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The Red Queen by PG

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Miss Moppet
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Post by Miss Moppet » Wed August 4th, 2010, 10:39 pm

[quote=""robinbird79""]I agree. The constant repetition gets old really fast. TOBG didn't have all that and I enjoyed it (for entertainment sake).[/quote]

It did repeat some things ad nauseam - Anne keeps gleaming at people, the Boleyns have everything to play for, Anne and Mary are Boleyn girls/Howard girls - oh, and they're sisters, in case we missed that. But it wasn't as bad as in the more recent books, because there was more substance overall.
Misfit wrote:No, we are most definitely not the targeted readers of PG's books. She does have an audience and they all seem to love her no matter what.
I definitely used to think of myself as part of the target audience. I loved TOBG and TBI. But I feel PG is now clinging blindly to the same formula whether it works for the book or not. I can't cope any more with the repetitive first person narrative plus the various desperate expedients to make it work, especially the awful long expository letters which read like emails.

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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Wed August 4th, 2010, 10:50 pm

I definitely used to think of myself as part of the target audience. I loved TOBG and TBI. But I feel PG is now clinging blindly to the same formula whether it works for the book or not.
I agree, but there comes a point where it can backfire if you can't hold the audience enthralled. I'm still looking for revews from her *targeted audience* to see what they think.
I can't cope any more with the repetitive first person narrative plus the various desperate expedients to make it work, especially the awful long expository letters which read like emails.
Let alone using it with someone spending most of her life in the country. Argh, using those letters to cover what's happening elsewhere. Seriously, if she'd stuck to third person and dumped the repetition she'd have something. Lol what Brian W. said about PG's medieval letter writing skills over at a thread at Goodreads.

Although, the book is selling well.
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boswellbaxter
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Post by boswellbaxter » Thu August 5th, 2010, 1:05 pm

Susan Higginbotham
Coming in October: The Woodvilles


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Divia
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Post by Divia » Thu August 5th, 2010, 8:50 pm

[quote=""Miss Moppet""]Good point. It's padding. A longer book like TOBG hardly needed it, but it seems the books are getting shorter and the balance of story to stuff-we've-been-told-a-million-times is getting more uneven as the PG production line speeds up. This really irritated me with TWQ and is a major factor in my not feeling much of an incentive to go out and find this one. Enjoying the discussion though![/quote]

I agree with you. Her novels seem to get shorter, she cranks them out faster and she keeps on beating us over the head with...something. Witches, Joan of Arc etc.

[quote=""Misfit""]No, we are most definitely not the targeted readers of PG's books. She does have an audience and they all seem to love her no matter what. It has been a few years since I've read her older books and maybe I've changed as a reader but I don't recall this repetitiveness.[/quote]

We used to be her target audience. I'm almost sure of it. Maybe I'm wrong, but I would like to think that the Historical Fiction readers helped build up her career.

I don't remember the repetitiveness either. Or the books were longer so maybe she did reapeat things but we didnt notice it as much.
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Michy
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Post by Michy » Thu August 5th, 2010, 9:11 pm

I've never read PG, so I can't say specifically, but it sounds like she's fallen into a "trap" that really successful authors sometimes fall into. That is, they write a book -- or two -- that sells really well and then, in the spirit of riding the wave of a good thing, they start churning out books that are all based on that same formula. Of course, all sorts of things get sacrificed in the process and they will lose some readers who care about those things; but apparently there are always a lot of readers who either don't notice or don't care, because I think the authors and publishers and everyone else continue to make a pile of money in the process. As for me, I'd rather wait a long time -- years, even -- for an author I like to produce a really good book, than have them spit out a mediocre book every year like clockwork. But obviously not everyone feels that way......

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Divia
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Post by Divia » Thu August 5th, 2010, 9:21 pm

I think you are right, Michy.
She hit it big with TOBG and then started writing about the Tudor Era only and started writing in 1st person(though it doesn't bother me as much cause some only write in 3rd person). She has also made herself out to be the Historical Goddess of All Things Tudor. I tink when she did that it got on my nerves. Obviously its gone to her head.

Plus I have seen a decline in books. TOBG was good. TFQ didn't work for me. TVL was OK TCP was eh TOBQ was a disaster TWQ was decent and TRQ is good so far except for the constant being beaten over the head.
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Divia
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Post by Divia » Thu August 12th, 2010, 4:22 pm

OMG the ending was even more lackluster than the dull middle which crept along at an incredibly slow pace.

At the end I really wanted to take a brick to her head. She was that annoying. I wasn't sympathetic to the character I was tired of her preaching. Her last husband was funny though. "oh I see, God wants you to be rich and powerful and that is your destiny." I snickered. I was like yeah tell her how it is!

Really though this book limped along and it should have been put to death a long time ago. I enjoyed the White Queen more.
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cw gortner
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Post by cw gortner » Thu August 12th, 2010, 6:35 pm

I'm almost done, only 30 pages left. Margaret has gone from unpleasant to outright evil, actively plotting murder and turning on everyone like a shrew. Her third husband Stanley is marvelous; a complete opportunist, he sees right through Margaret's righteous crap. I love the scene where he informs her she is now his hostage, after her treasonous activities are uncovered.

I have to say this for M.Gregory, nobody does nasty quite like her. My question is: Was it intentional? Did she decide to make Margaret into a total dragon, with no redeeming qualities? Even her love for her son is mired in ambition; she's the quintessential stage mother, seeking glory through her child at any cost.

Though this was a quick, relatively easy read (despite occasional confusion over battles) spending time with Margaret made my skin crawl. I feel like I need a spa day.
Last edited by cw gortner on Thu August 12th, 2010, 6:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
THE QUEEN'S VOW available on June 12, 2012!
THE TUDOR SECRET, Book I in the Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles
THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI
THE LAST QUEEN


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Jemidar
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Post by Jemidar » Thu August 12th, 2010, 8:22 pm

I loved both Henry Stafford and Thomas Stanley. They both add relief to Margaret's unrelenting POV. I thought some of their reactions and comments very funny :-) .

I'm not far from the end either and had thought that it would be a 4 star read for me but Margaret is turning into an evil caricature, whereas earlier she was just flawed, so it might end up with 3 stars instead.

On the whole I've liked it, and it was good to read about her even if PG stuck to the tried and true rather than giving us an insight into Margaret.
Jenny

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Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

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Divia
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Post by Divia » Fri August 13th, 2010, 6:43 pm

I posted my review on here and amazon. I felt so compelled to write one.

The reviews on amazon are eh, at best.
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