3.5 stars
Another case of the hype detracting from a good, but not amazing book.
I enjoyed this book, listened mainly during my daily commute but it wasn't quite as outstanding as I had been led to believe. I like historical fiction but maybe not quite retellings of myth.

I loved this book so much that I now have my own copy! A vivid and compelling portrait of a woman stuck in an impossibly difficult situation. Annie Garthwaite puts a stamp on this era of historical fiction and oh boy, is it a step up from previous fare.

Richard III was a hero in our house when I was growing up. Not a bad man but a wise King much loved in Yorkshire. My mother is drinking coffee from her Richard III mug as I type. Despite all this I could not have told you who is mother was until last week when I read Cecily by Anne Garthwaite. Cecily tells the story of Cecily, Duchess of York mother of two kings, every monarch since Edward IV can trace lineage back to her. To be honest I find the battle bits of the Wars of the Roses to be the dull bits, it is story behind why they all feuded in such spectacular fashion that intrigues me, Cecily shines a light on the why really well. My only niggle with the book is that the story stops when her son becomes King, I would have liked to follow her onwards.

I enjoyed this book, as mentioned on the title page, Wife. Mother. Politician. Traitor. Survivor. Fighter. An informative historical fiction that I could not put down.

Love love loved this! Move over Phillipa Gregory! Loved Cecily. Was completely whisked away from the start. Cannot wait to read more from Annie. Also cover art is absolutely stunning

Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me a copy of #Cecily to review.

I really enjoyed this book. I’ve been reading selections provided through NetGalley for a few months now and when I saw Cecily come up I thought ‘well, this could be interesting’. An actual historical figure that very few people were familiar with, who influenced and was influenced by the English medieval court of the mid-1400s? Sign me up. The combination of actual historical figures at a pivotal time in British history, the easy reading of modern English vernacular and the injection of what could at worst be called ‘docu-drama’ but at best they would count as modern storytelling considerations.

I grew up reading quite a bit of fantasy as I grew up, along with a fair amount of historical non-fiction. I’m not sure when exactly, but historical fiction reappeared on my radar several years ago, and it kind of sparked something that scratched both itches of ‘something medieval fantasy’ without the magic and ‘something historical...but not too much’. The earliest book I can remember reading in this vein is The Pillars of the Earth, which many readers will be familiar with.

Following the many historical names and who’s the son of who and all that should be fairly easy if you follow Game of Thrones or any dense, family-driven fantasy series of your choosing. If you know your medieval English royal history it should be VERY easy. For me, though, it’s not the easiest thing for me to remember but I was able to follow along quick enough I recommend this to anyone looking to dip into a historical period piece.

Cecily by Annie Garthwaite tells an incredible story of Cecily Neville, a woman history has resigned to the footnotes. Here, Annie Garthwaite places her at the centre of her own story and brings her to life, Cecily is a woman of great strength and intelligence, playing her role as wife to the Duke of York diligently but also forging the path to power and greatness for her husband and her family. These were treacherous times and married to the son of a traitor, Cecily proves her worth as mother, wife and politician, biding her time when the tides are against her but calculating her next move to keep her family close to the throne. This is a fantastic story of a woman I knew nothing about initially but have the greatest respect for at the close of this book.

Cecily is a brilliant piece of historical fiction and I look forward to reading more work by Annie Garthwaite in the future, she truly brought to life the 15th century in all its brutality and glory. Just wonderful. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Viking for the opportunity to read a digital copy for review.

I knew nothing about the war of the roses so went into this completely blind. I think it made the book even better for me though. Really enjoyed it.

This book has it all. An unflinching look at the war of the roses from a largely untold perspective. It has beautiful characters, As well as prose that is so lovely to read you keep turning the pages wanting to read more.

Wow, what a way to bring history alive!

I loved how this focused on the women's role in War of Roses and how they were at the forefront of the decision making.

It was also great to learn about certain characters, like Cecily, who are often overlooked and portrayed as villainous.

The ending had me really emotional and wishing I could rewrite history.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for providing me with a copy to review.

Historical backstory: the women's side.

1430s England. Now I've enjoyed The White Queen, other Tudor novels and read non-fiction on Henry VIII and his wives, I do like learning about this period.

So when I partway through this realised the family tree connection to those famous monarchs, I was even more interested, with Cecily being mother to a king who sired kings and queens - her influence would have been felt through those generations.

While this is almost a 'typical' woman's story of the period in some ways - endless pregnancies, births, losses of children and day-to-day menial tasks, Cecily being who she was means this is also the tale of a woman working behind the scenes in the ways she was able to, to influence some very significant events.

Watching her discuss political manoeuvres with her husband, and use her own techniques with other ranking women, and observe them for information, it did show just how much power a woman could yield, if she had skill and the right ear to bend.

