The King's Curse

The King's Curse

First UK edition cover
Author Philippa Gregory
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Series The Cousins' War
Genre Historical fiction
Publisher Simon & Schuster
Publication date
14 August 2014
Media type
Pages 608
ISBN 978-0-85720-756-2
Preceded by The White Princess

The King's Curse is a 2014 historical novel by Philippa Gregory, part of her series The Cousins' War. It is the story of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury and daughter of George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence and Isabel Neville.[1]

Plot

King Henry VII of England has kept his cousin Margaret at a distance from the court, but the marriage of his son Arthur, Prince of Wales to the Spanish princess Katherine of Aragon brings Margaret out of obscurity. Her subsequent struggles are improved when the new king Henry VIII puts his daughter Mary in her care, but Margaret's ties to the royal bloodline put her and her family in the center of the intrigues swirling around the king.

Critical reception

Publishers Weekly called The King's Curse "carefully researched" and "an illuminating portrait" of Margaret Pole, adding that "Gregory moves confidently through a tangle of intrigue, revenge, and tyranny toward a shocking betrayal that brings Margaret face-to-face with the king’s ire."[2]

AudioFile magazine gave its Earphones Award to the audiobook recording of The King's Curse, noting Gregory's "steady grasp of history" and praising narrator Bianca Amato's performance.[3]

References

  1. "The King's Curse (Official site)". PhilippaGregory.com. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  2. "The King's Curse". Publishers Weekly. 21 July 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  3. "Audiobook Review: The King's Curse (2014)". AudioFile. Retrieved 8 December 2014.

External links