Name: Cecily
ISBN: 9780241476895

Annie Garthwaite

Cecily

Emily Carruthers 

Omg I haven’t connected to a book like this in so long. Honestly what a feminist icon amongst a history told by men about men. If there’s one lesson I learned from this book it’s that you should just always be the woman you are with no shame and apologies. 

'Rebellion?' The word is a spark. They can start a fire with it, or smother it in their fingertips. She chooses to start a fire. You are born high, but marry a traitor's son. You bear him twelve children, carry his cause and bury his past. You play the game, against enemies who wish you ashes. Slowly, you rise. You are Cecily. But when the king who governs you proves unfit, what then? Loyalty or treason - death may follow both. The board is set. Time to make your first move. Told through the eyes of its greatest unknown protagonist, this astonishing debut plunges you into the closed bedchambers and bloody battlefields of the first days of the Wars of the Roses, a war as women fight it.

‘A STARTLING HEROINE’ Sarah Moss

Adriana Coppola

Incredibly well researched. Not the most literary thing I’ve ever read but I learned a lot about power structures and the role of women in the lead up to the wars of the roses. Style and structure are nice, but I did find I was less engaged towards the end. As another reviewer says, it does sometimes read as merely a list of events in Cecily Neville’s life. 

Jemima Scott

I just loved this - I’m definitely going to research more about Cecily

Manon van Heumen

These kind of books are always a hit or miss for me. While I really enjoyed the writing style of this one, there was little to no story for me to enjoy. It was basically a description of someone's life and events, and this made it quite hard for me to enjoy.

You are born high, but marry a traitor's son. You bear him twelve children, carry his cause and bury his past. You play the game, against enemies who wish you ashes. Slowly, you rise. You are Cecily. But when the king who governs you proves unfit, what then? Loyalty or treason

Cecily

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