I've finally got around to reading another book in Philippa Gregory's Cousins' War series, 'The White Princess'. About time, I'm only about four books behind...
'The White Princess' sweeps the veil of Tudor propaganda aside and suggests an alternative story of the dynasty's founding couple, Henry VII, only child of the ambitious Lancastrian Margaret Beaufort, and Elizabeth of York, eldest daughter of the late King Edward IV and sister to the famed Princes in the Tower. When her usurper uncle Richard III is defeated at the Battle of Bosworth Field, Elizabeth once again finds herself the unhappy victim of another dramatic change of circumstance, one of many that has seen the wheel of fortune turn her from princess to pauper and back again many times. With few options open to her, Elizabeth is forced to become a pawn in the power games between the new rulers and her mother, the widowed Elizabeth Woodville, While Henry VII and Margaret Beaufort weave a public story of strength, unity and authority, Elizabeth sees the threadbare truth of a family wracked with fear and eaten away by suspicion, a situation that reaches breaking point when a pretender marches on the kingdom claiming to be Elizabeth's missing younger brother, Richard of York...
The difficulty with Philippa Gregory is that all of her work is of such a consistently high standard that each book really has to work hard to stand out from the others. I'll admit that I haven't enjoyed many in the Cousins' War series so far because I think they often suffer from two common historical novel issues. Number one: if you have an aristocratic female lead, then they don't get to do much, which can get quite frustrating, especially if they don't hear about what's going on in the outside world through a spy network or letter writing relations. Number two: the writer is constrained by having to hit certain known historical events to retain authenticity, but consequently loses some control over pace and don't have full creative freedom. The minute a historical novelist of Gregory's supreme talent is able to flex her muscles with a less well known historical figure, the difference is obvious and, for me, the results are always better.
The strength of 'The White Princess' is that it provides a different perspective on the traditional story of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Usually portrayed as the rather romantic way that the Wars of the Roses ended and a genuine love match, Gregory successfully suggests an alternative view that seems more plausible and reminds the reader not to take everything they think they know about the past for granted.
Overall, this is a worthy addition to the Cousins' War series of books and hasn't stopped me wanting to read more, but unlike 'The Other Boleyn Girl', 'The Other Queen' or 'The Lady of the Rivers', I doubt I'll want to read this again.
Now, what next...?
Related Posts
'The Lady of the Rivers' (Cousins' War Book I)
'The White Queen' (Cousins' War Book II)
'The Red Queen' (Cousins' War Book III)
'The Kingmaker's Daughter' (Cousins' War Book IV)
'The Virgin's Lover'
'The Other Queen'
Showing posts with label philippa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label philippa. Show all posts
19 April 2017
25 September 2015
Girls on Film
Finishing 'The Kingmaker's Daughter' by Philippa Gregory meant I felt ready to watch the BBC series 'The White Queen', starring Rebecca Ferguson (Elizabeth Woodville), Amanda Hale (Margaret Beaufort, 'The Red Queen') and Faye Marsay (Anne Neville, 'The Kingmaker's Daughter').
Originally broadcast on BBC One in 2013, 'The White Queen' is based on three of the Cousins' War novels, 'The White Queen', 'The Red Queen' and 'The Kingmaker's Daughter'. It brings to life a dark and complex world of conspiracies, alliances and dynastic ambition, not to mention all the books' key players.
I'm really glad that I waited until I'd read all three of the source novels before watching this. The reason why films and TV series often fail to convince readers is simply because their writers can't squeeze everything in a book(s) into a few hours of screen time. This leaves them with a tough choice; cut chunks of the original story or squeeze everything in without covering it properly. My memory may be letting me down, but I'm pretty sure that the makers of 'The White Queen' went for the latter option, which meant that it was actually a really useful reminder of what happened in the books rather than a standalone piece in its own right. It may not be what the BBC originally intended, but I feel well prepared for 'The White Princess' and her successors now!
On the whole, I thought the casting was strong and the actors did a good job. Rebecca Ferguson and the other leading ladies were excellent, but Max Irons (Edward IV) didn't work for me and James Frain (Earl of Warwick) wasn't my image of the Kingmaker at all. Frain's a great actor who I've enjoyed in many other films and programmes, but I feel he's at his best when playing slippery politicians rather than bullish warriors. I just couldn't imagine him having the physical power to wield a sword in battle, which was slightly distracting. Just like the books, it was an interesting ensemble piece, however, and it worked because the collective talent present was so strong. I've spent so much time on IMDb checking people I'd seen somewhere before!
