The Rose Trilogy

by Carol McGrath 3 books in this series

Carol McGrath’s Rose Trilogy reimagines the lives of three medieval queens of England through the women around them, pairing royal politics with intimate viewpoints from beyond the throne. The Silken Rose follows Eleanor of Provence and the commoner Rosalind in Henry III’s troubled court; The Damask Rose turns to Eleanor of Castile and the herbalist Olwen amid baronial rebellion and crusade; The Stone Rose frames Isabella of France’s turbulent marriage and fall through Agnes, a woman working in plague-stricken London.

Across the trilogy, marriages made for dynasty become sites of personal ambition, loyalty and danger. Court faction, war, succession and reputation shape the queens’ public lives, while McGrath gives equal weight to female friendship, work and survival.

Reading order

Books in this series (3 books)

1. The Silken Rose

Carol McGrath

First published 2020

4.0(4,517)

England, 1236. Eleanor of Provence—Ailenor in the novel—arrives as the young bride of Henry III, entering a court where affection, dynasty and foreign alliances are inseparable. Her friendship with Rosalind, a gifted commoner whose needlework brings her close to the royal household, opens a second view…

Amazon

2. The Damask Rose

Carol McGrath

First published 2021

4.3(2,346)

Beginning in 1266, The Damask Rose places Eleanor of Castile in the violent aftermath of the Second Barons’ War. Still the wife of the future Edward I rather than queen, Eleanor has endured captivity and the death of a child. The experience hardens her determination to…

Amazon

3. The Stone Rose

Carol McGrath

First published 2022

4.3(1,703)

London, 1350. In the wake of the Black Death, Agnes struggles to continue her stonemason father’s work when she is summoned by the ageing Isabella of France, mother of Edward III and widow of Edward II. The former queen wants her version of the past recorded,…

Amazon