The Lady of the Rivers Interview

The Lady of the Rivers

Jacquetta, daughter of the Count of Luxembourg and kinswoman to half the royalty of Europe, was married to the great Englishman John, Duke of Bedford, uncle to Henry VI. Widowed at the age of nineteen she took the extraordinary risk of marrying a gentleman of her household for love, and then carved out a life for herself as Queen Margaret of Anjou's close friend and a Lancaster supporter - until the day that her daughter Elizabeth Woodville fell in love and married the rival king Edward IV.

Of all the little-known but important women of the period, her dramatic story is the most neglected. With her links to Melusina, and to the founder of the house of Luxembourg, together with her reputation for making magic, she is the most haunting of heroines.

Philippa Gregory was an established historian and writer when she discovered her interest in the Tudor period and wrote the internationally bestselling novel The Other Boleyn Girl. Now she is looking at the family that preceded the Tudors: the magnificent Plantaganets, a family of complex rivalries, loves, and hatreds.

Her other great interest is the charity that she founded nearly twenty years ago: Gardens for The Gambia. She has raised funds and paid for 140 wells for the primary schools of this poor African country. A former student of Sussex university, and a PhD and Alumna of the Year 2009 of Edinburgh University, her love for history and commitment to historical accuracy are the hallmarks of her writing. She lives with her family on a small farm in Yorkshire. She welcomes visitors to her site www.PhilippaGregory.com

The Lady of the Rivers
Simon and Schuster
Author: Philippa Gregory
ISBN: 9781847374592
Price: $36.99

Interview with Philippa Gregory

Question: What inspired you about the story of Jacquetta the daughter of the Count of Luxembourg?

Philippa Gregory: I discovered the character of Jacquetta when I was researching her daughter Elizabeth for the novel The White Queen. I knew at once that I would want to write about her, she's such a characterful, interesting, woman who lived at a time of major change, disruption and danger.


Question: Can you talk about your research methods?

Philippa Gregory: I always start with reading everything that is available about the characters. In this case there was nothing published on Jacquetta, and I could find no historians who were working on her. I had to trace her through the histories of others: her husband, the queen she served, the daughter who became queen. It was like detective work until I could piece together her life and times. I always visit the places I write about so I went to Luxembourg to see the city which was her family's home, and to the other places in England. Finally, I double check and talk with historians about what I have discovered about her and what can be safely deduced.

Question: What do you hope readers will take away from The Lady of the Rivers?

Philippa Gregory: More than anything else, I am trying to write an enjoyable novel. This isn't a history lesson nor a feminist tract though you can read it for the history and the emphasis on women is important to me - but for any reader it has to work as a novel being engaging, exciting, clear and compelling.


Interview by Brooke Hunter