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In this book, originally published after her bestselling debut with the Wideacre trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory takes readers to Henry VIII's England, on a journey to the outer reaches of passion, where magic and female power meet.
Alys joins a nunnery to escape the poverty of her life on the moor with her foster mother, Morach, the local wise woman with whom she lives as an outcast, but she soon finds herself thrown back into the world when Henry VIII's wreckers destroy her sanctuary. Summoned to the castle as the old lord's scribe, she falls obsessively in love with his son Hugo, who is married to Catherine. Driven to desperation by her desire, she summons the most dangerous powers Morach has taught her, but soon the passionate triangle of Alys, Hugo, and Catherine begins to explode, launching them into uncharted sexual waters. The magic Alys has conjured now has a life of its own — a life that is horrifyingly and disastrously out of control.
Is she a witch? Since heresy means the stake, and witchcraft the rope, Alys is in mortal danger, treading a perilous path between her faith and her own female power.
The bestselling author of Wideacre, Meridon, and The Favored Child masterfully blends history, romance, and the occult in a spellbinding new novel. In 16th-century England, young Alys despises the knowledge of dark magic an old wise woman forced upon her, and she is doomed to desire a man who could very well destroy her.
1. Philippa Gregory has created some wicked characters in this book. Who did you see as the ultimate villain? At what times did Alys have your sympathies? Did she ever go so far in her selfishness that she lost your compassion? What about Catherine? Did you ever begin to feel bad for her despite her ill treatment of some of the other women? Did the old lord Hugh or Hugo ever gain your sympathy?
2. Alys tries to find ways to regain safety and stability after the abbey is burned. She tells Morach, "I have no safety without some power." In what ways does she try to gain power once she gets to the castle? Do you think Alys handled her power wisely?
3. Morach tells Alys, "You're a woman of no loyalty, Alys. It's whatever will serve a purpose for you." To what degree do you find this true? Do any of the characters in The Wise Woman show loyalty? At what times does Alys's disloyalty save her? What does she lose by continually acting selfishly?
4. The book takes place during the English Reformation. How do Alys's affiliations with black magic and Catholicism mimic each other? Why do you think both witches and heretics were put to death? What dangers did they present to the Church of England?
5. The book also takes place during the reign of King Henry VIII. "[Hugo] and his father had craved sons, but this reign had taught men the value of pretty women as pawns in the power game." Discuss some of the gender role differences in Lord Hugh's castle. How did women gain power? How did the historical events that took place during King Henry VIII's reign affect the fictional story of Alys and Catherine?
6. Alys initially becomes a nun becausethe abbey provides a relatively luxurious and comfortable life. She measures her success in Lord Hugh's castle by how many gowns she has compared to Catherine. Why do you think Alys is so concerned with material possessions? How did her preoccupation with wealth and material gain inform her decisions throughout the story?
7. Discuss Alys's relationship with Tom. Do you think she truly loved him? Did you expect that he would return again and become the one person Alys could love unconditionally?
8. Alys considers Hildebrande a "woman mad for martyrdom, rushing toward exposure and danger." Did you see Hildebrande's loyalty to her religion as foolish? Or was Alys's extreme disloyalty more surprising? Are some beliefs worth dying for?
9. Given what you read in the novel, do you think that Alys had magical powers? Can the wax be explained scientifically? What about the carved bones? What do you think became of the wax figures once Alys died?
10. Do you think that Alys finally made the right decision at the end of the book? If she was in fact pregnant, do you think it was sinful of her to cast her unborn child onto the fire with her? What is the significance of beginning and ending the novel from Alys's point of view, and with the same words?
1. Philippa Gregory has created some wicked characters in this book. Who did you see as the ultimate villain? At what times did Alys have your sympathies? Did she ever go so far in her selfishness that she lost your compassion? What about Catherine? Did you ever begin to feel bad for her despite her ill treatment of some of the other women? Did the old lord Hugh or Hugo ever gain your sympathy?
