The Kingmaker's Daughter - Philippa Gregory

Wow, really getting behind on reviews. It's been about a month since I've done one, even though I've read several books in that time. Oh well, better get started on the catch-up.
Actually read this way before Iron Knight but completely forgot to do a review, so here it goes.

This is the latest addition to Philippa Gregory's Cousins' War series, set during the War of the Roses. The other three books have been from the points of view of: Elizabeth Woodville, Henry VIII's maternal grandmother; Margaret Beaufort, his paternal grandmother and Jacquetta Woodville, his maternal great-grandmother. This new book is about Anne Neville, the daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, aka the Kingmaker. It documents her life from the age of eight, to her death twenty years later.
With all of these books it's really amazing how Gregory keeps switching points of view in the same time-frame. Three of the four novels of this series happen at the same time, but shown from the points of view of three very different women, seeing three completely different things. I loved Elizabeth Woodville's point of view in The White Queen and sympathised with her very much, but this book convincingly paints her as a terrifying figure, cold and distant, and it's obvious why. These books show how vastly different perspectives can be, simply by people growing up in different ways and being told different things from birth.
The storyline itself is, of course, historical, so I can't exactly comment on the originality or believability of the plot, but it's certainly very engaging and you definitely want to keep reading.

Anne's voice throughout struck me very much as being that of a child. She clung to her fears and relied a lot on others. She certainly wasn't a brave or assertive character but clearly someone who wanted more out of life but had not the means to achieve it. She did succeed, but with the help of many others.

Overall it is - as with all of Philippa Gregory's books - wonderfully written and creates such a rich image of historical events. I'll be waiting for the next in the series.