I had seen this book all over social media and the cover looked amazing
Cecily portrayed a powerful character, not always liked as she could be callous and the manipulation she carries on her family and children send a chill down your spine. You are almost in Cecily head when reading this book and follow her through her character development and the choices she makes
I didn't have much knowledge on the royal line so some parts of the book did get lost on me, but it is well researched and written so easy to deduce.
Overall a really good historical fiction read.

"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 unseen protagonist, this astonishing debut plunges you into the blood and exhilaration of the first days of the Wars of the Roses, a war as women fight it.

WoW!! I don't usually pick up historic fiction but this really piqued my interest, I was not disappointed and amazing read.

Annie Garthwaite has written a well constructed and in depth account of the time. Its interesting and convincing to see the lives of Cecily and Richard at the time and to see the portrayal of their 'modern' lives. A good read that kept me hooked and interested from chapter one.

Loved it. This book is about the Duchess of York, Cecily Neville. Well , being an Indian I don’t really have much knowledge of European history, so I would like to say, after reading the book my curiosity has risen, I don’t want to spoil the story , if you don’t know about her already. I can’t imagine this is a debut book of the author because the way it is written shows differently, which proves our author as a brilliant writer. Congratulations!

I enjoy reading about this period in history and thought I had exhausted it. However, this gives a different slant on this period. I had never heard of Cecile Neville. Well written and researched

I loved this utterly stunning and intriguing and just amazing strong tale about a powerful and strong women in a world which is dominated by men. This is a tale of Cecily a woman who will not back down and neither will she allow the taint of traitor or betrayal stand in her way.

I had never heard of Cecily before, but all the men in her life - less strong and less strategic - litter the pages of the history books I read at school. I took a while to warm up to this book, but settled into it in the end, especially from the family's return from France. It's always great to read untold versions of history from a woman's perspective and all in all I enjoyed the historical drama. I'm inspired to look further into lesser known figures from this time.

Cecily Neville was born the youngest daughter and married to a noble whose loyalty was in question. Son of A traitor, Richard is restored to the Dukedom of York and tasked by the king to govern France. However factions at court dislike Richard and soon the whiff of treachery haunts the family. Cecily is determined that her husband be allowed to continue to work for the crown but the Queen is a enemy and the King weak. When civil war looms, Cecily's family may pay a high price before they see glory.
As the mother of two kings and a pivotal early player in the Wars of the Roses Cecily has been sidelined for too long. In this book Garthwaite fictionalises her story but with enough research to ensure that this reads as a strong history book as well. It's a terrific tale that places a lot of the subsequent thirty years into perspective.

‘Cecily’ tells the story of the Cecily Neville who was the Duchess of York during the 15th Century at the time of the War of Roses. She married at a young age of fourteen and was the then mother of two Kings. She also devoted her life to religion. This is the story of her times during The War of Roses.

I didn’t know anything about Cecily or The War of Roses but I was drawn into the fact that it was about a woman in the mist of politics and is a woman you don’t really hear anything about when it comes to history. She has done a fabulous job of describing and researching what I imagine the 15th century to be like. ‘Cecily’ is a beautiful book that will transport you back.

There isn’t much action going on throughout this book. As beautiful as the writing was I did find myself getting lost as to what was going on. I felt it was quite heavily based on the politics surrounding the crown and what it was like to be a woman during those times when a woman wasn’t really respected and was just expected to get married and have just children.

It is a fantastic book though that will guarantee to sweep you away into the mist of the 15th century England.

I love historical fiction and I also love the current trend for bringing neglected female figures out of the shadows, so this book ticked two big boxes for me, and it didn’t disappoint. This is an excellent historical novel packed with gripping and well researched detail and fascinating characters.
Cecily Neville comes across as a formidable and capable woman. While she’s not all likeable, Annie Garthwaite makes her a believable and relatable character. She’s strong, clever and ferocious, she can also be heartless and cruel but she’s mostly just doing what she has to do as a woman to survive in a cruel and difficult world of power and rivalry.
The book is so well written and well researched, you can tell the author really loves this period of history, and her passion is infectious, it’s impossible not to be caught up in this tale of intrigue, love and ambition. And to have such a strong and credible female protagonist is a real treat.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in return for an honest review.