A lot of work had clearly gone into the gorgeous costumes and the use of colour was thoughtful. Several times I found myself wishing I could wear a few of the stunning gowns - both luxurious and warm looking! But where were the hats? Duchess Cecily had a couple of nice bits of headgear,but on the whole they seemed to be completely absent, which seemed a bit odd when they got so many mentions in the books.
The other element I usually like in a historical drama is the locations. 'The White Queen' was filmed in Belgium and provided some stunning backgrounds. The set piece coronations and court scenes offered a glimpse of medieval glamour and made rooms that seem spartan by today's standards rich and opulent, full of brightly coloured glass and richly embroidered hangings. But all too often it felt restricted and fairy tale-esque and none of the exteriors really felt like, well, England.
On the whole, I enjoyed 'The White Queen', but it'll probably be a while before I watch it again. It was a useful revision tool, but on the whole felt too clean and tidy to have the sense of time and place that I always bang on about in historical novels. On the one hand, I completely understand that the tumble-down structures we see today aren't the highly painted and richly furnished castles and churches our ancestors would've recognised, but equally everything looked a bit too fresh out of the box to be completely believable in this programme.
I've heard rumours that a new series based on 'The White Princess' may follow. I think I would watch it, but I really do need to read the books first!
Now, back to the books!
Related Links
Official BBC One Website
IMDb site
Philippa Gregory Official Website
Originally broadcast on BBC One in 2013, 'The White Queen' is based on three of the Cousins' War novels, 'The White Queen', 'The Red Queen' and 'The Kingmaker's Daughter'. It brings to life a dark and complex world of conspiracies, alliances and dynastic ambition, not to mention all the books' key players.
I'm really glad that I waited until I'd read all three of the source novels before watching this. The reason why films and TV series often fail to convince readers is simply because their writers can't squeeze everything in a book(s) into a few hours of screen time. This leaves them with a tough choice; cut chunks of the original story or squeeze everything in without covering it properly. My memory may be letting me down, but I'm pretty sure that the makers of 'The White Queen' went for the latter option, which meant that it was actually a really useful reminder of what happened in the books rather than a standalone piece in its own right. It may not be what the BBC originally intended, but I feel well prepared for 'The White Princess' and her successors now!
On the whole, I thought the casting was strong and the actors did a good job. Rebecca Ferguson and the other leading ladies were excellent, but Max Irons (Edward IV) didn't work for me and James Frain (Earl of Warwick) wasn't my image of the Kingmaker at all. Frain's a great actor who I've enjoyed in many other films and programmes, but I feel he's at his best when playing slippery politicians rather than bullish warriors. I just couldn't imagine him having the physical power to wield a sword in battle, which was slightly distracting. Just like the books, it was an interesting ensemble piece, however, and it worked because the collective talent present was so strong. I've spent so much time on IMDb checking people I'd seen somewhere before!
A lot of work had clearly gone into the gorgeous costumes and the use of colour was thoughtful. Several times I found myself wishing I could wear a few of the stunning gowns - both luxurious and warm looking! But where were the hats? Duchess Cecily had a couple of nice bits of headgear,but on the whole they seemed to be completely absent, which seemed a bit odd when they got so many mentions in the books.
The other element I usually like in a historical drama is the locations. 'The White Queen' was filmed in Belgium and provided some stunning backgrounds. The set piece coronations and court scenes offered a glimpse of medieval glamour and made rooms that seem spartan by today's standards rich and opulent, full of brightly coloured glass and richly embroidered hangings. But all too often it felt restricted and fairy tale-esque and none of the exteriors really felt like, well, England.
On the whole, I enjoyed 'The White Queen', but it'll probably be a while before I watch it again. It was a useful revision tool, but on the whole felt too clean and tidy to have the sense of time and place that I always bang on about in historical novels. On the one hand, I completely understand that the tumble-down structures we see today aren't the highly painted and richly furnished castles and churches our ancestors would've recognised, but equally everything looked a bit too fresh out of the box to be completely believable in this programme.
I've heard rumours that a new series based on 'The White Princess' may follow. I think I would watch it, but I really do need to read the books first!
