The King's Curse
.jpg) First UK edition cover | |
| Author | Philippa Gregory |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | The Cousins' War |
| Genre | Historical fiction |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
Publication date | 14 August 2014 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 608 |
| ISBN | 978-0-85720-756-2 |
| Preceded by | The White Princess |
The King's Curse is a 2014 historical novel by Philippa Gregory, part of her series The Cousins' War. It is the story of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, the daughter of George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence and Isabel Neville.[1]
Plot
King Henry VII of England has kept his wife Elizabeth of York's cousin Margaret at a distance from the court, but the marriage of his son Arthur, Prince of Wales to the Spanish princess Katherine of Aragon brings Margaret out of obscurity. Her subsequent struggles are improved when the new king Henry VIII puts his daughter Mary in her care, but Margaret's ties to the royal bloodline put her and her family in the center of the intrigues swirling around the king.
Critical reception
Publishers Weekly called The King's Curse "carefully researched" and "an illuminating portrait" of Margaret Pole, adding that "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."[2]
AudioFile magazine gave its Earphones Award to the audiobook recording of The King's Curse, noting Gregory's "steady grasp of history" and praising narrator Bianca Amato's performance.[3]
References
- ^ "The King's Curse (Official site)". PhilippaGregory.com. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
- ^ "The King's Curse". Publishers Weekly. 21 July 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
- ^ "Audiobook Review: The King's Curse (2014)". AudioFile. Retrieved 8 December 2014.