Overview

Ruthless. Devoted. Ambitious. Triumphant. Who will be the last woman standing? 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.

Full Product Details

9780241631270

Table of Contents

Reviews

Garthwaite resurrects a remarkable woman * The Sunday Times on CECILY * A vividly female perspective on the Wars of the Roses, what a feat! * Imogen Hermes-Gowar on CECILY * Shines a light into a dark corner of our history and reclaims the voice and story of a powerful and forgotten woman. A phenomenal read. * Liz Hyder on CECILY * BLOODY GREAT. So modern, so political, it could almost be set in Downing Street. * Kate Sawyer * Entirely absorbing and utterly compelling. I loved it. * Caroline Lea *

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 *

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.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available