The King's Curse

July 21, 2014
Gregory adds to her Cousins’ War series (after The White Princess) an illuminating portrait of historical figure Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, whose royal Plantagenet lineage was both a blessing and a curse. Gregory’s carefully researched story line begins in 1499 with Margaret in mourning for her brother Teddy, who was beheaded by King Henry VII because he was a rival for the throne. Margaret has already been “stuffed into obscurity,” married to an ordinary knight with whom she’s had five children. When Prince Arthur, the King’s son and heir, marries Katherine of Aragon, Margaret becomes lady-in-waiting to the Spanish princess. When Arthur dies, Margaret loses her position; not long afterward, she is widowed and struggles financially. Matters temporarily improve for Margaret with the ascension of the new king, Henry VIII, who appoints Margaret governess to his daughter Mary. But the moody and volatile ruler also forces Margaret and her family to jockey for favor at court. Gregory moves confidently through a tangle of intrigue, revenge, and tyranny toward a shocking betrayal that brings Margaret face-to-face with the king’s ire. Agent: Anthony Mason.

With her steady grasp of history, Philippa Gregory concludes her Cousins' War series, re-creating the life of Margaret Pole (1473-1541), a York cousin. Thanks to Bianca Amato's artistry, the ill-fated stories of Margaret and the House of Tudor brim with life. When Katherine of Aragon marries Arthur, Prince of Wales, Margaret becomes Katherine's confidante and witness to the couple's happiness. Amato inhabits every swirling intrigue as Katherine, suddenly widowed, needs Margaret's silence so she can keep a deathbed promise to Arthur and marry his younger brother, Henry. Once they're wed, Margaret becomes chief lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine in Henry VIII's court. Amato's lovely voice and vocal flexibility create an aura of romance and mystery while sharply defining Margaret's plight and the king's mercurial nature. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine