Book description
The true story of the White Queen and more, this is a thrilling history
of the extraordinary noblewomen who lived through the Wars of the Roses.
The events of the Wars of the Roses are usually described in terms of
the men involved: Richard Duke of York, Henry VI, Edward IV, Richard III
and Henry VII. But these years were also packed with women's drama and -
in the tales of conflicted maternity and monstrous births - alive with
female energy.
In this completely original book, Sarah Gristwood sheds light on a
neglected dimension of English history: the impact of Tudor women on the
Wars of the Roses. She examines, among others, Cecily Neville, who was
deprived of being queen when her husband died at the Battle of
Wakefield; Elizabeth Woodville, the commoner who married Edward IV in
secret; Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, whose love and ambition
for her son knew no bounds.
Until now, the lives of these women have remained little known to the
general public. Sarah Gristwood tells their stories in detail for the
first time. Captivating and original, this is historical writing of the
most important kind. 'In this gem of a book, she effortlessly weaves
the dramatic, often tragic, lives of seven royal women…If you treat
yourself to one history book this Christmas, make it this one. It's the
book that I wish I had written' Alison Weir, Books of the Year, BBC
History Magazine
'Entertaining and vividly drawn … A different way of looking at this
complex period and Gristwood weaves the story with considerable skill …
highly readable' Literary Review
'Gristwood successfully evokes the lives of all these women, and in
doing so brings a new and welcome perspective on the Wars of the Roses…
[a] very agreeable narrative' Dan Jones, Sunday Times
'Gristwood's sensitive approach marks out Blood Sisters as much more
than the narrative of an age. It is an exploration of what it was to be
a medieval queen… A compelling portrait of this bloody age, complete
with the heartbreak and triumphs that went with it… Like a delicately
woven tapestry, threads of evidence have to be gathered and pulled
together with care. Gristwood does an excellent job of examining in
sensory detail the impact of ermines, cloths of gold, Spanish leather
and purple velvet' Spectator Sarah Gristwood was born in Kent and read
English at St Anne's College, Oxford University. She has written for the
'Guardian', the 'Telegraph', the 'Independent' and the 'Mail' and for
magazines including the 'New Statesman' and 'Empire'. The author of
Sunday Times bestseller, 'Arbella: England's Lost Queen', she is married
to film critic Derek Malcolm and lives in London and Kent.
