29. The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory. Narrated by Bianca Amato and Graeme Malcolm. When I first started listening, I was afraid I had gotten the wrong tape. The description was of a young woman begging for a cross, and receiving one from a hated Englishman. She was about to be burned at the stake, and a king whom she had saved would not save her--how did I accidentally get an audio about Joan of Arc? But it turns out that instead, Gregory uses Joan of Arc as a guiding narrative force in the life of Margaret Beaufort as she uses the water goddess Melusina as a narrative guide to Elizabeth Woodville's life in The White Queen . I found this devise less annoying, as it was evoked less often, and presented more as Margaret's imagination than a "true legend." I personally enjoyed The Red Queen far more than I did The White Queen . Gregory's true triumph here is the character of Margaret Beaufort. There are few deviations from her narration, and these are read ...
Life, Books, and SFF