The Kingmaker’s Daughter is the gripping story of the daughters of the man known as the 'Kingmaker', Richard Neville Earl of Warwick: the most powerful magnate in fifteenth-century England. Without a son and heir, he uses his daughters Anne and Isabel as pawns in his political games, and they grow up to be influential players in their own right. In this novel, her first sister story since The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory explores the lives of two fascinating young women.
At the court of Edward IV and his beautiful queen, Elizabeth Woodville, Anne grows from a delightful child to become ever more fearful and desperate when her father makes war on his former friends. Married at age fourteen, she is soon left widowed and fatherless, her mother in sanctuary and her sister married to the enemy.
Anne manages her own escape by marrying Richard Duke of Gloucester, but her choice will set her on a collision course with the overwhelming power of the royal family and will cost the lives of those she loves most in the world, including her precious only son, Prince Edward. Ultimately, the kingmaker’s daughter will achieve her father’s greatest ambition.
Anne's story is included in the BBC and Starz television drama The White Queen (2013); Anne is played by Faye Marsay, Isabel by Eleanor Tomlinson, Warwick by James Frain and Richard Duke of Gloucester by Aneurin Barnard.
Released in 2012
Nearly named the Kingmaker's Daughters, this is the story of Isabel and Anne Neville, daughters to the Earl of Warwick who fought for both York and Lancaster, but always for himself. Anne is married to Prince Edward and could easily have been a Lancastrian Queen of England but for the fortunes of war which meant that she married Richard III and became a York Queen of England. It's a story about ambition and the price that has to be paid.
Book opens in 1465
King Edward IV's secret marriage Elizabeth Woodville fractured his relationship with his cousin and supporter Richard Neville Earl of Warwick, who was known as 'The Kingmaker'. Warwick believed that he would be in a position to rule England through Edward; when he could not, he began to look elsewhere for power and used his daughters Isabel and Anne to create new alliances.
Related Characters
Anne Neville
1456 - 1485
Cecily Neville
1415 - 1495
Edward IV
1442 - 1483
Edward of Lancaster
1453 - 1471
Elizabeth Woodville
1437 - 1492
George Duke of Clarence
1449 - 1478
Isabel Neville
1451 - 1476
Margaret d'Anjou
1430 - 1482
Richard III
1452 - 1485
Richard Neville Earl of Warwick, the Kingmaker
1428 - 1471
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Reviews
"Gregory is one of historical fiction’s superstars, and The Kingmaker’s Daughter shows why.... providing intelligent escape, a trip through time to a dangerous past."
Historical Novel Society Full Review
"Gregory is one of historical fiction’s superstars, and The Kingmaker’s Daughter shows why....providing intelligent escape, a trip through time to a dangerous past."
Historical Novels Review (Editors' Choice) Full Review
"Gregory delivers another vivid and satisfying novel of court intrigue, revenge, and superstition. Gregory’s many fans as well as readers who enjoy lush, evocative writing, vividly drawn characters, and fascinating history told from a woman’s point of view will love her latest work."
Library Journal
"Gregory returns with another sister act. The result: her best novel in years."
USA Today Full Review
"Gregory returns with another sister act. The result: her best novel in years."
USA Today Full Review
"Gregory's real story is....that of the women of the court, pawns and princesses, and if they’re particularly unlucky, queens....Gorgeous fun."
New York Daily News Full Review
"What Philippa Gregory doesn’t know about the Tudors – and now the Plantagenets – quite probably isn’t worth knowing! Elegant, witty and incredibly passionate about her writing and about history."
Historical Novel Society – Philippa Gregory on The Kingmaker's Daughter and the TV Serialisation of the Cousins' War Full Review
"Gregory.... always delivers the goods."
New York Post
"Gregory's real story is....that of the women of the court, pawns and princesses, and if they’re particularly unlucky, queens....Gorgeous fun."
New York Daily News Full Review
"Richard’s courtship of the young widow is one of the novel’s high points and Gregory’s skill is in portraying the highs and lows of her existence in a way which consistently wins the reader’s sympathy."
The Express Full Review
"A terrific story, told with Gregory's customary confidence and zest"
The Sunday Times Full Review
"Gregory creates suspense by raising intriguing questions about whether her characters will transcend their historical reputations."
Kirkus Reviews Full Review
"extremely entertaining, well researched, and an edge of your seat read....As always, when reading Gregory's books, I am enthralled....she's simply the best at what she does"
Confessions of a Book Addict Full Review
"Gregory.... always delivers the goods."
New York Post
"Gregory delivers another vivid and satisfying novel of court intrigue, revenge, and superstition. Gregory’s many fans as well as readers who enjoy lush, evocative writing, vividly drawn characters, and fascinating history told from a woman’s point of view will love her latest work."
Library Journal
"The bonds of sisterhood infuse Gregory’s latest.... The stakes are high as Anne and Isabel Neville, daughters of the earl of Warwick (‘the Kingmaker’), vie for their father’s favor and a chance at the throne.... In addition to Gregory handling a complicated history, she convincingly details women’s lives in the 1400s and the competitive love between sisters."
Publishers Weekly Full Review
"What Philippa Gregory doesn’t know about the Tudors – and now the Plantagenets – quite probably isn’t worth knowing! Elegant, witty and incredibly passionate about her writing and about history."
Historical Novel Society – 'Philippa Gregory on The Kingmaker's Daughter and the TV Serialisation of the Cousins' War' Full Review
"Richard’s courtship of the young widow is one of the novel’s high points and Gregory’s skill is in portraying the highs and lows of her existence in a way which consistently wins the reader’s sympathy."
The Express Full Review
"Gregory creates suspense by raising intriguing questions about whether her characters will transcend their historical reputations."
Kirkus Reviews Full Review
"A terrific story, told with Gregory's customary confidence and zest"
The Sunday Times Full Review
"The bonds of sisterhood infuse Gregory’s latest.... The stakes are high as Anne and Isabel Neville, daughters of the earl of Warwick (‘the Kingmaker’), vie for their father’s favor and a chance at the throne.... In addition to Gregory handling a complicated history, she convincingly details women’s lives in the 1400s and the competitive love between sisters."
Publishers Weekly Full Review
"Gregory in fine form... the reigning queen of historical fiction"
The Post and Courier Full Review
"Gregory's detailed account of England during the Wars of the Roses, and the psychology and culture of 15th-century English courts, will prove a delight to her fans or to anyone enamored of English history."
Entomology of a Bookworm Full Review
"extremely entertaining, well researched, and an edge of your seat read....As always, when reading Gregory's books, I am enthralled....she's simply the best at what she does"
Confessions of a Book Addict Full Review
"Gregory in fine form... the reigning queen of historical fiction"
The Post and Courier Full Review
"Gregory's detailed account of England during the Wars of the Roses, and the psychology and culture of 15th-century English courts, will prove a delight to her fans or to anyone enamored of English history."
Entomology of a Bookworm Full Review
"Gregory has given her readers another royal gem of a book....just as grand and exciting as The Other Boleyn Girl."
The Globe and Mail Full Review
"Gregory has given her readers another royal gem of a book....just as grand and exciting as The Other Boleyn Girl."
The Globe and Mail Full Review
"fascinating....cleverly blending fact and fiction together to bring to life the riveting story of Anne Neville....These stories of little known but significant women of the time give a fresh perspective"
Lovereading (August 2012 Book of the Month) Full Review
"It’s every man and woman for themselves in Gregory’s latest, which offers reliable royal entertainment."
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