Three Sisters, Three Queens (Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #8)

by Philippa Gregory

“There is only one bond that I trust: between a woman and her sisters. We never take our eyes off each other. In love and in rivalry, we always think of each other.”
    When Katherine of Aragon is brought to the Tudor court as a young bride, the oldest princess, Margaret, takes her measure.  With one look, each knows the other for a rival, an ally, a pawn, destined – with Margaret’s younger sister Mary – to a sisterhood unique in all the world. The three sisters will become the queens of England, Scotland and France.
    United by family loyalties and affections, the three queens find themselves set against each other.  Katherine commands an army against Margaret and kills her husband James IV of Scotland. But Margaret’s boy becomes heir to the Tudor throne when Katherine loses her son. Mary steals the widowed Margaret’s proposed husband, but when Mary is widowed it is her secret marriage for love that is the envy of the others. As they experience betrayals, dangers, loss and passion, the three sisters find that the only constant in their perilous lives is their special bond, more powerful than any man, even a king.

• ISBN10: 147113301X
• ISBN13: 9781471133015
• Publish Date: 9 August 2016 (first published 25 August 2015)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 18 August 2022
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Ltd
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 560
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

Three Sisters, Three Queens is not one of Philippa Gregory’s stronger novels. After listening to her addendum at the end of the novel, I think the lack of historical content may have affected the story – simply put, there’s not a lot known definitively about Margaret’s life, and so many things had to be imagined.

What I’ve found in my personal preferences within Philippa Gregory’s canon is that I prefer the books built around more famous figures. The Other Boleyn Girl is absolutely fantastic. I really enjoyed The Lady of the Rivers as well. On the other hand, I didn’t care particularly for The Queen’s Fool, which features a fictional character as the protagonist.

This is all personal opinion. All I’m trying to say is that with more historical fact comes a more compelling story. So compared to some of her other works, Three Sisters, Three Queens was a bit of a let down for me. This is truest of all because I absolutely loved The Constant Princess. When Three Sisters, Three Queens was first announced, I was so excited about this book because I wanted to see more of Katherine of Aragon. For whatever reason, I expected this novel to be split between the perspectives of the three sisters, and that was not the case. The entire book is from Margaret’s perspective and, honesty, Margaret doesn’t have much to say.

There were moments that were interesting. For example, early in the narrative when Margaret was first married, scenes between herself and King James of Scotland were compelling. But for the most part, Margaret spends passages and passages whining and complaining about not being treated as well as her sisters or brother, and not giving the respect and riches she believes she deserves. Sometimes, she’s right. Mostly, she’s just complaining and it is tiresome.

I felt like we never got much of a feel for Margaret or the other characters simply because she was presented as so shallow and changeable. Told in a first person perspective, Margaret doesn’t let anyone else into the story because she’s selfishly focusing on her own wants and needs. I think the narrative suffered for that, because it was difficult to impossible to root for anyone unless you liked Margaret herself. So that may just be a matter of perspective.

As far as historical fiction goes, I still think Philippa Gregory does an excellent job in general. There wasn’t a whole lot for her to work with here, and her style is still very readable. I think I would have found this novel much more tedious if I had been reading in instead of listening to it. If you’ve enjoyed her other works or are interested in Margaret, Dowager Queen of Scotland, then Three Sisters, Three Queens may be a great fit for you. If this is your first foray into her work, however, I’d definitely start with one of her other books.

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

4.75★ Audiobook⎮ This was my first Philippa Gregory novel in five or six years. Like so many, I was introduced to her writing in The Other Boleyn Girl in 2007. That novel, as well as The White Queen, made such a positive impression upon me that I have considered Gregory as one of my top five favorite authors ever since.

Unfortunately, I gradually became somewhat disenchanted with her work after a few consecutive disappointing experiences with The Red Queen, The Queen’s Fool, and The Virgin’s Lover. In fact, I was never able to make it fully through The Other Queen or The Lady of the Rivers, although I still intend to do so. Yet, I began Three Sisters, Three Queens on a hopeful whim and found it to my liking.

I was a bit worried that I may have outgrown my taste for Philippa Gregory in the years since my last attempt at enjoying her work. But Three Sisters, Three Queens was immensely satisfying, even if it was not exactly what I was expecting it to be. Based on the title, I thought it would be told from three different points-of-view. As presented, the story is a tale of the sisterly bond between Margaret Tudor, Mary Tudor, and Catherine of Aragon, but it is told from the perspective of Margaret Tudor. Although this was Margaret’s story, the theme of sisterhood was clearly evident. These three women’s lives were bound together by the Tudor court and later by Henry VIII’s mistreatment abuse.

The discovery Margaret Tudor’s story was an unexpected, but pleasant, surprise. Margaret’s story is often told in relation to that of others. She was frequently overshadowed in contemporary times and has been often overlooked from a historical perspective as well. She was the older sister of Henry VIII and grandmother of Mary, Queen of Scots, but very little is known about her as an individual historical figure. Because of that, much of Three Sisters, Three Queens is based on assumption. Gregory had very little historical content to draw from, but somehow managed to stretch what little she found into 21 hours of story.

However, I question if Gregory used all of that time wisely. I have no problem sitting through audiobooks of this size, especially if a story needs more time to develop. But as Three Sisters, Three Queens went on, it felt as if Gregory was stretching the story too thin. The latter part seemed to drag on, becoming somewhat redundant, and then ending rather abruptly. She chose to omit certain historical events in Margaret’s life in order to emphasize (possibly over emphasize) others.

I very much enjoyed Margaret as a protagonist and found her to be a more inspirational figure than anticipated. As a character, Margaret was well-developed and I appreciated her flaws, which made her relatable. Philippa Gregory has pulled Margaret Tudor from near the depths of historical irrelevance and presented her as a significant personality in Tudor/Stewart history. I always appreciate being given the opportunity to recognize the triumphs of early female leaders and Gregory’s portrayal of Margaret as, dare I say, an early feminist was extremely enlightening.

Narration review: Bianca Amato narrates all of Philippa Gregory’s Tudor and Plantagenet novels, so I am familiar with her work. However, this was the first time I have heard her narration as an audio reviewer. Amato made a special effort to give each character a distinct voice and accent. In a story featuring several characters of diverse backgrounds, Amato was precise in her judgment of how to voice each accent accurately, articulately and in alignment with the character’s personality. For example, Catherine of Aragon was given a thick Spanish accent, but it did not overshadow the reverence of her words. Amato properly conveyed Catherine’s spirituality, Margaret’s haughty pride, and Mary’s shallow naïveté. In short, Bianca Amato’s performance was a royal treat. ♣︎