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Philippa Gregory

Goodreads Author

Born

in Kenya

Website

http://www.philippagregory.com

Twitter

PhilippaGbooks

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Historical Fiction

Member Since

October 2012

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/philippagregory

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Philippa Gregory is one of the world’s foremost historical novelists. She wrote her first ever novel, Wideacre, when she was completing her PhD in eighteenth-century literature and it sold worldwide, heralding a new era for historical fiction.

Her flair for blending history and imagination developed into a signature style and Philippa went on to write many bestselling novels, including The Other Boleyn Girl and The White Queen.

Now a recognised authority on women’s history, Philippa graduated from the University of Sussex and received a PhD from the University of Edinburgh, where she is a Regent and was made Alumna of the Year in 2009. She holds honorary degrees from Teesside University and the University of Sussex. She is a fellow of the Uni ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

If you could live in another period of time, when would it be? Why?

Philippa Gregory I have a very strict rule on this! No woman should wish to live before 1960 – life without reliable contraception was always a constant anxiety. No wo…moreI have a very strict rule on this! No woman should wish to live before 1960 – life without reliable contraception was always a constant anxiety. No woman who wants political power could be happy before we got the vote in the 1920s. No woman wanting an education should live in any period before women were admitted to universities and could graduate – so the 1920s for the UK. No married woman could own her own property before 1870 – you fundamentally became part of your husband's estate. In short, despite the dresses and the jewels for the upper classes the best time to be a woman in the western world is probably now. (less)

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For some reason, your books draw more controversy than most other historical fiction books. I have never been sure why, since its clear that you do a tremendous amount of research. Any ideas why this is so?

Philippa Gregory Alas, poor me! I really hate the sort of trolling that occurs from time to time, and I am amazed at the tone that people think appropriate to write ab…moreAlas, poor me! I really hate the sort of trolling that occurs from time to time, and I am amazed at the tone that people think appropriate to write about someone, or even to write to them. A lot of the most spiteful people are not trained historians – so they haven't learned the habit of detachment from the subject – they write as if they are defending an unjustly accused personal friend, whereas the reputation of these characters is something which can be rightly and carefully considered, and the people lived 500 years ago! At all the universities where I have taught or studied there is an absolute commitment to scholarly discussion which should never be personal or rude, and is supposed to get you – by the exchange of views and information – to a greater truth. So it is surprising and even shocking when people just rant. But often they forget that the books are novels, they are fiction and though based on fact they are supposed to be works of literature with their own narrative arc and language. I am not obliged to record everything that happened or even the whole of the life. The other thing that people seem to forget is that the books are almost all written from a point of view – often it's not what I think of a character, but what the narrator thinks of a character. You can see this really well in the contrast between The White Queen which was written from the point of view of Elizabeth Woodville, and The Red Queen which was written from the point of view of Margaret Beaufort. Their opinions of each other are those of rivals and sometimes friends and ultimately enemies – but I don't think of Elizabeth Woodville as a conniving sexually manipulative witch – that's Margaret Beaufort's opinion. My job is to get into her head, so as to invite the reader into her head and let the reader see the world through Margaret Beaufort's eyes with her prejudices and her mistakes. AND (as if this weren't complicated enough) Margaret Beaufort does not know all the history that I know, she does not know what happens after her death, so her account of the times is not what I would write if I were writing history. She's a fictional character in my novel and her view is a fictional account from a very limited idiosyncratic point of view. And finally – sorry for such a long answer – I think the controversy is the downside of success. More than 9 million people read my books – naturally a proportion of them won't enjoy them, or prefer one to another, or prefer the tv or the films. But on the other hand I enjoy a lot of praise and I get great reviews and I number some of the great historians of the period among my personal friends. The best response is from the readers who have been inspired to study history and read the records that I use for research so that they can find out for themselves what they think a character was like. That's so much more interesting than trying to shout other people down.(less)

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Philippa Gregory’s books

Average rating: 3.94 · 1,724,469 ratings · 88,832 reviews · 116 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Other Boleyn Girl (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #9) 4.08 avg rating — 499,100 ratings — published 2001 — 193 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The White Queen (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #2) 3.96 avg rating — 175,890 ratings — published 2009 — 55 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Constant Princess (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #6) 3.92 avg rating — 162,997 ratings — published 2005 — 115 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Queen's Fool (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #12) 3.88 avg rating — 97,878 ratings — published 2003 — 102 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Boleyn Inheritance (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #10) 3.90 avg rating — 91,871 ratings — published 2006 — 129 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Lady of the Rivers (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #1) 4.05 avg rating — 85,337 ratings — published 2011 — 46 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Red Queen (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #3) 3.82 avg rating — 73,886 ratings — published 2010 — 52 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Virgin's Lover (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #13) 3.73 avg rating — 55,337 ratings — published 2004 — 91 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Kingmaker's Daughter (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #4) 3.99 avg rating — 46,985 ratings — published 2012 — 90 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The White Princess (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #5) 3.93 avg rating — 45,552 ratings — published 2013 — 31 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Philippa Gregory…

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Philippa Gregory's Blog: Philippa Gregory's News

Dawnlands pre-order bonus

I know some of you can’t wait to read the next instalment so my publishers are offering a sneak peek of my new novel Dawnlands to everyone that has pre-ordered it. Submit your receipt for either a hardback, ebook, or audiobook purchase and you’ll receive an exclusive excerpt emailed directly to you.

Head to the links below to find out more - you have until 7 November at 11.59PM GMT to submit.
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Published on October 07, 2022 05:57 • Tags: dawnlands

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Series by Philippa Gregory

The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels (15 books)
by

Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author)

3.97 avg rating — 1,497,430 ratings

The Tudor Court (8 books)
by

Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author)

3.97 avg rating — 1,016,580 ratings

The Cousins' War (6 books)
by

Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author)

3.96 avg rating — 457,547 ratings

The Fairmile (3 books)
by

Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author)

3.86 avg rating — 50,324 ratings

Wideacre (3 books)
by

Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author)

3.54 avg rating — 52,155 ratings

More series by Philippa Gregory…

At the beginning of each calendar month, Goodreads’ crack editorial squad assembles a list of the hottest and most popular new books...

Polls

What book about the Tudors or Tudor England would you like to read in May 2015?

The Creation of Anne Boleyn: A New Look at England's Most Notorious Queen by Susan Bordo

14 votes, 21.5%

The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau

11 votes, 16.9%

Henry VIII's Last Love: The Extraordinary Life of Katherine Willoughby, Lady-in-Waiting to the Tudors by David Baldwin

10 votes, 15.4%

Edward VI: The Lost King of England by Chris Skidmore

8 votes, 12.3%

To the Tower Born: A Novel of the Lost Princes by Robin Maxwell

5 votes, 7.7%

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

4 votes, 6.2%

The Queen's Bed: An Intimate History of Elizabeth's Court by Anna Whitelock

3 votes, 4.6%

The Wild Queen by Carolyn Meyer

2 votes, 3.1%

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory

2 votes, 3.1%

The Forgotten Tudor Women: Margaret Douglas, Mary Howard & Mary Shelton by Sylvia Barbara Soberton

2 votes, 3.1%

Pilgrimage of Grace by Geoffrey Moorhouse

1 vote, 1.5%

The Six Wives & Many Mistresses of Henry VIII: The Womens' Stories by Amy Licence

1 vote, 1.5%

All the Queen's Players by Jane Feather

1 vote, 1.5%

The King's Pleasure by Norah Lofts

1 vote, 1.5%

My Lady of Cleves: A Novel of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves by Margaret Campbell Barnes

0 votes, 0.0%

65 total votes

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