Isabella of France is betrothed to the English heir to the throne – the later Edward II. As queen, she soon notices that Edward is under the influence of his favourite Piers Gaveston. It’s even whispered that the two are intimate. Isabella doesn’t believe any of this and also finds it exaggerated when her uncle Thomas Van Lancaster wants to banish Piers from England. But years later, when Hugh Despenser becomes Edward’s new favourite and tries to undermine Isabella, she begins to doubt her husband.
The stone rose is the third book about a she wolf queen by Carol McGrath (after The silken rose and The damask rose). Isabella of France was seen as a she wolf even more than her predecessors because with the help of her brother, the King of France, and Roger Mortimer, she starts a rebellion against her husband to get her son – also Edward – on the English throne.
In this story, we get to know a young naive Isabella and it takes her a very long time to realise that Edward’s favourites could be dangerous. There’s a big focus on all the political power games at court and as a result I found the book a bit muddling along at times.
At the same time, we also follow Agnes, a female stonemason whose father died of the plague. She is thrown out of her bed by Gregory who serves Isabella. Isabella – now at the end of her life – would like that Agnes makes her headstone. This story is only very sparsely developed and not directly proportional to the Queen’s perspectieve as in the previous two books. For me Agnes wasn’t very relevant to read about as Isabella’s story is just told to her. I don’t really understand Mcgrath’s choice to include her like this.
Once Isabella starts her rebellion the story picks up more and you get sympathy for her and Mortimer. We’ll never know what really happened to Edward II, but McGrath proposes here what some other historians might subscribe, so it’s a fine suggestion.
I just didn’t like this book as much as the previous two. Maybe also because I already knew a lot about Isabella and the day-to-day politics didn’t interest me as much? This book lacked a really fleshed-out second perspective that could add something. And Agnes did not provide that. I think my favourite book in the series is ‘The silken rose‘.
Have you read anything about Isabella Of France or Edward II?
In Another Era 
I didn’t think that this was the best book in the series either.
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