Another Point of View

I am currently devouring the 'historical' novels of Philippa Gregory. They are set at the time of The War of The Roses - that fragile time in English history as the cousins from the Houses of York and Lancaster jostled for the throne: Edward IV, Richard III, Henry VII and all that!

This all started with the TV series earlier in the year called 'The White Queen' - the story of Elizabeth Woodville's marriage to Edward IV.

I find all this interesting partly because I love history but also because Gregory's books are unusual in that they are written entirely from the 'woman's' viewpoint.  These are essentially novels not about the Kings of England but their consort Queens - women often discarded in history textbooks yet brought to life by these wonderfully written and well researched novels.

The other fascinating aspect to Philippa Gregory's writing is that she sometimes takes the same story or time period as covered by a previous book but this time writes it from the viewpoint of another character.  In this way the villain of a former novel becomes the heroine of the next!  She makes us see the same story and events from two vastly different viewpoints.

There is that old saying that you cannot really understand another person unless you've walked in their 'moccasins'!

Actually understanding another person's situation, problem or personality is a constant challenge for us all - yet a very necessary one.  We cannot just look at life from our own point of view and expect to have a fully rounded picture.

Part of 'carrying each others burdens' is to strive for this empathetic attitude which enables us to look at life from 'another point of view'.

Best wishes,

Ian