Book Review: The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

CW: Mention of Rape

“I will sign my name Margaret Regina...Margaret R….”

So I have no problems with Margaret Beaufort. None at all. She’s ambitious, God-fearing woman who reminds me of my auntie and my late grandmama, She wants her son on the throne since she gave birth to him at age thirteen (WHICH, in my eyes, was totally wrong because at age 12 she was married off and then repeatedly raped by her dumbass husband, then nearly died giving birth to her son Henry).

But that line when she imagines writing her name as Margaret Regina just irked the hell out of me. For one, she would be the queen mother to the King of England, which is her son. Two, yes she served three queens without question-Margaret of Anjou, Queen Elizabeth Woodville, and Queen Anne Neville before she finally got to her position. I almost got irritated for a moment when she kept comparing herself to Joan of Arc, but I let it go because I then found it pretty damned weird for her to compare herself to a young woman who heard the voice of God and let an army to defend France, only to die on the stake (which is also fucked up).

But Margaret did everything she could to get her son on the throne, even though he was far away from her to do anything about it-he was sent around a couple homes while she married three-four times if we count her first husband, John de la Pole. But then came the War of the Roses and how Margaret tried everything she could to push her husband to war, only he didn’t want to. And she was jealous of Queen Elizabeth because she could give birth to many children, including her sons that would be the Princes of the Tower, then she tried to help her get her throne back, only for Elizabeth to did what she did in the White Queen.

And I don’t think Margaret had her hand in the fabled Prince in the Tower mystery, because I don’t think she would pull off something like that. And then my nemesis, the man that helped me pass my class, Richard III was there (in which I said Ah shit, here we go again), but at the end of the fight I did read how he actually die (or Philippa Gregory’s version of his death) and I did heave a big sigh of relief because Richard III got on my last damned nerves and I was glad that he died (like I wanted to celebrate how angry he made me this year, but then I decided not to).

Elizabeth of York was in this for like a hot second when she stayed at Margaret’s house for a while, and to me she was the perfect houseguest-doing everything she was supposed to do she did it without no fuss. But I actually enjoyed this book, though I did read that Philippa Gregory had some kind of grudge against Margaret Beaufort, though I have no idea why because I find Margaret quite interesting and I want to read more about her.

View all my reviews