Cecily Neville is "Queen by Right"!

It's been well documented that I am a crazed Anglophile with Anglophilia. England and its rich history is a fascination for me and I have been devouring information about England for decades. My love of England started in my 'tweens when I read novels based on English history. Not only did my love of England start back then, but my love of historical fiction. Historical fiction is a "literary genre that takes place in the past. The setting is drawn from history, and often contains historical persons. Writers of stories in this genre work to portray the manners and social conditions of the persons or time(s) presented in the story, with attention paid to period detail" (Wikipedia). Because of this love of England and historical fiction, I was thrilled that my book club picked the historical fiction novel Queen by Right by Newburyport resident, Anne Easter Smith, to read this month.

Synopsis:  "From the award-winning author of A Rose for the Crown, Daughter of York, and The King’s Grace comes another masterful historical novel—the story of Cecily of York, mother of two kings and the heroine of one of history’s greatest love stories.
 

Anne Easter Smith’s novels are beloved by readers for their ability 'to grab you, sweep you along with the story, and make you fall in love with the characters.'* In Cecily Neville, duchess of York and ancestor of every English monarch to the present day, she has found her most engrossing character yet.

History remembers Cecily of York standing on the steps of the Market Cross at Ludlow, facing an attacking army while holding the hands of her two young sons. Queen by Right reveals how she came to step into her destiny, beginning with her marriage to Richard, duke of York, whom she meets when she is nine and he is thirteen. Raised together in her father’s household, they become a true love match and together face personal tragedies, pivotal events of history, and deadly political intrigue. All of England knows that Richard has a clear claim to the throne, and when King Henry VI becomes unfit to rule, Cecily must put aside her hopes and fears and help her husband decide what is right for their family and their country. Queen by Right marks Anne Easter Smith’s greatest achievement, a book that every fan of sweeping, exquisitely detailed historical fiction will devour." (Amazon.com)  (*Historical Novels Review)

Review: For anyone who is fascinated with the Hundred Years War and the Wars of the Roses, this book is for you. Wife of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York and mother of two kings (the popular King Edward IV and reviled Richard III), Cicely Neville is one of the more enigmatic figures in English history. Despite her connection to some of the most important historical events, including the fact that all English monarchs, beginning with Henry VIII, are descendants of Cecily Neville, not much is known about the Duchess and her life. Anne Easter Smith's novel changes all that. Queen by Right is a well-researched, mostly historically accurate, yet fictional, account of the life of the "Rose of Raby" - Proud Cis.

Told in flashback, the story begins with Cecily mourning the loss of her beloved husband, Richard, her 2nd surviving (and favorite) son, Edmund, and her brother, Richard, 5th Earl of Salisbury -- all three died in the Battle at Wakefield five weeks earlier -- and struggling to figure out how she got where she is. Consequently, Cis begins to look back on her life. As the youngest and favorite offspring of her father's 22 children, Cicely was a spoiled child who grows into a fiery, passionate woman. Cecily often demonstrates her courage through very dangerous times. As a grown woman, Cicely has trouble restraining herself from speaking her mind and making decisions usually made by men during a time when women are seen and not heard. 

The relationship between Cicely and Richard is a fascinating one. Cicely was merely nine years old when she became betrothed to thirteen year old, Richard. They married when Cecily was fourteen and even though Cis and Richard's marriage was an arranged one, the two have a deeply felt love and a strong commitment toward each other. I became very attached to Cecily and Richard as a couple, and truly it left me with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye at the end. Considering I already knew how the story was going to end, this indicates a well-written story. That's why I love historical fiction; I can read dry, boring history books all day long, but it's when those figures are shown to have been living, breathing people that their story really hits home.

In Cecily Neville, Ms. Smith has created a wonderfully vibrant character; a character that flies off the page and attaches herself to your heartstrings so that you feel every up and down of her roller-coaster story along with her. I got a strong impression that the author spent a lot of time with this character, shaping her in a way that is absolutely human, with strengths and flaws. I love when authors are able to do this; bring an historical figure to life and show their hopes and aspirations as stemming from the same place that our own come from -- the desire to see our loved ones safe, secure and successful.
 

Throughout the turbulent Wars of the Roses, it was not often that Cecily's family could truly feel secure, and therefore it is not surprising why the conflicts increased as they did. Each side felt threatened and felt the need to make a stand, battle soon followed, which of course leads into the seemingly never-ending spiral of revenge: an eye for an eye. Anne Easter Smith showed this brilliantly. Whilst reading this book, I learned a vast amount about this time period - far more than any history book has ever done before. I will say that there are an awful lot of names contained in this book, some of which hardly pertain to the main storyline but were a significant player during the time period. Perhaps this did not add to the story of Cecily and her family, but I still enjoyed their inclusion as I could research them and find out to whom they were related, giving me a better understanding of the family ties that are so closely linked to the opposing forces of York and Lancaster. It really is a fascinating time period, and this novel definitely helps to bring that to light.

One aspect of this novel that I particularly liked was the inclusion of the early years of Cecily's life. As the daughter of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, and Joan Beaufort, daughter of John of Gaunt, she can in fact be said to have come from the Lancastrian line. An interesting twist, considering how she become the wife of the Yorkist claimant to the throne.

This is a long novel at 484 pages, but it is time well spent. My only true complaint about the novel was that when I got to the end, I wanted more. The story ends with the coronation of Edward IV in 1461. Cecily lived another 34 years. What happened in those years? Cicely rejoices in two sons being crowned King of England. She suffers through both of those sons dying far too young. She lives to see her granddaughter, Elizabeth of York (Edward IV's eldest daughter) become the Queen of England when she marries Henry VII. There is so much more to know about this woman. As Ms. Smith has graciously consented to be at our next book club meeting in order to discuss her book, it will give me the opportunity to ask her if she might consider finishing the story. I am looking forward to reading more of Anne Easter Smith's novels.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Cecily Neville, Duchess of York