Now, back to the books!
Related Links
Official BBC One Website
IMDb site
Philippa Gregory Official Website
13 September 2015
Crowning Conspiracies
Hello darlings! Have you missed me? Know I've missed you, so let's get cracking.
I recently finished reading 'The Kingmaker's Daughter' by Philippa Gregory, the fourth instalment in her Cousins' War series covering the conflict often called the Wars of the Roses. It took me a while to get around to reading this because, although I loved the first book ('The Lady of the Rivers'), I didn't enjoy the next two novels as much, so rather lost the impetus to keep reading. With so much publicity around a new book by Ms. Gregory, however, I was reminded how much I enjoy her work and decided to go back to the 1400s and see what was happening.
Anne Neville is the youngest daughter for the great Earl of Warwick, known as the Kingmaker for his part in bringing Edward IV to the throne. But fortune's wheel is always turning and when the King secretly marries Elizabeth Woodville rather than the French princess Warwick has negotiated for him, he realises he's losing both the power and influence for which he fought. Resourceful and cunning, Warwick decides to use all his assets to regain his status, including his only children, daughters Isabel and Anne. The girls become pawns in a risky struggle, used by power-hungry men in a game of high stakes and ultimate prizes. But in a world where people will stop at nothing to win a crown, is anyone truly safe?
Reading this book proves a theory mentioned in my blog about 'The Red Queen', the previous title in this series. I'd found the novel dull partly because I'd only just read 'The White Queen', which covered the same-ish time period, just from a different character's perspective. I found it harder to keep reading because I knew what was going to happen. By 'The Kingmaker's Daughter', however, I'd forgotten the details of the earlier books and found my interest once again piqued by Gregory's choice of narrator and perspective, as well as her superlative skill in conjuring a sense of time and place.
I've always preferred reading historical novels that explore the politics of an era and this is a key theme of 'The Kingmaker's Daughter'. Though pretty powerless, Anne and her sister are often at the centre of plots and counter-plots that see allegiances change and their status rise and fall. They get used so often by the men around them over their lifetimes that paranoia takes hold and, even when they do achieve their aims, they are unable to enjoy it or think of anything other than keeping hold of their positions. As such, this book is full of a tension that kept me reading right until the end.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's even made me want to go back and give its predecessors a second chance. But I do have another one or two books to read first!
Now, what next..?
Related Posts
Cousins' War Novels
'The Lady of the Rivers'
'The White Queen'
'The Red Queen'
Also by Philippa Gregory
'The Other Queen'
'The Virgin's Lover'
I recently finished reading 'The Kingmaker's Daughter' by Philippa Gregory, the fourth instalment in her Cousins' War series covering the conflict often called the Wars of the Roses. It took me a while to get around to reading this because, although I loved the first book ('The Lady of the Rivers'), I didn't enjoy the next two novels as much, so rather lost the impetus to keep reading. With so much publicity around a new book by Ms. Gregory, however, I was reminded how much I enjoy her work and decided to go back to the 1400s and see what was happening.
 |
| 'The Kingmaker's Daughter' by Philippa Gregory (Simon and Schuster, 2012) |
Reading this book proves a theory mentioned in my blog about 'The Red Queen', the previous title in this series. I'd found the novel dull partly because I'd only just read 'The White Queen', which covered the same-ish time period, just from a different character's perspective. I found it harder to keep reading because I knew what was going to happen. By 'The Kingmaker's Daughter', however, I'd forgotten the details of the earlier books and found my interest once again piqued by Gregory's choice of narrator and perspective, as well as her superlative skill in conjuring a sense of time and place.
I've always preferred reading historical novels that explore the politics of an era and this is a key theme of 'The Kingmaker's Daughter'. Though pretty powerless, Anne and her sister are often at the centre of plots and counter-plots that see allegiances change and their status rise and fall. They get used so often by the men around them over their lifetimes that paranoia takes hold and, even when they do achieve their aims, they are unable to enjoy it or think of anything other than keeping hold of their positions. As such, this book is full of a tension that kept me reading right until the end.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's even made me want to go back and give its predecessors a second chance. But I do have another one or two books to read first!
Now, what next..?
