The Wars of the Roses

Medieval Anglophilia at its Very Best!

Weir does it again for the Anglophile with a staunch medieval addiction. Oh, the costumes and jangling of chain mail, the galloping politics, the ferocious women, the handsome war lords, the wanna-be kings, the intrigue, the scandals, the murders, the skulking and lurking, the battles and righteous causes, the not-so-righteous causes, the marching to and fro and hither and yon, the barring of gates and the storming of gates, the scurrying across the border or the sailing across the channel in storm fraught swelling seas, the back room deals and the back room weasels. "To Arms, To Arms" with seething rebellion and throne usurping all taking place amongst a large bunch of noisy, malevolent, nasty cousins...all served up with delicious relish and lots of "off with their heads" momentum. And...all true. Can't beat that combination!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

If you need a thorough overview, this is it

Since I started with "Eleanor of Aquitaine" and then moved to "Mistress of the Monarchy" and "Queen Isabella" I decided to move forward in history through Weir's histories and biographies. Chronologically that meant I had to read "The War of the Roses" before "The Princes in the Tower" or any of the Tudor histories. This book has a very different character from her biographies; the intimate, in-depth feel is gone because Weir has to cover more than three generations of English royal family nonsense and history. That doesn't make the book hard to read but you do have to keep track of that many more people - all of whom happen to have the same names (and titles in the cases of primogeniture). Weir starts her history with the deposition of Richard II by Henry IV (where "Mistress of the Monarchy" begins to wind down) and ends with Edward IV's triumph over the last few Lancastrians. The bulk of the book is spent detailing Henry VI's reign which is torturous and full of power-hungry magnates. Weir makes Henry VI a very sympathetic man, one who really wan't cut out for the job given him as an infant, but spares little sympathy for Henry's wife, Margaret of Anjou, who was the power behind the throne and about as bloodthirsty as any of the Yorks and Lancastrians. The only drawback to this volume is that Weir gives a rough one-page outline of the remaining histories of the central characters as the fifteenth-century draws to a close; she probably covered much of the time period in "The Princes in the Tower" but it would have been nice to have something a little longer.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Another good read from Ms.Weir

I buy sight unseen/reviews unread anything by Alison Weir. I have yet to be disapointed in any of her novels. She does her research well, and even thogh some subject matters could be rather dry, she always seems to bring them to life with her chaecters. I love the fact that these charecters are based usually on historical real life figures, and yes, she takes poetic licence with several of them, but never to the detrement of the person, but rather to add another dimension. As a Brit I was raised on this kind of litriture, but I still found information in it that I was not aware of. Just one more good read, hard to put down book.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Good Buy !

Written beautifully. Brings you into the moment as if history stopped and you were there. Accurate and an easy read. A nice edition for any one's library, especially the English history buffs.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

FANTASTIC!

The detail of this book is amazing and you will learn so much as you read!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Nice overall read...if you like Lancastrian Leanings

I enjoyed the book although I was bothered by the Lancastrian bias I felt. I felt the book was a great historical account of the Wars and gave me a lot of information I was looking for. I felt she treated Margaret of Anjou a little too leniently and was unduly harsh on Richard III, but otherwise it's a great read for enthusiasts of this period.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Amazing

This is history the way it SHOULD be done. Weir's treatment of the subject matter is so engrossing that I felt as if I were reading a thriller... not non-fiction. I found myself shaking my head at all of the political maneuvering (if you think our political system is cut-throat, petty and backstabbing, read this for some perspective!!) and even laughing out loud at her wry comments about the various personalities! I recommend keeping a sheet of notes handy to keep all the kings, queens, rival factions, and family members straight but overall it is a wild ride that I'm glad I took!!

Love it!

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Wonderful Book!

This book is so well written and enjoyable. The history is very interesting. If anybody feels that the past was more innocent than the times we are living in today, this book will change their minds! The brutality of the people and the political intrigue is amazing. The way Alison describes the characters really makes them come to life. I do feel like I am right there with everything that is happening. If you love history, I would recommend this book highly.

Birthing spasms of a nation and its leaders

first, This is a wonderful book without which a tremendous amount of information about the period could be lost. Second, I do wish this author could learn to be a little less judgemental about persons and events and a little less catastrophizing over the way someone ruled, or died, or an event failed to satisfy her. Perhaps it would help to remove the burr from her saddle or whatever causes this. On the other hand, I do love the book and I could have loved it even more if it had been more objective and even tempered. The book itself is an excellent repository of information and helps in understanding what was takinng place in England and across France at the timeline involved. We would not be where we are today except for the investment in blood, sweat, and tears made by all our ancestors across time and space. Take a moment and think of all that has been accomplished since the first millenia. Consider all the battles and diseases our ancestors fought and defeated in moving the ball forward. This is a book for your reference library and will greatly aid you as you work toward obtaining a bigger and better picture of what events were taking place during the period as well as the names of the most prominent persons involved. One should remember that evidence of an event or the lack thereof neither proves nor disproves a fact in question. Evidence is not even evidence until it is accepted by a body of lay experts or officials accepting that it contributes to a better understanding of the question at hand. Even when no evidence is available, reasonable inferences may be drawn if enough evidence is available to render a finding based on reasoning. This still doesn't make it true or false just reasonably so. You will enjoy this book if you overlook the ias.

Fascinating Study of the Period

Alison Weir really brings the period to life providing the reader with a real understanding of the background of the conflict and how the various personalities shaped the future of England. The period has some very powerful and interesting personalities that all seem to be cousins or in-laws such as the Beauforts, Nevilles and Beauchamps and Alison Weir does an excellent job of bringing these people to life over 500 years later. I've enjoyed the book immensely.

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