The Lady of the Rivers

The Lady of the Rivers is Philippa Gregory's most family-focused book in the Cousin's War series. Like the other installments, the story of Jacquetta Woodville is one of female empowerment and ambition. However, the role of love in this narrative is far more important than status and success. In most of the books, the women are mainly concerned with love, but there are questions raised through Gregory's telling as to whether these ladies were motivated by the potential of a royal status as well. Jacquetta, on the other hand, is a member of the French nobility who is married off to the brother of Henry V for her family's advantage. The deal works out well enough for her, yet she gives up her reputation and status to marry the love of her love, Richard Woodville, who was chamberlain to her first husband. Gregory interprets Jacquetta as a noblewoman who wanted nothing more than success for her children, love, and a peaceful life with her family. The number of Woodville children born (14!) seems proof enough of that.
Jacquetta's characterisation in The White Queen makes her wise and motherly, but also somewhat mysterious. She is associated with witchcraft, and though she often denies it, she certainly leads her children to believe that there is something true in the rumours about her. Her talks with her daughter are always about what is best for her, but she seems to be pushing her ambitions on her eldest child quite often. Yet this novel presents a different side of her. As a young girl, Jacquetta meets Joan of Arc and is inspired by her independence and power. Thus for the rest of her life Jacquetta chooses, when she can, to take her own path and wield her own power. She is perhaps the most relatable of all of the characters in the series. Her love for her family shines through.
The Lady Rivers, as she would later be known, is certainly still conniving. And her connection to witchcraft is tenuous, but potentially real. There is far less drama and tension in this book than the rest of the series, making the innocence and power of love far more prominent. Perhaps if I were more familiar with Jacquetta's story there would be more intrigue in understanding the possible interpretations that Gregory works into all of her books. Then again, Jacquetta has largely been missed in the historical records, so a lot of what Philippa Gregory came up with is speculative. She does a marvelous job at bringing this woman to life and making her a relatable character in spite of her minor role in the history books.