Related Posts
Cousins' War Novels
'The Lady of the Rivers'
'The White Queen'
'The Red Queen'
Also by Philippa Gregory
'The Other Queen'
'The Virgin's Lover'
30 July 2013
The Bland Queen
I have finally finished 'The White Queen' by Philippa Gregory, the second in the 'Cousins at War' series of books (chronologically anyway!).
'The White Queen' picks up where 'The Lady of the Rivers' finished, with Jaquetta's (Lady Rivers') daughter Elizabeth Woodville heading out to meet King Edward IV at the roadside. Elizabeth is a noted beauty and Edward a notorious womaniser, so it's not surprising that romance (or lust depending on how you look at it) follows. The couple marry in secret, an act which has terrible repercussions, bringing war back to the country once more. Whether married for love or political ambition, Elizabeth, now the White Queen of York, finds herself on a journey that sees her become by turns first lady of the land and outlaw in sanctuary fearing for her life and the lives of her children. So where will the White Queen's Wheel of Fortune stop turning?
I'm sorry to say that I didn't really begin to get into this book until about two thirds of the way through. The first part is basically historical fiction romance porn, full of lust and illicit love affairs, the second part sees Elizabeth a long way from the action (at this point I wanted to follow her husband's narrative, not hers) and finally, in the third part, the White Queen starts to get fleshed out a bit and become a real, interesting character.
The final chapters see her hiding in sanctuary with her children, at which point conflict begins to develop between her and her eldest daughter, all based around Elizabeth's 'ambition'. To be honest, I hadn't noticed that she was ambitious until this point, just that she was a pawn of her mother (who has changed a lot since 'The Lady of the Rivers'). But once she'd been told she is ambitious, Elizabeth seemed keen to make up for lost time. As well as being ambitious, Elizabeth is also shown to be hopelessly politically naive, which makes it much easier to see her as a human being and even begin to relate to her. Before that, I couldn't get any sort of grip on her motivations and it made it hard to like/dislike/care about her.
There also seems to be a lot of padding in this book, a lot of phrases and ideas repeated within pages just in different words. I got absolutely sick of hearing about Elizabeth's hat coming off and her hair being unpinned and falling down. Also, the habit of modern language slipping through which I first noticed in 'The Other Queen' has reared its ugly head again. Note to editors: If a sentence ends with 'here' and when you delete it the meaning stays the same, then delete it.
Sadly, this book feels like a first draft. There is a really great story in here and it's an OK read if you've got the time to spend on it, but I know Ms Gregory can do better and it's really disappointing to read something that just doesn't hit the usual mark. Then again, it's often things going wrong that make you appreciate it when they go right. So bring on the Red Queen!
'The White Queen' picks up where 'The Lady of the Rivers' finished, with Jaquetta's (Lady Rivers') daughter Elizabeth Woodville heading out to meet King Edward IV at the roadside. Elizabeth is a noted beauty and Edward a notorious womaniser, so it's not surprising that romance (or lust depending on how you look at it) follows. The couple marry in secret, an act which has terrible repercussions, bringing war back to the country once more. Whether married for love or political ambition, Elizabeth, now the White Queen of York, finds herself on a journey that sees her become by turns first lady of the land and outlaw in sanctuary fearing for her life and the lives of her children. So where will the White Queen's Wheel of Fortune stop turning?
 |
| 'The White Queen' by Philippa Gregory (Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2009) |
The final chapters see her hiding in sanctuary with her children, at which point conflict begins to develop between her and her eldest daughter, all based around Elizabeth's 'ambition'. To be honest, I hadn't noticed that she was ambitious until this point, just that she was a pawn of her mother (who has changed a lot since 'The Lady of the Rivers'). But once she'd been told she is ambitious, Elizabeth seemed keen to make up for lost time. As well as being ambitious, Elizabeth is also shown to be hopelessly politically naive, which makes it much easier to see her as a human being and even begin to relate to her. Before that, I couldn't get any sort of grip on her motivations and it made it hard to like/dislike/care about her.
There also seems to be a lot of padding in this book, a lot of phrases and ideas repeated within pages just in different words. I got absolutely sick of hearing about Elizabeth's hat coming off and her hair being unpinned and falling down. Also, the habit of modern language slipping through which I first noticed in 'The Other Queen' has reared its ugly head again. Note to editors: If a sentence ends with 'here' and when you delete it the meaning stays the same, then delete it.