4.5 stars

"Cecily" was an amazing historical novel to read.

The protagonist was really interesting and the author really made her come to life for me: I loved learning more about this impressive woman and the author did a great job making her motivations feel realistic and understandable.

The only criticism I have is that the writing style took some time to get used to. Still, I would definitely read more from this author.

I had no idea who Cecily Neville was before I started reading this, but I love historical fiction so that's what drew me initially to the book. I was definitely intrigued by the fact that Cecily was a headstrong female during a time where a woman's duty really was to marry (very young!) and raise a family.
Cecily is incredibly aware of heritage, entitlement and the ways of the world, and as a side, she is ruthless and ambitious. It was so interesting to see her influence her husband and children, and stick out whatever she needed to in order to ensure her household got what it deserved, or what she felt they were entitled to.
Cecily was married to Richard, Duke of York who was the cousin of the King of England at the time - but who fell in and out of favour with the royal household. The marriage was a strong one, and besides the underlying ruthlessness of Cecily, you definitely felt the love and respect that Richard and Cecily has for each other. Cecily always felt that her family should succeed the throne and relentlessly made calculated family decisions (such as who her children should marry) and influenced her husband to ensure that power, and the throne, fell to them. Much like a game of chess, one decision would influence the next and it would inevitably end in battle (the War of the Roses to be precise).
This book was HEAVY on history, which seems a bit obvious to say, but I think I'm used to historical fiction when there is a fictional story that is set within history, you still learn the history but are carried by the storyline - this book however is history to its core, and with all the Henrys, Johns and Williams that the royal line provides, I did occasionally get confused on who was actually who! I’d recommend this book to people who are interested in the War of the Roses, or who already have an interest or knowledge of Kings and Queens from the time, and want to learn more about this period.
I am glad I read it - and I am also genuinely pleased I now know about Cecily Neville - but I definitely picked up a lighter book afterwards.

Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me a copy of this book.

I don’t read much in the way of historical fiction; however, this novel piqued my interest.
It begins dramatically with Joan of Arc being burnt at the stake. This look at the lead up to the War of the Roses is told from a female point of view - Cecily, the wife of the duke of York and the mother of Edward IV and Richard III. She comes across in the novel as an intelligent, ruthless and ambitious character who is not prepared to hide away in the background.
At times there is a lot of detail to take in; however, the book is well written and increased my understanding of this period in history.

The author certainly begins her book dramatically with a visceral scene as Joan of Arc burns.
From the start the narrator's voice is distinctive and "talks in your head".

Cecily is wife of the duke of York during the Wars of the Roses. Her sons later become the Yorkist kings Edward the fourth and Richard the Third . However she is much more than a passive wife and mother.

This book brings the troubled and sometimes confusing history of the Wars of the Roses to vivid life. Seeing it from a female point of view gives it a whole new perspective.

As bright and vivid as a medieval illumination.

Let's face it, the Tudor's have been done to death - especially in the more commercial historical fiction field. So I couldn't help but pick something up based earlier in England's history. I've lived here almost all my life and I'll admit my knowledge of its history is woefully lacking.

At first, I was a little lost - I'm so used to the Tudors, I couldn't really pinpoint 'when' we were talking about. Cecily, as a historical figure, was completely unknown to me. But I quickly settled into the timeline and am so happy to have read about what seems to be an incredibly formidable woman.

Yes, this is a story, albeit an extremely well researched one. But it is a story of one of the most intelligent women of her generation. A women driven unashamedly by ambition and the awareness of not only her status, but the opportunities (and limitations) that come from being a woman in the system.

Richard and Cecily, are what I would consider a power couple, their relationship was so refreshing to read about. Two very different personalities coming together to balance and better each other, instead of overpowering the other - imagine! Understanding what you lack, and respecting the other for their differences makes for something incredibly special and - in this case - powerful.

A brilliant, easy-to-read, debut - I still can't quite believe it IS a debut, to be honest! A new era brought to life, and an incredible, kick-ass protagonist to boot. What more could you ask for?

