#annie garthwaite

‘Cecily‘, a novel by author Annie Garthwaite about the life of Richard III and Edward IV‘s mother has been optioned for TV by Just John Films, a newly launched company headed by actors Kate Phillips, Amber Anderson and Rosie Day, who have appeared in such shows as Peaky Blinders, Good Omens, Black Mirror and Outlander. It is their first production. This is great news–finally a TV show set during…

01/10/22

Genuinely the best part of my life at the moment, and this stack is already proving to contain some absolute gems!

What a triumph of historical fiction! It’s rare to find a book that is so well-written and engaging yet with a very obvious historical accuracy. Garthwaite has done her research, going back to the primary sources to find what actually happened, and who was where when it did. Gaps in the evidence are filled but in a very believable and cohesive way.

I didn’t really know much about Cecily Neville and Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, other than them being the parents of Edward IV and Richard III, so it was really interesting to get to know them a bit better and see in more detail and a very engaging way how their lives unfolded. It was also interesting to see other characters from Cecily’s point of view. Books featuring Edward IV are usually written from the point of view of himself or Elizabeth Woodville, or in the third person, so it was fascinating to see a mother’s point of view of him growing up and his evolution into a man and king.

I also think that starting the story with the burning of Joan of Arc was a good foreshadowing of the story of Cecily’s life that will be told here, up to her son’s accession as Edward IV. It starts with violence and the violence builds in various stages throughout the book as we go through the conflicts and battles of the Wars of the Roses.

The novel doesn’t shy away from darker aspects, like the battles and looting, though there are minimal first-hand battle scenes as Cecily is at a remove from them, though there are many dark moments as Cecily loses children and other family members, and the ups and downs of the York family through fear, imprisonment, and death.

This has been a month of excellent book choices, with six out of the nine new-to-me books I finished getting a 5 star rating, plus my latest re-reading the Discworld in publishing order book, Reaper Man, I also rate as 5 star! For once I actually cannot pick out a “if you don’t have time for them all, this is the one to read” book from my reviews but I can offer the following advice: whichever…

Heyyy, I’ve written a detailed review here: https://lady-plantagenet.tumblr.com/post/662075226625032192/unsolicited-book-reviews-n6-cecily-rating

Book Review - #Cecily by Annie Garthwaite - historical fiction Heads up - I loved this book. It took me a while to read it and then I devoured it:)

Here’s the blurb: Rebellion?’The word is a spark. They can start a fire with it, or smother it in their fingertips.She chooses to start a fire. You are born high, but marry a traitor’s son. You bear him twelve children, carry his cause and bury his past. You play the game, against enemies who wish you ashes. Slowly, you rise. You are Cecily. But when the king who governs you proves unfit,…

In recent years, I’ve found that I really enjoy reading about real women whose stories have not been previously told or that somehow didn’t make the general body of history that is common knowledge. I had honestly never heard of Cecily Neville before reading this book and I am now wondering why.

Cecily Neville is born into a noble family and at the age of nine was promised to her father’s ward Richard Plantagenet. In the years that followed, Richard rose through the ranks to dukedom with his headstrong, defiant wife firmly in his corner while Cecily bore Richard 12 children. Seven of them lived including two future kings of England, Edward IV and Richard III. Throughout the bloody Wars of the Roses and incredible political upheaval, Cecily remains a powerful figurehead and inspiration to women everywhere.

Considering that this was not a love match when they were thrown together as children, Cecily and Richard’s relationship is beautiful. They clearly adore each other and are a formidable team. There is no talk or suggestion of Cecily taking a back seat and concentrating her efforts on being a wife and mother. They stand firmly together to defend the House of York and I think the fact that they each allow the other to flourish without any kind of restriction prevents any resentment from creeping into their marriage.

Of course, plenty of people around them have their own opinion on Cecily taking such an active role in her husband’s cause. Cecily is great at shutting these critics down and I felt myself smiling at the parts where she proves that she has just as much right to be in on these meetings as the men do. It’s so refreshing to see women from centuries ago having the courage to take action against the world. Especially in periods as far back as the 15th century, women are depicted as powerless victims whose lives just happen to them. Cecily would never stand for that approach to living at all and it’s fantastic to watch.

In order to secure good marriages for her children and strengthen the bond between York and France, Cecily spends time ingratiating herself with French nobility. In doing this, she forms a wonderful friendship with Isabella who she gushes over inspirational women with. Although we don’t get to see much of their friendship in real time, there is a lovely, playful kinship between them. Isabella introduces Cecily to new ideas and perhaps shows her a side to herself that she otherwise would have never known.

There are also little glimpses of gossip sessions between women that reminded me that actually some things have always been and always will. Their discussions on the men that they admire and the men that are repulsed by reflect conversations that I know I’ve had with my own girlfriends. It’s such an easy, carefree scene and I think I wanted more of these in the book. I wanted to see Cecily simply as a woman rather than as a mother or a warrior, which are the two personas she uses most often.

Of course, Cecily loses five babies over the course of the narrative and each one is marked with her feelings about these little deaths. Her closest nurse Annette is a great comfort to her during these times of grief and helps her to understand it. There is a point where Cecily wonders how she isn’t used to the pain of losing children by now and concedes that it’s not something a mother ever will or should get over. These moments of utter sorrow and heartache give Cecily a warmth that is sometimes lost when she is scheming against her enemies. 

There are some beautiful descriptions of parts of England in the book too. This simple pause is the calm before the storm that brings horrendous violence and great tragedy. It’s a lovely, engaging way of adding rise and fall to the story and this part in particular paints an atmospheric, forboding image in my mind.

Cecily is a great illustration of a hidden war that was being waged during the Wars of the Roses. A war that the women were fighting to advance their own husbands and families as far as they could. There is extreme slander thrown and a lot of power moves played that have almost been erased from the history books, due to men reaping the glory from these ruthless tactics. 

There are a lot of characters to keep track of in this book and at times, I was a little confused as to who everyone was. This meant that I had to look up various names online and read their stories, so that I could clarify everything. An unexpected side effect of the book is that I can easily see where George RR Martin got a lot of his influences. I knew that A Song Of Ice And Fire was based on 15th century English history but I wasn’t entirely clear on which parts. Now, I can easily how he created many of his characters from the real people in Cecily’s story.

Overall, this is an absorbing book and sheds light on a thoroughly interesting figure who has been lost in time. She isn’t wholly likeable, which sometimes made it hard to connect with her, but perhaps she isn’t meant to be! Perhaps this is supposed to simply be an honest depiction of a ruthless but loyal, determined woman.