The King’s Mother cover art

The King’s Mother

Four mothers fight for their sons as the Wars of the Roses rage

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The King’s Mother

By: Annie Garthwaite
Narrated by: Amber Anderson
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

FROM THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF CECILY

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.

'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

©2024 Annie Garthwaite (P)2024 Penguin Audio

 Biographical Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Medieval Political War & Military Women's Fiction Royalty England War Tudor

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Critic reviews

Elegant and propulsive . . . I had to fight myself to put it down (A.K. Blakemore, author of THE GLUTTON)
Bold, unique and gripping (Ferdia Lennon, author of GLORIOUS EXPLOITS)
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)
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)
Utterly gripping, beautifully judged and deeply feminist (Elizabeth Buchan, author of TWO WOMEN IN ROME)
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)
A totally propulsive read, which plunges us into the 15th century and shifts our understanding of the roles mothers in history have played. (Harriet Constable, author of THE INSTRUMENTALIST)
All stars
Most relevant
Fantastic sequel to Cecily: writing is succinct and stylish and effortlessly encompasses incredible amounts of complex history while creating believable and compelling characters.
Cecily is exquisitely complicated, not always nice, but my heart went out to her.
Perfectly paced, building tension and twists that still managed to have me biting my nails even though I knew what was coming.
Narration was also spot on.

Superb. Wonderful writing, full of character and tension, effortlessly sneaks in so much historical detail.

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I love historical fiction & the telling of the King's Mother story was a worthy sequel to Cecily - i cannot vouch for its historical accuracy i really enjoyed the twists & turns of the story and was very well narrated.

Enjoyable Read

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Great story telling. Kept my attention the whole way through. Hope to have more from this author. Greatly recommended.

Super

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Absolutely loved this book - even more than Cecily. Such a fascinating era in history. So beautifully brought to life through a very strong character Cecily

Brilliant sequel to Cecily

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The King’s Mother and its prequel Cecily are two of the best books I have ever read or listened to. Beautifully written and meticulously researched by Annie Garthwaite, and now perfectly narrated by Amber Anderson. I don’t usually write reviews but felt compelled to say how excellent this book is! I wish Annie had written more but will have to wait a while for the next one.

A truly wonderful book.

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