret personally sacrificed so much and ultimately triumphed in the face of nearly overwhelming opposition reminds me of British Prime Minister Churchill’s “Never, never, never give up!” call that rallied the English people to continue the fight against Nazi Germany.
