No modern soap opera can touch the intrigue of the English monarchy. I watched the movie based on this book several years ago, but enjoyed all the details left out of the film version. The book was knit together with the legend of Melusina’s ancestry of the Rivers family’s line, which isn’t featured as prominently in the movie. This touch of fantasy helps emphasize the fictional nature of the novel and historical recount of this and earlier periods.
Gregory’s focus on the lives of historical women is important work, as they are so often ignored in recounting power and military struggles.