2. Alys tries to find ways to regain safety and stability after the abbey is burned. She tells Morach, "I have no safety without some power." In what ways does she try to gain power once she gets to the castle? Do you think Alys handled her power wisely?
3. Morach tells Alys, "You're a woman of no loyalty, Alys. It's whatever will serve a purpose for you." To what degree do you find this true? Do any of the characters in The Wise Woman show loyalty? At what times does Alys's disloyalty save her? What does she lose by continually acting selfishly?
4. The book takes place during the English Reformation. How do Alys's affiliations with black magic and Catholicism mimic each other? Why do you think both witches and heretics were put to death? What dangers did they present to the Church of England?
5. The book also takes place during the reign of King Henry VIII. "[Hugo] and his father had craved sons, but this reign had taught men the value of pretty women as pawns in the power game." Discuss some of the gender role differences in Lord Hugh's castle. How did women gain power? How did the historical events that took place during King Henry VIII's reign affect the fictional story of Alys and Catherine?
6. Alys initially becomes a nun because the abbey provides a relatively luxurious and comfortable life. She measures her success in Lord Hugh's castle by how many gowns she has compared to Catherine. Why do you think Alys is so concerned with material possessions? How did her preoccupation with wealth and material gain inform her decisions throughout the story?
7. Discuss Alys's relationship with Tom. Do you think she truly loved him? Did you expect that he would return again and become the one person Alys could love unconditionally?
8. Alys considers Hildebrande a "woman mad for martyrdom, rushing toward exposure and danger." Did you see Hildebrande's loyalty to her religion as foolish? Or was Alys's extreme disloyalty more surprising? Are some beliefs worth dying for?
9. Given what you read in the novel, do you think that Alys had magical powers? Can the wax be explained scientifically? What about the carved bones? What do you think became of the wax figures once Alys died?
10. Do you think that Alys finally made the right decision at the end of the book? If she was in fact pregnant, do you think it was sinful of her to cast her unborn child onto the fire with her? What is the significance of beginning and ending the novel from Alys's point of view, and with the same words?
Anonymous
Posted February 20, 2009
I'm a huge fan of Philippa Gregory, but this is my least favorite book of hers. It starts out really slow, I almost returned it after the first or second chapter, but it did pick up enough to want to finish the rest of the book.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.MrsChi619
Posted January 10, 2009
I'd first like to say that I'm huge fan of Ms. Gregory. However, I was completely dissapointed with this book. The story line is very good and I think it had alot of potenital. It's very hard to like a main character when she's such a horrible person. It was difficult for me to get into the story and root for something good to happen when Alys the main heroine is so unlikeable. Don't waste your money on this book. If this is the first book of Philippa Gregory choose another, The Other Boylen Girl, The Queens Fool, or The Constant Princess are very good try those first!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 15, 2008
I¿ve read all of Phillipa Gregory¿s Tudor era historical novels, so I was delighted to find one that I hadn¿t seen before. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a book that had gone out of print for good reason. This novel tries to be too many things, and fails at being good at any one of them. The novel starts out as the tale of Alys, a young woman who joins a nunnery a few years before Henry VIII dissolves the monasteries in England. I originally thought that it was going to be the story of the struggle between the Church of Rome and the Church of England. But the story soon turns away from religion, and flounders into romance territory when Alys becomes the clerk for old Lord Hugh and falls under the wandering eye of young Lord Hugh and finds herself smitten. Then the plot suddenly takes a detour into the occult as Alys attempts to access her ¿female power¿ and cast spells. The novel flounders around, changing direction almost every chapter. Alys bounces around like a pinball, first she longs for her life as a nun, the next she is enjoying her sinful life too much to give it up. One minute she is hot to trot for young Lord Hugh, the next her passion has gone cold. One minute you think she has turned into a witch, the next she¿s back to wanting to be a nun again. And through it all the reader is subjected to a host of entirely unpleasant characters, the worst of which is the main character, Alys. I don¿t think that Gregory intended for her to be quite so unsympathetic, but it is hard to like such a selfish character. I would recommend Gregory¿s other Tudor era novels, but this one should be avoided.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This was the first novel I read of hers. I've been an avid fan since.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.mrs_teacher_lady
Posted May 9, 2011
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I love Philippa Gregory so I read this novel, thinking it would be good. I was so wrong, so very wrong. It's not enought that Alys is truly a bad person, the plot is extradorinarily contrived. It follows so many tangents that I felt like I needed a map to get through. First it was this, then that, then something entirely different, before meandering to an entirely other thing. There were so many loose ends by the end of the book. And the ending is not only disturbing but absolutley pointless.
