The King’s Mother

Description

FROM THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF CECILY

‘Elegant and propulsive . . . I had to fight myself to put it down’ A.K. Blakemore
‘History at its most powerful: intimate and personal, visceral and devastating’ Jennifer Saint
‘Family dynamics at their most fierce – timeless and brilliant!’ Kate Sawyer

1461. Through blood and battle Edward has gained England’s throne – king by right and conquest – eighteen years old and unstoppable. Cecily has piloted his rise to power and stands at his shoulder now, first to claim the title King’s Mother.

But to win a throne is not to keep it and war is come again. As brother betrays brother, and trusted cousins turn treacherous, other mothers rise up to fight for other sons. Cecily must focus her will to defeat every challenge. Wherever they come from. Whatever the cost.

For there can be only one King, and only one King’s Mother.

From the Wars of the Roses to the dawn of the Tudor age, this is a story of mothers and sons; of maternal ferocity and female ambition – of all they can build and all they can destroy.

——

PRAISE FOR ANNIE GARTHWAITE
‘Has the new Hilary Mantel arrived?’ Sunday Telegraph
‘A startling heroine’ Sarah Moss
‘Wolf Hall for the 2020s‘ Manda Scott
‘A vividly female perspective on the Wars of the Roses’ Imogen Hermes Gowar
‘Absorbing’ The TimesElegant and propulsive . . . I had to fight myself to put it down—A.K. Blakemore, author of THE GLUTTON

History at its most powerful: intimate and personal, visceral and devastating—Jennifer Saint, author of HERA

Family dynamics at their most fierce – timeless and brilliant!—Kate Sawyer, author of THIS FAMILY

A vivid and gripping powerhouse of a novel—Joanne Burn, author of THE BONE HUNTERS

Utterly gripping, beautifully judged and deeply feminist—Elizabeth Buchan, author of TWO WOMEN IN ROME

Intense and personal, with stakes as great as kingdoms and a mother’s love—Conn Iggulden, author of NERO

It is impossible not to root for Cecily: fierce mother and ambitious power player—Constanza Casati, author of BABYLONIA

Breathes life into these women, wives, daughters and mothers. It is rare that historical fiction is so immersive and transporting.—Liz Fremantle, author of QUEEN’S GAMBIT

Utterly compelling storytelling in crisp prose that is by turns witty, lyrical, moving and brutal.—Victoria Mackenzie, author of FOR THY GREAT PAIN HAVE MERCY ON MY LITTLE PAIN

Moving and majestic. I honestly don’t think there’s another writer like Annie Garthwaite in British literature.—A.J. West, author of THE SPIRIT ENGINEERAnnie Garthwaite is the author of the highly-acclaimed Cecily. She grew up in a working-class community in the north-east of England before embarking on a thirty-year career in international business. In 2017, she returned to her first love – books – and began writing the story of a lifelong fascination, Cecily Neville.GB

Additional information