Sadly, this book feels like a first draft. There is a really great story in here and it's an OK read if you've got the time to spend on it, but I know Ms Gregory can do better and it's really disappointing to read something that just doesn't hit the usual mark. Then again, it's often things going wrong that make you appreciate it when they go right. So bring on the Red Queen!
08 July 2013
Rivers Run Through It
See what happens when I get a bit determined? A 497 page book read in nine days flat. Result!
I've just finished reading 'The Lady of the Rivers', chronologically the first in Philippa Gregory's 'Cousins at War' series. I was getting a bit washed out by the flood of promotion around the BBC series based on the books, so thought I'd better get started on the novels so I could watch it!
The lady of the title is Jacquetta, a daughter of the House of Luxembourg, a family which traces its source to a union between a man and the water sprite Melusina. These unusual origins are said to give the Luxembourg women the gift of foresight, bringing Jacquetta to the attention of the Duke of Bedford, King Henry VI of England's commander in France. Bedford marries Jacquetta to use her in his alchemical experiments and no more, leaving her feeling unhappy and confused. The waters are muddied further when she begins to have feelings for one of the Duke's retinue, Richard Woodville. When the tide of war turns and the Duke and his household return to England, they find a king whose direction changes with his advisor and an increasingly disgruntled ruling class. Will Bedford convince the King to fund the fight in France? Can Jacquetta find love and retain her honour? Could disagreement between royal cousins really lead to war?
You have no idea how hard it was for me not to say more in that paragraph. This is really only the very start of a book which took me on an unexpected journey through the early years of the Wars of the Roses, as we call them today. All I really know about them is that Henry VII brought them to an end through battle and marriage. As such, even though this is clearly historical fiction, 'The Lady of the Rivers' gave me a taste of the era and an overview of the key events that has made me want to read more. This is just as well as there are another three books in the series already and at least one more on the way.
Which leads me onto a bit of a niggle I have. As readers can see from the family tree at the front of the paperback edition, Jacquetta is rather 'productive', giving birth to 14 children by the end of the novel. Somehow she carries these babies successfully while riding horses, getting caught up with the boisterous London mob and stressing about her husband, children and Queen. Clearly, she was made of stern stuff!
As I say, though, this really was just a drop in the ocean, much like the alchemy near the start of the book. There was a point at which I thought "Where on Earth is this going?" because I was a bit worried that the themes of magic and alchemy were going to drain the book's feel of realism. Talk to any Philippa Gregory fan and they'll tell you that they love the way she evokes the past and makes it feel realistic, so it worried me a bit that the novel might be slipping into 'Lord of the Rings' territory!
I needn't have worried on either count, though, as 'The Lady of the Rivers' is an absorbing book introducing fascinating historical figures and a time period I really would like to know more about. Not only am I hoping that the other books in the series will help to start bridging the gap in my knowledge, I hope that the people they introduce will be equally intriguing and I'll get so swept up in the flow of the story that I'll read them just as quickly!
Now, to 'The White Queen'!
I've just finished reading 'The Lady of the Rivers', chronologically the first in Philippa Gregory's 'Cousins at War' series. I was getting a bit washed out by the flood of promotion around the BBC series based on the books, so thought I'd better get started on the novels so I could watch it!
 |
| 'The Lady of the Rivers' by Philppa Gregory (Simon & Schuster UK, 2012) |
You have no idea how hard it was for me not to say more in that paragraph. This is really only the very start of a book which took me on an unexpected journey through the early years of the Wars of the Roses, as we call them today. All I really know about them is that Henry VII brought them to an end through battle and marriage. As such, even though this is clearly historical fiction, 'The Lady of the Rivers' gave me a taste of the era and an overview of the key events that has made me want to read more. This is just as well as there are another three books in the series already and at least one more on the way.
Which leads me onto a bit of a niggle I have. As readers can see from the family tree at the front of the paperback edition, Jacquetta is rather 'productive', giving birth to 14 children by the end of the novel. Somehow she carries these babies successfully while riding horses, getting caught up with the boisterous London mob and stressing about her husband, children and Queen. Clearly, she was made of stern stuff!
As I say, though, this really was just a drop in the ocean, much like the alchemy near the start of the book. There was a point at which I thought "Where on Earth is this going?" because I was a bit worried that the themes of magic and alchemy were going to drain the book's feel of realism. Talk to any Philippa Gregory fan and they'll tell you that they love the way she evokes the past and makes it feel realistic, so it worried me a bit that the novel might be slipping into 'Lord of the Rings' territory!