I’ve read a lot about this period in history but hadn’t read much about Cecily ,the mother of Edward IV and Richard III.According to this book ,she was part of a 15th century power couple and a force to be reckoned with. It’s very well written ,telling of the years leading to the Wars of the Roses from her perspective and really gets to the motivation for her encouragement of her husband and sons to plan the deposition of Henry VI.
There is a lot of detail which can sometimes be hard to follow ,with all the various names and factions,but overall I found it very enjoyable and interesting ,and I look forward to reading more by this author.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

This was amazeballs! When you can't put a book down, but you don't want to finish it either...and you need a moment to process that, sadly, you have arrived at the last page, you know that it's an exceptional read and the author talented.

I'm very (unapologetically) snobbish when it comes to two things: coffee and historical fiction. If it's not VERY GOOD then I might as well skip it and move on. And, to be honest, I think most of it out there really isn't that good. That makes it all the more wonderful when I find a gem. I'll savour every second of the experience.

"Cecily" is a well-researched, exciting, tantalizing read. Action-packed at times, but also emotional and touching. Characterisations are complex, layered and really come alive on the page. I loved the author's interpretation of them and of all the events that unfolded througout the book. My understanding of certain events on occasion even deepened because of that. The choices and behaviour of certain key players make more sense to me now as well. That's what good historical fiction offers as an added benefit. This is one of the things that makes this book stand out.

I think readers who know a thing or two about the 15th century history of England will enjoy this book more than readers who are new to this era. I promise you it will deepen the enjoyment if you are aware of at least the key events and players.

The prose is superb. The author is obviously very talented and I hope this will not be her last book. I can't wait for the sequel though I expect it will be no small feat to match this gem.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

Many, many novels have been written about the Wars of the Roses, with the latest tending to focus on the women involved in the wars. Elizabeth Woodville, Anne Neville, Margaret Beaufort, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Jane Shore, Kate Haute, Elizabeth of York, and the indomitable Margaret of Anjou. Annie Garthwaite’s novel Cecily focuses on yet another of these women – Cecily Neville, the wife of Richard, Duke of York and the mother of Edward IV and Richard III.

I was both nervous and excited about this book. Nervous because while I read a lot of historical fiction set in late medieval England, very rarely do I find that’s actually a decent read and the fact that the Wars of the Roses is often depicted in fiction with a very rigid and partisan Ricardian view. The Yorkists and Richard III may have ultimately lost the actual Wars but they won the PR battle and now I can’t go anywhere without hearing that the Tudors are all bastards, literally and metaphorically, and that Margaret of Anjou is sheer evil personified while poor Dickon III is just so maligned and It’s All Shakespeare’s Fault. But I was excited because instead of being hailed as the new Philippa Gregory (one is more than enough), Garthwaite was being compared to Hilary Mantel whose writing I just adore.

So, after all that, is it any good?

Judging by the actual technical skill of the writing, it’s awesome. The prose is gorgeous. It does something sound more “modern” than I’d expect a historical novel to but those moments are relatively few. Garthwaite’s writing is evocative and illuminative. But it’s also matched by a tight, tense plot that verges into a political thriller. It’s a compelling, taut read. I took it more slowly than I could have because I wanted to savour the book but I could’ve read this book within a day or two. There are genuinely harrowing, emotional moments – I was moved to tears, I had a pit in my stomach. I took photos of some passages so I could keep rereading them.

And then there’s the characterisations. They’re complex, they’re nuanced, the characters are allowed to be grey rather than rigidly good or bad – a common problem in a lot of woman-centric historical fiction set in this era. Cecily herself is massively flawed, snobby, a bit nasty and judgemental. This is “Proud Cis” alright.

It’s this flaw that makes Cecily’s reads of other characters more understandable – sure, she might dislike someone but she also tends to dislike everyone, especially other women. I enjoyed, in particular, the characterisations of Cardinal Henry Beaufort, Suffolk and Bedford. I really loved the take on Margaret of Anjou too – she’s depicted as a wily, very strong and sometimes sympathetic opponent for Cecily. While I would’ve liked to have seen more of Margaret’s relationship with Cecily before things go to hell in a handbasket, I was almost entirely pleased with her depiction. Special mention must be made of the depiction of Henry VI. Often, he appears in historical fiction as a tragic void, a figure to be pitied but not really seen as human, or else a figure to mocked. Garthwaite’s Henry is an enigma: a mix of the holy fool, the childlike innocent and a petty, autocratic ruler with a bald streak of misogyny. I found myself wondering just how much of the holy, childlike amiability was an act to hide behind while he played everyone off each other for his own amusement? It’s not how I personally see him but it’s so intriguing and different from what I’ve seen before.