I honestly can't think of anyone to which this book would appeal. The only redeeming quailty of this book is that it was written early in Gregory's career, nearly a decade before The Other Boleyn Girl. My advice: only read books she wrote this century.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.redmagic
Posted November 26, 2010
Philippa Gregory is an awesome writer and "The Red Queen" and "The Other Boleyn Girl" for example are books I could not put down. I was disappointed in "The Wise Woman" in that as I read along my dislike for the main character increased so much the book started to bore me. The content became more "out there" as the story went along and several pieces of the story "puzzle" seemed to get lost by the time the book was done leaving the reader to wonder what happened to those things. Too many loose ends and too hard to believe for my taste, but that won't stop me from reading other books from P. Gregory.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 12, 2010
I'm not a big fan of books with "raunchy" material. But I found I could not put this book down! It completely took me by suprise and left me with chills.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.JazzyBear
Posted March 8, 2010
I have to say Ms. Gregory chose to tackle a very delicate subject..most which people tend to shy away from and do not even wish to discuss but the truth of the matter is that this subject was a very real aspect in those times and many people were killed and tortured for being thought of as "witches"--innocent people at that. In this book you tend to feel different emotions for the main character-which is great. You love her, then hate her, are appalled at her behavior, you pity her, then you are touched by her. I did not expect the ending that Ms. Gregory had for this book. I was so touched and saddened the book brought me to tears. Bravo Ms. Gregory another great peice!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 22, 2008
This book was captivating and I read it in a matter of days, sexy, historical, and witty with a bit of naughty. Philippa Gregory is one of my favorite authors. I cant wait to read all her books!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 22, 2013
It was not what I expected. Such a good story when you think about it. This is not so black and white like most of her books. I got that the main character had some issues that manifested themselves in a shocking way to the reader. Read it with an open mind. You will love it!
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Posted December 15, 2012
The was trash . I cant believe i wasted any time on it
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The-Good-Peasant
Posted April 2, 2010
I usually enjoy books from this period in England's history, and especially ones with strong women characters. Unfortunately, those aspects weren't enough to make this a 5-star read.
The main character, Alys, becomes increasingly unlikable as the story progresses, and none of the other characters are especially pleasant. After awhile, the story seemed to ramble in several odd (and occasionally icky) directions.
While the conclusion was dramatic, the book was too long and it seemed like an ending of last resort -- the author couldn't bring resolution in any other way. Too bad the story never reached the potential it seemed to have in the opening chapters.
(And whatever happened to those little wax figures -- doomed to walk the English countryside for eternity? Or just until a really hot day!)
