![]() ![]() Her Plantagenet series is five books strong and keeps turning like Fortune's wheel: the cast changes, but the narrative spokes stay the same – the pursuit of power, arranged marriages, a need for male heirs, swerving political loyalties. His compliment is an understatement Gregory has written 24 novels and two books for young adults since 1987. We bond immediately over Max Irons, son of Jeremy, who plays the ludicrously dishy Edward IV in The White Queenand was recently quoted as saying: "Philippa Gregory – she can tell a story." ![]() ![]() She has queen potential – you can tell she knows her own mind, but she might have to work on being less friendly. Although casually dressed for our mid-morning tea, her matching fuschia sandals and bag suggest she enjoys dressing up. At 59, Gregory has an animated face framed by blonde curls. She is the first person I see as I walk through grand stone portals to the reception. We meet at a country house hotel not far from where she lives because of upheaval at home: she is building a barn on her 100-acre farm. It is the sort of game you start to play after immersion in her historical fiction – everyone I look at seems Plantagenet material. The White Princess takes over from where The White Queen, subject of the BBC drama series about the War of the Roses, leaves off and I have been wondering what sort of queen Gregory would make. I am on the train to North Yorkshire where Philippa Gregory lives and have been so engrossed by her latest novel, I'm pages from the end when I alight at Yarm station. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |