Queen By Right

"From the award-winning author of A Rose for the Crown, Daughter of York, and The King's Grace comes another masterful historical novel-the story of Cecily of York, mother of two kings and the heroine of one of history's greatest love stories. Anne Easter Smith's novels are beloved by readers for their ability "to grab you, sweep you along with the story, and make you fall in love with the characters." * In Cecily Neville, duchess of York and ancestor of every English monarch to the present day, she has found her most engrossing character yet.History remembers Cecily of York standing on the steps of the Market Cross at Ludlow, facing an attacking army while holding the hands of her two young sons. Queen by Right reveals how she came to step into her destiny, beginning with her marriage to Richard, duke of York, whom she meets when she is nine and he is thirteen. Raised together in her father's household, they become a true love match and together face personal tragedies, pivotal events of history, and deadly political intrigue. All of England knows that Richard has a clear claim to the throne, and when King Henry VI becomes unfit to rule, Cecily must put aside her hopes and fears and help her husband decide what is right for their family and their country. Queen by Right marks Anne Easter Smith's greatest achievement, a book that every fan of sweeping, exquisitely detailed historical fiction will devour." Thanks to Chapters.ca for that synopsis.

Reading
This is the book I'm currently reading. I started it about a week ago and am currently on page 209 of about 490. So far I am really enjoying this book. I had never heard of Cecily Neville before I read this book but I'm glad to have been able to get to know her from a young child all the way to becoming a mother.

Genealogy
One of my favourite additional features in this book is the family trees of the people featured in this book at the beginning. I have been working on my own family tree for some time now and through my own genealogical research I found out that my 23rd great grandfather was Edward I Plantagenet (1239-1307). Although I can hardly say I am related to the Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, featured in this book I can say we have this man as a common ancestor (Edward was Richard's great-great-grandfather). Wouldn't anyone want to say they were related to royalty? heh

Other Features
A couple other features that Anne Easter Smith has added to this novel is a glossary for all those terms that just aren't used nowadays (although there are some others I found while reading that I would have liked to have a definition for as well) and a list of characters. The list is nice to check back with as I am reading. It indicated which characters are historical figures as well as which are purely fiction.

Coming Soon
I bought a few new books from Chapters.ca just before Canada Post went on strike (boo) so I'll share what I got, maybe you've read some of them and can let me know what you thought of them.