The only downsides with the characterisations were the figures of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester and Richard, Duke of York. I am fond of Gloucester so the “barking bully” characterisation was never going to please me even if it has become common in the work of historians working to redeem the Beauforts. I couldn’t work out why Garthwaite didn’t use the theory that York was Gloucester’s political heir and had benefited from Gloucester’s favour. It’s what suggested by the historical record and the work of Matthew Lewis, who she cites as an influence in her acknowledgements. It would also fit in more neatly with how Garthwaite’s Cecily and York view Gloucester after his death. I’m not arguing he should be their spotless BFF but at least somewhat sympathetic and liked by them.

As with York, I kept thinking there was something missing with him. He was too passive, too noble, too good, too unambitious. There is a common trope to view York as the man driven by nobility and what is “right” who can’t survive in a court of snakes (similar to “Good Duke Humphrey” in Shakespeare’s King Henry VI, Part 2 or Ned Stark in A Game of Thrones), but I have never been convinced by it and Garthwaite doesn’t sell it here either.

Garthwaite has this incredible skill for being able to draw these incredibly detailed, memorable character sketches with only a few words or lines. I found myself constantly amazed by the sheer scope of the novel, the epic cast and how much Garthwaite was able to make me feel for them especially when some only appear sporadically. Although I might wish that my (relatively) obscure favourite of the 15th century appeared a little more in Garthwaite’s novel, I also have to say Garthwaite has written by far the best depiction of Eleanor Cobham’s penance walk I’ve ever read.

To turn to Cecily as an interpretation of historical events, I was again impressed. A lot of novels I’ve read about this particular time period – the end of the Hundred Years War, the beginning of the Wars of the Roses – tend to focus mainly on the origins of the Wars of the Roses and deal with the Hundred Years War as something to be gotten through to get to the “good stuff”, even though the failures in France were what undermined Henry VI’s reign and his favourites. Happily, Garthwaite doesn’t do this – the Hundred Years War sections are dealt with marvellously and the weight of the history behind them helps to contribute to the frustrations with Henry and his court.

I did find the first half of the book more interesting than the last half. Admittedly, that might be become I’m more interested in that period of history than the later years. It also probably has to do something with the fact that I’m not a Yorkist or Ricardian, and as the story progresses past 1447, it takes a distinctive Yorkist bent in narrative choices. The first Battle of Saint Albans is all about York getting justice and the violence and intimidation of Henry VI are just brushed under the carpet while Margaret of Anjou’s army are all rapists, plunderers and brutes who are a terrifying threat to all that encounter them (a narrative that is unevidenced, cf. B. M. Cron’s work). Far from seeking power, York is pushed into it for his own survival and it kills him. We get the “gossip” of Catherine de Valois’s first Tudor son, Edmund, really being fathered by Edmund Beaufort instead of Owen Tudor (a story that first appeared in the 20th century, by the way – no one, not even Richard III when he was trying to smear Henry VII and claimed Owen Tudor was a bastard, thought Edmund Tudor was a bastard, much less a Beaufort bastard). Eleanor Talbot’s presence and beauty is emphasised in clear foreshadowing of the pre-contract story. The Yorkist propaganda that Edward of Lancaster was a bastard is made fact but at least rather than being “evil slutty Margaret has an evil affair”, it’s depicted as something she had to do to survive so Garthwaite gets a lot of points for not using it as another way to denigrate Margaret. The sack of Ludlow is presented as incredibly traumatic and harrowing while the Yorkist victories are remarkably bloodless. The Battle of Towton – renowned for its brutality and the sheer number of causalities, the largest in English history after the Battle of the Somme – is summarised in a few paragraphs as a glorious and apparently bloodless victory for York.