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Let me preface with this; I love Phillipa Gregory's writing style. And it's because of her writing style that kept me reading this book. I read her other works; The Other Boleyn Girl, Wideacre, The Favored Child.... they were all 4-5 star material. This one.... not so good. I was intrigued with the story line, witchcraft, but I found myself getting dizzy trying to figure out the real character of Alys. Was she a good girl or was she a bad one? I questioned how could someone so devout in her religion be so enticed to practice withcraft? I started off feeling sorry for her in the beginning because of the way life dealt her a bad hand, but as the story developed her character became more deviant, which is not a bad thing, but I found it hard to tag who Alys really was - she was NEVER consistant in character. And there was never any moment in the novel that gave the impression that Phillipa Gregory was trying to create this girl as a schizophrenic with MPD. One minute she wanted to go back to being a Nun, the next she wanted to be a murderer. The story was almost acceptable until the wax dolls were introduced in the story and they actually took on "life" - that took it to a different kind of read. So the story went from drama/romance to fantasy. It's difficult for me to tag what genre this book should be catagorized because it bounced around so much. This must have been Phillipa Gregory's first experimental novel, because it surely does not reflect the great writing style she gives us in her other novels. This is by far not one of my favorite reads of Gregory. If you're a first time reader of P. Gregory, start off with The Other Bolyen Girl.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.While I love the way Philippa Gregory can re-create the Tudor world, this book fell short of my expectations.
Being the descendant of both an accused witch in Salem as well as those who accused her, I wanted there to be a true plot of a "wise woman" with the knowledge of herbs having to deal with the jealousies of those around her and with the changing world of religion. Having Alys, the protagonist, think she was a witch because of her own guilt was a marvelous literary device but those damned bewitched candle-wax Barbie imps plunged the novel into the depths of the ridiculous.
There were no redeeming or even likable characters. But, Gregory can move a plot forward and the climaxes of her novels are usually worth the wait and boring through characters who are repetitive and monomaniacal about their desires. No such luck here. While the ending did bring some much-needed redemption. The protagonists final act of sacrifice seems out of character and unbelievable.
Anonymous
Posted August 24, 2009
It was different, but very interesting and intense. In the beginning you are loving the main character, and feel sorry for her. As you get into the book, and see how she manipulates, you really despise her. Yet you worry that she'll be found out and punished for treason. I love the way Philippa Gregory writes.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.MadameOlenska
Posted July 18, 2009
I have absolutely no issue with reading about witchcraft, but the main character in this book never seems to come to any conclusive decision about who or what she is. I found her lack or morality- when combined with the witchcraft and Catholicism to be very disturbing. Honestly I am a huge fan of Phillipa Greggory, but after reading this book truly wonder if she was on drugs when she wrote it. It was not cohesive-- and if she was trying to show a character who was mostly disturbed, she did a good job. It reminded me of a bad romance novel with a bit of history thrown in. I could not put it down, because I just kept hoping I would understand the point. It wasn't a bad read, just really weird. Usually give these books to my teenage daughter to read, but with all of the graphic sex, menage e tois and lesbian overtones, I wouldn't share this one. Can honestly say I hated the main character by the end.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I thought this book superb. Yes, it was different from most of her other books, but that doesn't mean you should just dismiss it like others readers here seem to have done. It was informative to be still viewed as historical fiction, erotic at times, but ultimately tragic. It gives you insight into other aspects of life; the occult being the chosen topic here, and even offers moments of terror where it all seemed to go wrong. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially those who like variety from a specific author.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 24, 2009
I usually enjoy Phillipa Gregory's novels but this one was an absolute mess. It had such a good premise, but it didn't deliver. I actually had to force my way through this one- and that usually never happens to me...so don't waste your time or money...
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 24, 2009
So far I have read all of Gregory's books, they are awesome. I love the time period she writes in and I love her style. However, Wise Woman was not what I expected at all. I understood it to be towards the whole witch craft but I was somewhat confused on whether or not it was supposed to be fantasy/ghost like or if the characters were just being supernatural and it was all just coincidence. Over all it was good, I ended up hating Alys and sometimes found myself kind of freaked out. It is worth reading if you love her writing but it's not something I would rush home to read through in a day becuase you want to know what happens.
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Posted March 15, 2012
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Overview
In this book, originally published after her bestselling debut with the Wideacre trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory takes readers to Henry VIII's England, on a journey to the outer reaches of passion, where magic and female power meet.
Alys joins a nunnery to escape the poverty of her life on the moor with her foster mother, Morach, the local wise woman with whom she lives as an outcast, but she soon finds herself thrown back into the world when Henry ...