When it comes to tales of the Tudor time period, England's Henry VIII usually receives the lion's share of the attention. Until now, that is. Focusing her attention closely on the women of the era, Philippa Gregory introduces us to three powerful females whose actions will affect the course of history, whose offspring will play important roles in the events of the time, and whose names will be recorded in history books.

Told entirely from the viewpoint of Margaret Tudor, the opinionated and competitive older sister of Henry VIII, THREE SISTERS, THREE QUEENS immediately introduces us also to Henry's younger sister, Mary, and his future wife, Katherine of Aragon --- or, as Margaret secretly refers to her, Katherine of Arrogant. On the verge of turning 12 when the story begins in 1501, Margaret shares her feelings of jealousy over the arrival of the Spanish princess, Katherine, who has come to England to marry Margaret and Henry's older brother, Arthur. While Margaret doesn't dare make her thoughts public, she easily keeps readers amused with her private witticisms and catty observations about the girl who is just four years her senior.

"Although the urge to race through the novel to see what happens next is strong, smart readers will read slowly and savor the chance to travel back in time and live in an era that can now be found only in the pages of such a magical book."

As the story progresses, each of the women find themselves married to important rulers of the period. Eventually, Margaret becomes Queen of Scotland through her marriage to James IV; Katherine becomes Queen of England upon marrying Henry VIII after her first husband's death; and Mary becomes Queen of France when she weds Louis XII. Connected originally through birth and/or marriage, the three sisters become three queens as well.

With their husbands vying for power and their adopted countries often at odds with one another, the three queens frequently find themselves at odds with one another as well. At other times, they experience the closeness, understanding and camaraderie that come only from shared experiences as sisters and queens. Challenges such as becoming pregnant and delivering an heir to the throne, adjusting to life in a foreign land in a court full of intrigue and skulduggery, and deciding whether to enter into a relationship for love rather than political gain are just some that the women face.

While anyone can access history books or internet resources to find out how the story of each woman ends, cold hard facts will never evoke the emotions that one feels when living history through the words penned by Philippa Gregory, a master when it comes to telling Tudor tales. By the time I had read the first few pages of THREE SISTERS, THREE QUEENS, I knew that once again Gregory had grabbed me by the collar and simply wouldn't let me go for the next 500+ pages. Although the urge to race through the novel to see what happens next is strong, smart readers will read slowly and savor the chance to travel back in time and live in an era that can now be found only in the pages of such a magical book.