Overview

Ruthless. Devoted. Ambitious. Triumphant. This is war as women fight it. 1461. Through violent war and great sacrifice, Edward IV has won England's coveted throne. Cecily, having piloted her family's rise to power, stands beside him as the nation's first King's Mother. But competition is ferocious and Cecily has met her match- three other women, driven by ambition, necessity and fear, who will stop at nothing to put their own sons on the throne. Their conflict is desperate, the cost of failure high, and Cecily must sacrifice everything she has to secure her dynasty. For there can only be one King, and there can only be one King's Mother. Spanning England's bloodiest civil war through the 15th century and into the Tudor era, this is a story about mothers and sons; about maternal ferocity and female ambition - all it can achieve and all it can destroy.

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9780241998687

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Reviews

Elegant and propulsive . . . I had to fight myself to put it down * A.K. Blakemore, author of THE GLUTTON * Bold, unique and gripping * Ferdia Lennon, author of GLORIOUS EXPLOITS * History at its most powerful: intimate and personal, visceral and devastating * Jennifer Saint, author of HERA * Family dynamics at their most fierce - timeless and brilliant! * Kate Sawyer, author of THIS FAMILY * Intense and personal, with stakes as great as kingdoms and a mother’s love * Conn Iggulden, author of NERO * It is impossible not to root for Cecily: fierce mother and ambitious power player * Constanza Casati, author of BABYLONIA * Utterly gripping, beautifully judged and deeply feminist * Elizabeth Buchan, author of TWO WOMEN IN ROME * Breathes life into these women, wives, daughters and mothers. It is rare that historical fiction is so immersive and transporting. * Liz Fremantle, author of QUEEN'S GAMBIT * Utterly compelling storytelling in crisp prose that is by turns witty, lyrical, moving and brutal. * Victoria Mackenzie, author of FOR THY GREAT PAIN HAVE MERCY ON MY LITTLE PAIN * A totally propulsive read, which plunges us into the 15th century and shifts our understanding of the roles mothers in history have played. -- Harriet Constable, author of THE INSTRUMENTALIST Brings the women of the Wars of the Roses dazzlingly to life and puts them where they belong: at the heart of events that shaped England. -- Tracy Borman, author and historian Garthwaite is a beautiful writer with an incisive pen; the kinship she feels with her characters—heroes and villains both—is evident on every page. -- Katherine J. Chen, author of JOAN: A NOVEL OF JOAN OF ARC An utterly compelling protagonist – Brilliant, determined and ruthless. -- Tim Leach, author of THE HOLLOW THRONE A vivid and gripping powerhouse of a novel * Joanne Burn, author of THE BONE HUNTERS * Moving and majestic. I honestly don’t think there’s another writer like Annie Garthwaite in British literature. * A.J. West, author of THE SPIRIT ENGINEER * Explores the lives and loves of noble women in the 15th century in unflinching, terrifying detail. -- Sara Sheridan, author of THE FAIR BOTANISTS Smart, compelling and vividly propulsive with a cast of charismatic royal women who combine the cunning of vixens with the hearts of lionesses. -- Kate Griffin, author of FYNESHADE Garthwaite’s dialogue marries political intrigue with emotional heft in a way I haven’t seen on the page since Hilary Mantel. -- Naomi Kelsey, author of THE BURNINGS

Elegant and propulsive . . . I had to fight myself to put it down * A.K. Blakemore, author of THE GLUTTON * History at its most powerful: intimate and personal, visceral and devastating * Jennifer Saint, author of HERA * Family dynamics at their most fierce - timeless and brilliant! * Kate Sawyer, author of THIS FAMILY * Bold, unique and gripping * Ferdia Lennon, author of GLORIOUS EXPLOITS * Intense and personal, with stakes as great as kingdoms and a mother’s love * Conn Iggulden, author of NERO * It is impossible not to root for Cecily: fierce mother and ambitious power player * Constanza Casati, author of BABYLONIA * Utterly gripping, beautifully judged and deeply feminist * Elizabeth Buchan, author of TWO WOMEN IN ROME * Breathes life into these women, wives, daughters and mothers. It is rare that historical fiction is so immersive and transporting. * Liz Fremantle, author of QUEEN'S GAMBIT * Utterly compelling storytelling in crisp prose that is by turns witty, lyrical, moving and brutal. * Victoria Mackenzie, author of FOR THY GREAT PAIN HAVE MERCY ON MY LITTLE PAIN * Moving and majestic. I honestly don’t think there’s another writer like Annie Garthwaite in British literature. * A.J. West, author of THE SPIRIT ENGINEER * A vivid and gripping powerhouse of a novel * Joanne Burn, author of THE BONE HUNTERS *

Elegant and propulsive . . . I had to fight myself to put it down * A.K. Blakemore, author of THE GLUTTON * History at its most powerful: intimate and personal, visceral and devastating * Jennifer Saint, author of HERA * Family dynamics at their most fierce - timeless and brilliant! * Kate Sawyer, author of THIS FAMILY * A vivid and gripping powerhouse of a novel * Joanne Burn, author of THE BONE HUNTERS * Utterly gripping, beautifully judged and deeply feminist * Elizabeth Buchan, author of TWO WOMEN IN ROME * Intense and personal, with stakes as great as kingdoms and a mother’s love * Conn Iggulden, author of NERO * It is impossible not to root for Cecily: fierce mother and ambitious power player * Constanza Casati, author of BABYLONIA * Breathes life into these women, wives, daughters and mothers. It is rare that historical fiction is so immersive and transporting. * Liz Fremantle, author of QUEEN'S GAMBIT * Utterly compelling storytelling in crisp prose that is by turns witty, lyrical, moving and brutal. * Victoria Mackenzie, author of FOR THY GREAT PAIN HAVE MERCY ON MY LITTLE PAIN * Moving and majestic. I honestly don’t think there’s another writer like Annie Garthwaite in British literature. * A.J. West, author of THE SPIRIT ENGINEER *

Author Information

Annie Garthwaite is the author of highly-acclaimed historical novels, Cecily and The King's Mother. She grew up in a working-class community in the north-east of England before embarking on a thirty-year career in international business. In 2017, she returned to her first love - books - and began writing the story of a lifelong fascination, Cecily Neville.

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