The Wise Woman by Philippa Gregory

Since I'm playing catch up with my book reviews, I am simply going to cut and paste my comments in the group book discussion on The Wise Woman by Philippa Gregory. I read The Wise Woman so many books ago, that I cannot remember much in detail anymore.

I don't know if I pinpointed an ultimate villain. It seemed that many of the characters had villainous characteristics in some shape or form. My sympathies with Alys came and went. I certainly did not have any for her when the book began with the fire at the abbey. Then I felt sympathy for Alys when I read about her childhood. I also had sympathy for Alys when she was told that they would take her baby from her.

Despite knowing what that time period was like for women, I felt bad for Catherine knowing she had a husband who would sleep around the way young lord Hugo did. And what her pregnancy resulted in was horrible.

I don't know if I had any sympathy for Lord Hugo. I want to clarify this statement to say that I didn't feel either which way for Lord Hugo - good or bad. To me, he was simply a man, or rather a Lord, who was trying to maintain his realm. I definitely did not for young Lord Hugo. I did not like him. I did feel a tinge bad for young Lord Hugo when Alys was giving him the earthroot, esp after Morach said that anyone who took it for a prolonged period on a regular basis would die.

Alys is a woman with no loyalty. Alys' disloyalty "saves" her throughout the story. She is disloyal to Tom to go to the abbey. She is disloyal to the abbey when she leaves them in the fire. She is disloyal to Morach when she accuses Morach of witchcraft. I think she ends up losing everything by being selfish.

The Wise Woman is definitely not one of my favorites of Philippa Gregory. Interestingly enough, someone commented that in Philippa Gregory's earlier books, there are characters you love to hate and that it takes a lot of talents to create believability. I have to agree. It must be why I keep going back for more.