I needn't have worried on either count, though, as 'The Lady of the Rivers' is an absorbing book introducing fascinating historical figures and a time period I really would like to know more about. Not only am I hoping that the other books in the series will help to start bridging the gap in my knowledge, I hope that the people they introduce will be equally intriguing and I'll get so swept up in the flow of the story that I'll read them just as quickly!
Now, to 'The White Queen'!
17 April 2013
Mary, Mary Quite Contrary
As many of you may have noticed, I'm rather fond of historical fiction. It's not possible to talk about historical fiction without mentioning Philippa Gregory, author of the absorbing 'The Other Queen', which I have just finished.
'The Other Queen' tells the story of the early years of Mary Queen of Scots' imprisonment. I say imprisonment, in reality it's more like house arrest for her and a financial trap for her 'jailers', the Earl and Countess of Shrewsbury, better known as George Talbot and the legendary Bess of Hardwick. The book explores the destructive force of a ruler in exile, the damage caused by hearts and minds in conflict and the curse in disguise of a royal houseguest. From the moment Queen Mary enters the lives of Bess and George, she changes them forever and in ways naively unanticipated by the key players.
Regular readers of this blog will know that I read Ms Gregory's 'The Virgin's Lover' about a year ago and was a bit disappointed by it. 'Historical fiction' is actually quite a broad category and, although I love books which bring historical figures to life and capture the politics and sense of place of an age, I can't bear the romances, which do us all a disservice by eroticizing history rather than helping our understanding of it. Although there is an element of romance to 'The Other Queen', it is not the whole driving force behind the story, so I found it more enjoyable.
'The Other Queen' has three narrators, Mary, Bess and George, and their voices and stories are brilliantly woven together by the author to give us insight into the internal and external conflicts and contradictions they're each experiencing. Like a portent, the arrival of Queen Mary seems a catalyst for a series of events that may have been brewing for a long time, such as the Northern Uprising, George's honour being tested and Queen Elizabeth's great spymaster William Cecil tightening his grip on the country's upper classes.
My only (very small) criticism of this book is that there are a few points when the writing seems to slip into a modern style. For example, at one point George says that he's "fighting for his life here." which jarred with me as a reader and broke the spell. I'm no expert of Tudor English, but it was hard not to hear George suddenly become a modern American when reading that line.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It's three narrators make the story dynamic and tense, while trying to keep up with who is lying to who about what is challenging. A great introduction to a number of controversial characters that I hope to read more about in future (and probably will due to the fantastic bibliography at the end of the book!).
Now, what next?
'The Other Queen' tells the story of the early years of Mary Queen of Scots' imprisonment. I say imprisonment, in reality it's more like house arrest for her and a financial trap for her 'jailers', the Earl and Countess of Shrewsbury, better known as George Talbot and the legendary Bess of Hardwick. The book explores the destructive force of a ruler in exile, the damage caused by hearts and minds in conflict and the curse in disguise of a royal houseguest. From the moment Queen Mary enters the lives of Bess and George, she changes them forever and in ways naively unanticipated by the key players.
Regular readers of this blog will know that I read Ms Gregory's 'The Virgin's Lover' about a year ago and was a bit disappointed by it. 'Historical fiction' is actually quite a broad category and, although I love books which bring historical figures to life and capture the politics and sense of place of an age, I can't bear the romances, which do us all a disservice by eroticizing history rather than helping our understanding of it. Although there is an element of romance to 'The Other Queen', it is not the whole driving force behind the story, so I found it more enjoyable.
 |
| 'The Other Queen' by Philippa Gregory (Harper Collins, 2009) |
My only (very small) criticism of this book is that there are a few points when the writing seems to slip into a modern style. For example, at one point George says that he's "fighting for his life here." which jarred with me as a reader and broke the spell. I'm no expert of Tudor English, but it was hard not to hear George suddenly become a modern American when reading that line.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It's three narrators make the story dynamic and tense, while trying to keep up with who is lying to who about what is challenging. A great introduction to a number of controversial characters that I hope to read more about in future (and probably will due to the fantastic bibliography at the end of the book!).
Now, what next?
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