Cecily: An epic feminist retelling of the War of the Roses

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Wszystko to zamknięte w pełnej rozmachu powieści historycznej, w której ta wielka historia dzieje się na naszych oczach. Because the pace is so fast, major things like Cade's rebellion are dealt with quickly, and we get no real insight into the rebels, their motivations, or their connections to York. It has saved her, these past weeks, to be at the centre of his stratagems, poring over maps, drawing up plans, deciding the appointments of officers; weighing up men’s competence and ambition, where they will serve best and how far they can be trusted.

She thinks of her brother outwitting the queen’s army not a month ago at Blore Heath, first to enter the streets at St. Cecily lived to see her eightieth birthday, saw kings and queens come and go, outlived most of her children (including her four sons who lived to adulthood), saw her husband and her brother killed in battle.Cecylia pióra Annie Garthwaite niewiele ma wspólnego z Cecylią, którą wprowadził do literatury Szekspir w „Królu Ryszardzie III”, i dobrze! Many, many novels have been written about the Wars of the Roses, with the latest tending to focus on the women involved in the wars. This sets our aforementioned feeling of proximity to the historical premises making for a successful novel. I found myself wondering just how much of the holy, childlike amiability was an act to hide behind while he played everyone off each other for his own amusement?

The Yorkist propaganda that Edward of Lancaster was a bastard is made fact but at least rather than being “evil slutty Margaret has an evil affair”, it’s depicted as something she had to do to survive so Garthwaite gets a lot of points for not using it as another way to denigrate Margaret. There is a good start to the book but it loses its way and the reaction to the later events such as the death of her husband seems perfunctory.

CECILY is her debut novel and, even before it's publication, was named a 'top pick' by The Times and Sunday Times. Annie Garthwaite breathes life back to the 1400s Duchess, telling her story from a woman’s point of view, highlighting the important roles women played durig the Middle Ages, which are all but skipped over in history. Perhaps that’s why my favourite Beatrix Potter was Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes (which I reviewed here), and later, I was easily won over to Oscar Wilde by The Importance of Being Earnest (which I reviewed here).