Queen By Right by Anne Easter Smith
Queen By Right is a fictional tale weaved together with lots of historical details that tells us the life story of Cecily of York, mother of two kings. It felt like the telling of a family saga to me and I loved it! Queen By Right takes us to the mid-1400s a time when women had no say in things. As a woman, you were expected to obey your husband in all things and to be seen but not heard. Yet even as a young girl, Cecily, who had been indulged in greatly by her father, was very outspoken and headstrong. Cecily meets Richard, Duke of York, when she is nine and he is thirteen. Her family takes him in as a ward and later he and Cecily are promised to each other. The unusual thing is that they were able to grow together from a young; they weren’t just thrown into a marriage. They enjoyed hunting, riding, and just talking.
I was so drawn to the character of Cecily. The way the author portrays her in this novel invites the reader into Cecily’s life and makes you care about her. Cecily’s life was not easy, even though she and Richard loved each other so much. She lost children, which were very trying times for both her and Richard. Yet she always moved forward for the good of her family and her love for her husband. While many men felt women should not offer their opinions, Richard always engaged his wife in talk. He discussed with her what was going on and valued her opinions.
Then there was also all the political strife in terms of the court of Henry VI and Richard’s position there, and ultimately the position that he wanted to hold there. Over the years, Richard and others become less than impressed with how Henry VI ruled his empire. He seems to be a weak king given to bouts of craziness and it appears his Queen and council make more decisions than he does. Eventually, this leads to Richard forming an army to overturn Henry VI, and what follows is much tumult over the years for both Richard and Cecily. Towards the end, Richard makes many decisions that Cecily doesn’t believe in, but she supports her husband as she has always promised to do. Her main purpose through it all was to protect and love her children.
It is very well written, and the story is fascinating. The storyline is very well put together, and I never felt bored while reading the book. Every page kept me going until the end.
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