Cecily: An epic feminist retelling of the War of the Roses
Jul 2021 · Penguin UK
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DON'T MISS ANNIE GARTHWAITE'S NEW NOVEL, THE KING'S MOTHER, OUT NOW.
'A startling heroine' SARAH MOSS, author of Summerwater
'A vividly female perspective on the Wars of the Roses' IMOGEN HERMES GOWER, author of The Mermaid and Mr Hancock
'Wolf Hall for the 2020s' MANDA SCOTT, author of Boudica
'Absorbing' TIMES
__________________________________
1431 is a dangerous time for a woman to be defiant.
England has been fighting France for 100 years. At home, power-hungry men within a corrupt government manipulate a weak king - and name Cecily's husband, York's loyal duke, an enemy. As the king's grasp on sanity weakens, plots to destroy York take root...
It will take all of Cecily's courage and cunning to save her family. But when the will to survive becomes ambition for a crown, will she risk treason to secure it?
Inside closed bedchambers and upon bloody battlefields, CECILY portrays war as women fight it.
TO CONTINUE CECILY'S STORY, READ THE KING'S MOTHER - OUT NOW.
__________________________________
ACCLAIM FOR CECILY - AN EPIC FEMINIST RETELLING OF THE WAR OF THE ROSES
'Has the new Hilary Mantel arrived?' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
'Masterful and majestic; England's unspoken history told by one brilliant woman through the life of another. This important novel blazes on every page from its brutal first scene to its glittering final act' CHRIS CLEAVE, author of Everyone Brave is Forgiven
'Entirely absorbing and utterly compelling. Fifteenth century England leaps from the page, with all its political turmoil and bloodshed. I loved it' CAROLINE LEA, author of The Glass Women
'Cecily stalks the corridors of power like a female Thomas Cromwell. A vividly female perspective on the Wars of the Roses - what a feat' IMOGEN HERMES GOWER, author of The Mermaid and Mr Hancock
'Masterfully written and wholly immersive, with characters that live and breathe. Cecily is a tour de force. I loved every sentence' JOANNE BURN, author of The Hemlock Cure
'Annie Garthwaite writes about the past with the sort of intimacy, immediacy and empathy that can only come from graft and craft' TOBY CLEMENTS, author of Kingmaker
'BLOODY GREAT. So modern, so political, it could almost be set in Downing Street' KATE SAWYER, author of The Stranding
'Shines a light into a dark corner of our history and reclaims the voice and story of a powerful and forgotten woman' LIZ HYDER, author of The Gifts
'An extraordinary achievement . . .I could touch and breathe Cecily's world as if I was walking in her shadow' CAROL MCGRATH, author of The Silken Rose
'Impeccably researched, written with style and shot through with energy, heart and power. A perfectly paced tale of intrigue, influence and victory wrenched from defeat. Cecily has been overlooked for centuries. Not anymore' A J WEST, author of The Spirit Engineer
'A startling heroine' SARAH MOSS, author of Summerwater
'A vividly female perspective on the Wars of the Roses' IMOGEN HERMES GOWER, author of The Mermaid and Mr Hancock
'Wolf Hall for the 2020s' MANDA SCOTT, author of Boudica
'Absorbing' TIMES
__________________________________
1431 is a dangerous time for a woman to be defiant.
England has been fighting France for 100 years. At home, power-hungry men within a corrupt government manipulate a weak king - and name Cecily's husband, York's loyal duke, an enemy. As the king's grasp on sanity weakens, plots to destroy York take root...
It will take all of Cecily's courage and cunning to save her family. But when the will to survive becomes ambition for a crown, will she risk treason to secure it?
Inside closed bedchambers and upon bloody battlefields, CECILY portrays war as women fight it.
TO CONTINUE CECILY'S STORY, READ THE KING'S MOTHER - OUT NOW.
