Book Review: To the Tower Born by Robin Maxwell

Author: Robin Maxwell
Title: To the Tower Born
Genre: Historical Fiction & Mystery 
Pages: 320
First Published: September 2005
Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

"Debated for more than five centuries, the disappearance of the young princes Edward and Richard from the Tower of London in 1483 has stirred the imaginations of numerous writers from Shakespeare to Josephine Tey and posited the question: Was Richard III the boys' murderer, or was he not? 

The events are witnessed through the eyes of quick-witted Nell Caxton, only daughter of the first English printer, William Caxton, and Nell's dearest friend, 'Bessie', daughter of the King of England, sister to the little princes, and founding ancestress of the Tudor dynasty.

With great bravery and heart, the two friends navigate this dark and dangerous medieval landscape in which the king's death sets off a battle among the most scheming, ambitious, and murderous men and women of their age, who will stop at nothing to possess the throne of England."

Randomly stumbled upon this at my library and I had read a Robin Maxwell novel in the past and I had liked it, so I thought why not give this a try? Well...I truly had mixed feelings about this one. 

The twist with what happened to the lost princes surely did make me think. Is it crazy to think that a certain someone kidnapped them? (I shall not name names) But it all makes sense. This person (who is not Richard) was the one to do it. This person had every reason to do it and I'm ashamed that I never even contemplated this person. The ending annoyed me though and was rather cheesy. Unless, of course, Bessie and Nell made up everything to just get Henry on Bessie's side. HAHA! 

However, the story was hugely historically inaccurate and some bits were rather cheesy. Like the whole Nell and Bessie being best friends; honestly, Queen Elizabeth would never allow her daughter to be besties with a commoner. A daughter of a rich and liked publicist, but still...a commoner whatsoever. Granted Queen Elizabeth was a commoner to begin with before she married the King, but honestly her ambition was huge and this would not benefit her daughter. 

Besides for those two huge things, it was a fun adventure and I loved the theory. I honestly personally believe that the person in question might have been the one to do it. This person really would benefit from it. Mmmmmm.

In the end, if you look past all the historical inaccuracies and the cheesyness, it was a fun adventure and an interesting look at the mystery that is the missing Princes. I would recommend this to those that like historical mysteries and historical fictions. Out of five stars, I will grant this 3 stars. 

Favorite Character(s): Nell, Lord Rivers (poor guy), Prince Edward, Dickon, and Bessie
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Richard, King Henry VII, and Lady Margaret 

Richard III Has Been Found

When I got home from work my mother informed me that they found the missing body of Richard III of England. Being a history nerd I had to know more! How amazing that they solved one of the mysteries of History!? Through DNA testing it is affirmed that it is him. At first I had my doubts...but when they checked out the skeleton and the deformed spine convinced me that it was him. Also the wounds on the back of his head convinced me also. Here's a couple links to articles I've read:

USA Today

Reuters

Daily Mail

CNN

Do you see the spine? 

Now since they found the body, debates will explode. What do you think of Richard III? Was he a cold-blooded King or has the victor distorted this man's reputation? Personally? I'm not really sure...I believe he was just like anyone else...wanting power and the throne and the crown. Power meant EVERYTHING back then. I think he was a victim of his own greed and since he lost the throne to Henry Tudor, history will forever mark him as the "baddie". 

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<3CaroleRae

Book Review: Queen By Right

Author: Anne Easter Smith
Title: Queen By Right
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance,
Pages: 494
First Published: 2011
Where I Got It: My Shelf (I won it!)

"In Cecily Neville, duchess of York and ancestor of every English monarch to the present day, she has found her most engrossing character yet.History remembers Cecily of York standing on the steps of the Market Cross at Ludlow, facing an attacking army while holding the hands of her two young sons. Queen by Right reveals how she came to step into her destiny, beginning with her marriage to Richard, duke of York, whom she meets when she is nine and he is thirteen. Raised together in her father’s household, they become a true love match and together face personal tragedies, pivotal events of history, and deadly political intrigue. All of England knows that Richard has a clear claim to the throne, and when King Henry VI becomes unfit to rule, Cecily must put aside her hopes and fears and help her husband decide what is right for their family and their country. Queen by Right marks Anne Easter Smith’s greatest achievement, a book that every fan of sweeping, exquisitely detailed historical fiction will devour."




This is first book I've read by Anne Easter Smith and concerning the York side of the War of the Roses. Well, to be technical, this book mostly covers events before the bloody War of the Roses and it lightly touches the Civil War England was forced to endure. I was blessed to have won this novel, so I didn't have to buy it with my own money and I'm glad Lady Luck blessed me with this, because I simply adore this book.


I found it intriguing to see Cecily Neville's view of the world. Too be honest I didn't know much about her or her family, so this was an eye-opening experience. I loved how Anne Easter Smith sucked me into the story and showed me this world rather than just telling me. Even though it took me a while to finish reading this, it wasn't because it was huge or I didn't want to read it. It was because this book is like a fine wine. You can't drink it all at once, you have to savor and enjoy every little bit. I will admit, however, I didn't start savoring the book until Part 2, but once that was read and done I could barely put the book down.


