Three Sisters, Three Queens reads like a personal diary seen through the eyes of Margaret Tudor. The story takes the reader from November 1501 to the summer of 1553, traveling throughout England as well as Scotland. The Tudor period has always fascinated me and at 550 pages, including the author’s note, Three Sisters, Three Queens actually reads quite quickly.
It is a story that has been retold many times, we all know King Henry, the Boleyn sisters. But this telling is unique as it articulates the story from Margaret’s perspective. Realized from her eyes, the story takes us on a beautiful journey, albeit one that we know the inevitability of certain events.
I read the book like I was reading her journal and appreciated it as such. Margaret pulled me into her world, her frustrations, her naïveté and everything that went along with it. It was frustrating reading how she let her emotions cloud her judgement, time after time, after time. Oh, but some of the best parts were reading the snarky, passive-aggressive letters between the sisters. Seriously, the letters were absolutely brilliant. Some might argue that the book doesn’t let the reader feel what is going on outside Margaret’s world. But that is just it, sometimes we don’t have the full picture of our world. We don’t know what is being plotted against us while we are left to our own devices.
These three sisters lived through war, death, birth, more death, more births, love, abandonment, treachery. I don’t know how they forgave each other for some of the unspeakable things that were said and done !
If you are a fan of the Tudor period, I’m sure you’ll enjoy adding Three Sisters, Three Queens to your reading list.
Some full disclosure, this is my first book from Philippa Gregory. I’ve watched The Other Boleyn Girl (many times) and after reading this book, I’m slowly starting my collection of the Tudor period books by Philippa Gregory. What can I say : I’m hooked.
Three Sisters, Three Queens by Philippa Gregory
Published by Touchstone an Imprint of Simon & Schuster