Look, I’m not a diehard Lancastrian, most of my favourite Lancastrians are dead by this time, and their policies were more aligned with York than Henry VI’s. I don’t really care about the Beauforts or the Tudors. I accept it’s plausible that Cecily and her children being traumatised by what happened at Ludlow. But the narratives of an evil, brutal Lancaster and the noble House of York who only seeks power to survive is just boring to me. I’ve read it a hundred times before. I’m bored, I’m sick of it, and it’s not even “historically accurate”.

In terms of historical accuracy, I only caught two main things. The first was having Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester in France for the burning of Joan of Arc and Henry VI’s coronation in Paris. He was in England the entire time, he left France in 1422 and didn’t return until 1436 to relieve Calais. He had nothing whatsoever to do with Joan of Arc and he was Regent of England while Henry VI was in France for his coronation. Having said that, I can understand it – these first chapters set up the major figures of Henry VI’s minority and Cecily and York’s relationship with them and the situation with France very well.

I was so, so, so pleased when Garthwaite avoided the classic Ricardian/Yorkist trope of having Margaret of Anjou evilly cackling while Brave Mother Cecily sheltered her Poor Traumatised Dickon (and the other ones) from the plunder, rape and killing around them because Margaret wasn’t there. So I was shocked when not only did Garthwaite inaccurately represent an evilly cackling Margaret as present at the death of York, whose body she orders despoiled, but also dragged Edward of Lancaster in there too, saying "the Queen's infant son dabbled his fingers in her husband's blood". Neither Margaret or her son were there, they were in Scotland and I really doubt that Margaret would risk taking her “infant son” (around seven years old) into battle with her. Every hope of her survival rests on him staying out of Yorkist hands, there’s no way she would risk him being killed or abducted. And I just don’t understand why Garthwaite had to cleave so tightly to this narrative. Margaret of Anjou is already incredibly well-established as a malicious figure and antagonist for Cecily, we don’t need this scene to hammer it in. Why bring in Edward of Lancaster? I can only assume it’s to foreshadow the stereotypical Yorkist view of him as a child psychopath, and Do Not Want. Again, another boring Ricardian/Yorkist narrative that I’m done with.

This was done in the space of a paragraph and honestly, it damn near ruined the book for me. Everything before had been so good. Despite the decidedly Yorkist-Ricardian bent to the story, the story was nuanced and complex, full of morally grey characters. And then. Clunk. Evil cackling Margaret and her child psychopath. You can’t excuse it with historical accuracy – it’s not. It doesn’t make the story better, Margaret’s already the villain and Cecily’s hated her for most of the book. It’s just jarringly bad and so incredibly disappointing. The only thing that rescues this moment for me is knowing that Cecily’s not much better than Margaret and I fully expect her to gloat over Margaret after Margaret’s son and husband have been killed. And unlike York, Henry VI was actually murdered.

In the end, the sheer strength of the book carries the day for me. It’s just so, so, so good and this era is so incredibly starved of good historical fiction that even that clanger didn’t ruin it totally for me. I’m hoping that Garthwaite will write a sequel – the novel seems to be heading that way and Cecily’s story has only just begun.

✨ 1400s England
✨ War with France
✨ A women whose only job was to produce children

This is the story of actual history where you explore the life of Cecily Neville. Married off to the Duke of York at the tender age of 9, you follow Cecily through the highs and all of the many, many lows of being a woman in the 15th century.

Considering their marriage was born through arrangement, the love they have for each other is beautiful. Richard seems to see Cecily as his equal and brings her to the table whilst other men tut in the background. She's a force to be reckoned with and would be a powerhouse should she have been around today. On top of that, Cecily was also a typical woman for that time period - a walking broodmare. And holy shit my emotions were not ready for each time she gave birth.

I've ummed and ahhd about this book.
On the one hand, I'm a Historical Fiction Whore, but on the other, this was a very hard read for me. The chops and changing between characters and my poor brain couldn't keep up. Being introduced to fascinating people from history that I hadn't heard of is wonderful, but I just couldn't get into it completely.

Right in the middle of the conflicts between the York and Lancaster houses for power and influence with a weak king is Cecily. A strong woman of her time, she was at the heart of the intrigue and strategy planking, trying to help her family. It might be fiction, but these were real events so who is to say that similar meetings and conversations did not happen. A very engrossing book, even when you know the events, really well researched and written