Cecily

Author Annie Garthwaite
Narrator Olivia Poulet
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Publish Date 29 July 2021
Run Time 9 hours and 43 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Biographical fiction, Feminism and feminist theory, Historical fiction, Narrative theme: Love and relationships, Narrative theme: Politics, Social discrimination and equal treatment.

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

1431 is a dangerous time for a woman to be defiant.

England has been fighting France for 100 years. At home, power-hungry men within a corrupt government manipulate a weak king - and name Cecily's husband, York's loyal duke, an enemy. As the king's grasp on sanity weakens, plots to destroy York take root...

It will take all of Cecily's courage and cunning to save her family. But when the will to survive becomes ambition for a crown, will she risk treason to secure it?

Inside closed bedchambers and upon bloody battlefields, CECILY portrays war as women fight it.

ACCLAIM FOR CECILY - AN EPIC FEMINIST RETELLING OF THE WAR OF THE ROSES

'A startling heroine' SARAH MOSS

'A vividly female perspective on the Wars of the Roses' IMOGEN HERMES GOWER

'Wolf Hall for the 2020s' MANDA SCOTT

'Absorbing' TIMES

'Has the new Hilary Mantel arrived?' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

'Masterful and majestic; England's unspoken history told by one brilliant woman through the life of another. This important novel blazes on every page from its brutal first scene to its glittering final act' CHRIS CLEAVE

'Entirely absorbing and utterly compelling. Fifteenth century England leaps from the page, with all its political turmoil and bloodshed. I loved it' CAROLINE LEA

'Cecily stalks the corridors of power like a female Thomas Cromwell. A vividly female perspective on the Wars of the Roses - what a feat' IMOGEN HERMES GOWER

'Masterfully written and wholly immersive, with characters that live and breathe. Cecily is a tour de force. I loved every sentence' JOANNE BURN

'Annie Garthwaite writes about the past with the sort of intimacy, immediacy and empathy that can only come from graft and craft' TOBY CLEMENTS

'BLOODY GREAT. So modern, so political, it could almost be set in Downing Street' KATE SAWYER

'An extraordinary achievement . . .I could touch and breathe Cecily's world as if I was walking in her shadow' CAROL MCGRATH

'Impeccably researched, written with style and shot through with energy, heart and power. A perfectly paced tale of intrigue, influence and victory wrenched from defeat. Cecily has been overlooked for centuries. Not anymore' A J WEST

© Annie Garthwaite 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Critics Review

A startling heroine

Sarah Moss

In vigorous, direct prose Garthwaite grippingly resurrects a remarkable woman

Sunday Times

Utterly compelling, this brilliant novel shines a light into a dark corner of our history and reclaims the voice and story of a powerful and forgotten woman. A phenomenal read. I loved it

Liz Hyder, author of The Gifts

Has the new Hilary Mantel arrived?

Sunday Telegraph

I look forward to hearing more from Annie Garthwaite and Cecily

Times

Cecily is a vivid and compelling portrait of a formidable figure from the 15th century and a heroine for our times

Big Issue

In Garthwaite’s hands, Neville proves as Machiavellian, manipulative and era-defining as any man

Noon

Cecily stalks the corridors of power like a female Thomas Cromwell. A vividly female perspective on the Wars of the Roses – what a feat

Imogen Hermes Gowar

An extraordinary achievement . . . I could touch and breathe Cecily’s world as if I was walking in her shadow

Carol McGrath

CECILY is the WOLF HALL for the 2020s… marks the start of a stellar career

Manda Scott

I loved it . . . Annie Garthwaite writes about the past with a kind of restrained, earthy vim, and with the sort of intimacy and immediacy – and empathy – that can only come from graft and craft

Toby Clements

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