I liked this as an audiobook, it brought the slowly ageing voice of Cecily in front of me, the conversation of her tale. The sadness of the life of a woman, its confines, but also how that didn't have to be the case - I very much enjoy seeing the other stories from history we hear less of.

For fans of historical fiction and those who enjoy putting the royal family tree in context.

With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.

Cecily gives life to a character that the world needs to know more about. Throughout history, and throughout bookish history too, women have been underrated and discredited to the point we hardly know their names. Authors like Annie Garthwaite are bringing them back into the spotlight, and giving them the attention they deserve.

This paired with beautiful prose and elegant capture of the time period allowed me to fall completely in love with both the character and the book. Highly recommended.

Cecily Neville, granddaughter of John of Gaunt, wife of King's Heir, Richard of York, and future mother to Kings of England, Edward IV and Richard III. But Cecily was not just wife and mother in a tumultuous time in English history - she was also a political schemer, a confidante and later enemy of the Queen, a trusted advisor to her husband and sons. She was a determined, strong woman and this is her story.

Having read some fantastic novels about the War of the Roses and King Edward IV's reign, as well as the Princes in the Tower, I was really eager to read Cecily as soon as I found out about it, as I think she has always been a fascinating character in the other novels I've read but always one from a far and I've never known her story which turned out to be really interesting for a variety of reasons from her own ancestry to how educated and respected she was with all political movements from her husband. In other novels, she has always been portrayed as a cold, cruel woman who turned on her sons in the wrong moments and while the latter wasn't covered in Cecily, the former could technically be true. She definitely appeared in this novel as cold and almost cruel at times, especially in her often matter of fact way of birthing children and handing them over as quick as possible.

I think this portrayed a fictionalised but grounded in truth version of Cecily that felt very realistic. I loved her marriage to Richard - arranged but turned to a deep love, and how well respected and listened to she was in the marriage which was very, very rare for the time. I knew what would happen with the War of the Roses, and who some of the victims were yet I found myself somehow wishing for a different outcome reading this book.

This is a great one to read for anyone who loves historical fiction from the likes of Phillipa Gregory or Anne O'Brien, and I really enjoyed it as another element to the York stories I've read before, a bit more exciting than ones following Edwards IV as they grew a bit stale for me (because I read too much of them).

One of the most stunning historical fictions I've read in a long time, Cecily is a triumph. A literary telling of the story of Cecily Neville, one of the forgotten women of the Wars of the Roses, Garthwaite is brings this momentous woman to life and gives a whole new perspective to the conflict. Perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel, I can't wait to read the next one.

I really struggled with this one - it's clearly exquisitely written but I had to DNF at about 25% because it just wasn't my cup of tea at all. I should have worked it out from the blurb, but in the interests of regularly trying out something new and different I thought this one would work with my new found interest in historical fiction. But sadly this one just wasn't for me.

Without a doubt one of my favourite books of the year. The prose was excellent and draws you in from the first paragraph. The characters were well drawn making for a brilliant and dramatic retelling of real life events. I didn’t know much about this period of history before, now I can’t wait to find out more.

This is an impressive debut about Cecily, wife of Richard of York.

As someone who lives in York (and lived across the way for a while from the Richard III exhibit too), I found this a thrilling read. I loved this insight into Cecily' world/mind, in a historical period where usually we only get to hear the male voices. It is a very well-rounded, well-thought out historical fiction. Can't wait to see what else Garthwaite writes!

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.
In her debut Cecily, Annie Garthwaite has brought this impressive womans story to life.  A mother to two kings; Edward IV and Richard III and wife to the Richard Duke of York, Cecily Neville is a historic figure who you may not have heard of.
A wife and mother to twelve children she may have been, but she was also a politician adept at wielding power in the background. She forged alliances through clever social networking, in a time when who you were seen with and what people were saying about you could be the difference between loyalty and favour or treason and persecution. Cecily Neville grew up in Co. Durham and lived much of her adult life in Ludlow Castle, which I am now intent upon visiting thanks to my fledging interest in the House of York.
Cecilys story starts with a stark description of her witnessing the burning of Joan of Arc in an unstable France, the Yorks are there in the name of the King, ordered to keep the peace (although having to pay from their own purse). As the years progress and home becomes Ireland, the Duke of Yorks’ name is not as welcome at court as it once was. Due to the death of his uncle, Cecilys husband now has a stronger claim to the throne than the King himself, but with the king being easily led and strong nobles whispering in his ear Cecily and her family must make a decision; should they be loyal to a weak king or fight to take what is rightfully theirs?
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Cecily it was refreshing to read about a woman from so long ago who had power and knowledge, both of which she used to the great benefit of her family.

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.