Sunday 5 November 2017

A Royal Riesling

At last, a post to re-introduce my foray into the blogging sphere once more! I've decided to write my "first" post about a well beloved series written by the talented and thorough Philippa Gregory. By the mere mention of her name, Ms. Gregory has produced a vast collection of English historical fiction, pointedly circling around the country's female characters - the women both behind the throne as well as on it. Most importantly, she shed light on the women always seen as a shadow behind the man. It is also she who had sucked me into the whirlwind of historical fiction and I am now finding myself craving more. What better way to satisfy that craving than to explore The Plantagenet and Tudor Series written by Ms. Gregory.

The series revolves around the key female figures during The Wars of the Roses and the Tudor family's reign in England. It's not the first time I have come across Ms. Gregory and this particular series, in fact, I have read a couple of the books (out of order) long ago before I realized they were a part of the series. This recent decision to plunge into the medieval English world came by while I was browsing around my local bookstore for something new to read (mind you, they also had a great sale going on so I simply couldn't resist). It was there that I saw many advertisements for Ms. Gregory's latest instalment in the series, The Last Tudor. Intrigued, I picked up the book and held it with me while I continued my search along the aisles of the store and then I decided at the very last moment to put the book down. But that did not mean that I put down the idea of diving back into the world of historical fiction.

In fact, I decided to do a quick Wikipedia search on the new book and learned that it was a part of the series. It was then that I also read the recommended reading order, that is based on the timeline of historical events. And so it brought me to buy ebook versions of The Lady of the Rivers and The White Queen.



The Lady of the Rivers is written from the perspective of Jacquetta of Luxembourg and The White Queen is written from the perspective of Jacquetta's daughter, Elizabeth Woodville. With added mystical elements, Ms. Gregory has interpreted the lives of these two women in a unique way that only Ms. Gregory can accomplish. I quickly ploughed through The Lady of the Rivers, realizing how hungry I was for a good read. Soon after, I finished the book and dove straight into The White Queen.

Thus, here we are today. I found myself with a magical day off, and so I had a quiet dinner at a restaurant and ordered a glass of riesling (Cave Spring VQA, Niagara) and nestled myself in my little booth and took out my new, trusty Kobo Aura. My brain was still fresh with details of Jacquetta's rise and fall and rise again within the English realm, and so reading the beginning of her daughter, Elizabeth's journey kept me hungrily turning the page for more. Despite the namesake of this blog, I felt that the glass of white wine paired perfectly with the book I was reading.


Dressed in business casual, I felt classy and like a joined the ranks of Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting. Deeply immersed in my reading, I gave a little start when the waitress asked if I would like some dessert. Eager to continue my little escape into the medieval English world, I ordered a Bailey's coffee and a little brownie for dessert. Satisfied with my food, beverage, and entertainment, I went back home and decided to write up my blog post.

It is likely that I will finish the post and then wrap myself in my blankets and continue reading The White Queen, for I am helplessly enchanted by Ms. Gregory's imaginative perspective of these medieval women.


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