__________________________________
ACCLAIM FOR CECILY - AN EPIC FEMINIST RETELLING OF THE WAR OF THE ROSES
'Has the new Hilary Mantel arrived?' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
'Masterful and majestic; England's unspoken history told by one brilliant woman through the life of another. This important novel blazes on every page from its brutal first scene to its glittering final act' CHRIS CLEAVE, author of Everyone Brave is Forgiven
'Entirely absorbing and utterly compelling. Fifteenth century England leaps from the page, with all its political turmoil and bloodshed. I loved it' CAROLINE LEA, author of The Glass Women
'Cecily stalks the corridors of power like a female Thomas Cromwell. A vividly female perspective on the Wars of the Roses - what a feat' IMOGEN HERMES GOWER, author of The Mermaid and Mr Hancock
'Masterfully written and wholly immersive, with characters that live and breathe. Cecily is a tour de force. I loved every sentence' JOANNE BURN, author of The Hemlock Cure
'Annie Garthwaite writes about the past with the sort of intimacy, immediacy and empathy that can only come from graft and craft' TOBY CLEMENTS, author of Kingmaker
'BLOODY GREAT. So modern, so political, it could almost be set in Downing Street' KATE SAWYER, author of The Stranding
'Shines a light into a dark corner of our history and reclaims the voice and story of a powerful and forgotten woman' LIZ HYDER, author of The Gifts
'An extraordinary achievement . . .I could touch and breathe Cecily's world as if I was walking in her shadow' CAROL MCGRATH, author of The Silken Rose
'Impeccably researched, written with style and shot through with energy, heart and power. A perfectly paced tale of intrigue, influence and victory wrenched from defeat. Cecily has been overlooked for centuries. Not anymore' A J WEST, author of The Spirit Engineer
Ratings and reviews
1.0
1 review
Alison Robinson
- Flag inappropriate
May 18, 2022
DNF at 50%. The story of Cecily and her husband Richard Duke of York as they struggle to do right by KIng Henry VI, a religious man who was easily swayed by whoever was speaking at the time. Richard and Cecily do all that they can to hold English lands in France, brokering deals with the Dukes of Burgundy and Orleans, committing their own funds to pay the soldiers and compensate the townsfolk. But when the King is beset by Gloucester on the one hand promoting all-out war against France and her uncle Cardinal Beaufort arguing for peace, whilst also promoting the interests of his brother's sons over Cecily (his sister's daughter), Richard and Cecily are always going to be on the losing side. I have always found this era of English history difficult to follow, not least because every other person seems to be called Henry, Edward, Edmund or Margaret so I was really hoping for an engaging historical novel to bring history to life. Sadly I didn't get that. I can only describe this book as akin to someone describing a film to someone who can't see the action, there's a lot of Cecily touching Richard's arm, looking into his eyes, watching other people but all described in such an incredibly lifeless way that it feels like a history book. The book has covered 20 years in such a matter-of-fact way that Cecily seems no older than she did at the start of the book. Indeed, the start of the book opens with Richard and Cecily watching Joan of Arc put to death - that was a harrowing read and it feels like that was the only emotive thing I've read. Wives come and go, dying in childbirth, divorced for witchcraft and it's just mentioned in passing. Cecily's life seems curiously empty, she apparently has no friends or confidants, she is ambivalent about her children, while she and Richard discuss politics and court matters he plays his cards close to his chest - what exactly does she do all day? Overall, I was hoping that as I got further into the book Cecily would start to become a real character but sadly the novel remains like a patchwork of recorded historical events with no insights/imagination as to how Cecily felt. Accordingly, after reading half the book I don't feel inclined to continue. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
About the author
Annie Garthwaite grew up in a working-class community in the north-east of England. She studied English at the University of Wales before embarking on a thirty-year international business career. In 2017 she returned to her first love, books, and set out to write the story of a woman she had always felt drawn to: Cecily Neville. This became her debut novel, Cecily.
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