The Red Queen - Philippa Gregory

Written by Philippa Gregory
Read by Bianca Amato, Graeme Malcolm
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Series: Plantagenet and Tudor Novels: Book 3
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Release date: August 3, 2010
Duration: 12:16:56

Margaret Beaufort never surrenders her belief that her Lancaster house is the true ruler of England, and that she has a great destiny before her.

Married to a man twice her age, quickly widowed, and a mother at only fourteen, Margaret is determined to turn her lonely life into a triumph. She sets her heart on putting her son on the throne of England regardless of the cost to herself, to England, and even to the little boy. Disregarding rival heirs and the overwhelming power of the York dynasty, she names him Henry, like the king; sends him into exile; and pledges him in marriage to her enemy Elizabeth of York’s daughter. As the political tides constantly move and shift, Margaret masterminds one of the greatest rebellions of all time—all the while knowing that her son has grown to manhood, recruited an army, and awaits his opportunity to win the greatest prize in all of England.

The Red Queen is a novel of conspiracy, passion, and coldhearted ambition, the story of a proud and determined woman who believes that she alone is destined, by her piety and lineage, to shape the course of history.

“Nine-year-old Margaret Beaufort fervently believes she is destined for greatness. She reveres Joan of Arc, spends hours each day kneeling in prayer, and is proud of her rough, scabby “saint’s” knees. Bianca Amato expertly guides listeners through Margaret’s turbulent life–from reluctant bride (she was forced to marry four times) to the agony of childbirth to her seething jealousy of Elizabeth Woodville (THE WHITE QUEEN) and her limitless ambitions for her son, Henry. As the War of the Roses rages (bloody battle scenes are read, uncredited, by Graeme Malcolm), Margaret’s fortunes rise and fall and rise again. Philippa Gregory is the queen of British historical fiction, and Amato’s performance in this book in The Cousins War series is regal and riveting.”—Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award