I really like Cecily Neville, because she was a strong-willed and opinionated lady. Even though you might be a Lancastrian sympathizer, you can't help but like the Duchess of York. Even Queen Margaret of Anjou really adored Cecily, because she's just one of those people, I guess. Anne Easter Smith made it really hard to pick sides; she showed everyone with strengths and weaknesses. No one side was completely right or completely wrong. I really loved that aspect of the book, because I do tire of books trying to make you pick a side. Anne Easter Smith mostly focused on Cecily and Richards love story and I really cherished that love story. Unlike a lot of couples back in that time, they had true love and pretty much married for love and friendship. 


It was really also interested to see Richard before he became an overly ambitious man. Richard seemed really level-headed and lived for his family...at the beginning, but near the end he became just like his father: he put his ambitions before his own family. The way Anne Easter Smith showed this change was fantastic! At first, Cecily had a small taste for ambition, while Richard just wanted to be respected and be nothing like his "treasonous" father, but after a time Richard did become like his father and Cecily's small amount of ambition turned into sand. 


All-in-all, I loved this book! The only thing that I didn't like was how slowly paced Part 1. Other than that, I couldn't get enough of Anne Easter Smith's writing. I will be defiantly checking out her other books ^.^. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves history, a good love story, or just a fantastic book. Out of five stars I grant this one 5 stars. 


Favorite Character(s): Cecily Neville
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Margaret of Anjou, Somerset, and the ambitious Richard, Duke of York.
Favorite Quote(s): The poem at the beginning of the Epilogue:
"What can I do? It's not surprising that I
Weep and sigh, with my dear lover dead.
For when I look deeply into my heart and
see how sweetly and without hardship I
loved from my childhood and first youth
with him, I am assailed by such great 
pain that I will always weep for his death."
~Christine de Pisan, One Hundred Ballads

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<3CaroleRae

Book Review: The Red Queen

Author: Philipa Gregory
Title: The Red Queen (Cousin's War #2)
Genre: Historical Fiction, War,
Pages: 382
First Published: 2010
Where I Got It: My Shelf (Krogers)


"The second book in Philippa's stunning new trilogy, The Cousins War, brings to life the story of Margaret Beaufort, a shadowy and mysterious character in the first book of the series - The White Queen - but who now takes centre stage in the bitter struggle of The War of the Roses. The Red Queen tells the story of the child-bride of Edmund Tudor, who, although widowed in her early teens, uses her determination of character and wily plotting to infiltrate the house of York under the guise of loyal friend and servant, undermine the support for Richard III and ultimately ensure that her only son, Henry Tudor, triumphs as King of England. Through collaboration with the dowager Queen Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret agrees a betrothal between Henry and Elizabeth's daughter, thereby uniting the families and resolving the Cousins War once and for all by founding of the Tudor dynasty"


This is the second installment of the Cousin's War series by Philippa Gregory. However, it can stand alone perfectly fine. Each book has a different heroine, so reading out of order is okay. I'm glad for this, because I have NOT read 'The White Queen' yet. I plan too, but this cover drew me to it and I couldn't resist it. Also, it was on sale at Krogers. Oh well. Even though I'm not a huge fan of Ms. Gregory's viewpoint of Anne Boleyn or Elizabeth I, I'll give her a chance in other areas of history; just like I did for this one. However, when I picked up this novel, I was a little worried I would be confused, because I'm not that knowledgeable about the War of the Roses (aka Cousin's war).  


Firstly, I give a nod to Philippa Gregory because she didn't assume that every reader is a historian on that war. Secondly, she wrote this series, so you could read all the novels out of order and NOT get confused. I love when series are like that. ^.^ Just these points made me like the novel! 


I loved how Philippa Gregory presents each character. She presents them with real human flaws and she even shows their positive points too. Even the main characters show their flaws AND this "heroine" of novel is very, very flawed! I couldn't stand the woman! If I had known her, I would have probably smacked her in the face. She was so annoying BUT I give Ms. Gregory major creds for presenting this lady as she was. She showed her as selfish, arrogant, self-conceded, independent, cold-heart, destiny-driven, holy, and proud. She would have given ANYTHING for her son the throne of England. 


I have not read one review that stated that they "loved" this character. No one likes her, but many love the book. How is that possible? Well, because the book was fantastic! I couldn't get enough of it either! It took a little bit to get into though, but after a certain point I could barely put it down. 


The only thing I didn't like about this book, was Lady Beaufort. That woman got on my nerves. In my head I called her "The Bitch". She did have some positive points, but she kept comparing herself to Joan of Arch and she thought that she was God's "chosen" and everyone should bow down and kiss her feet (well, she never really stated that, but she probably secretly wanted that). I think I would have preferred the story to narrated by someone else, but it was interesting to hear Henry VII's mother's view point.   


All-in-all, I really liked this book. It makes me want to check out the rest of the series. Maybe I'll even read more books set during the War of the Roses time period. This has become my second favorite of Philippa Gregory's novels, even though I hated the main character. Out of five stars I grant this one 5 stars. Yayy!


Favorite Character(s): Jasper Tudor and Lord Stanley (why? I don't know, but I loved that guy for some odd reason.)
Not-so Favorite Character(s): LADY MARGARET and Richard III

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<3CaroleRae