Description
Mother. Survivor. Queen.
AN ENGLISH PRINCESS, BORN INTO A WAR BETWEEN TWO FAMILIES.
Eldest daughter of the royal House of York, Elizabeth dreams of a crown to call her own. But when her beloved father, King Edward, dies suddenly, her destiny is rewritten.
Her family’s enemies close in. Two young princes are murdered in the Tower. Then her uncle seizes power – and vows to make Elizabeth his queen.
But another claimant seeks the throne, the upstart son of the rival royal House of Lancaster. Marriage to this Henry Tudor would unite the white rose of York and the red of Lancaster – and change everything.
A great new age awaits. Now Elizabeth must choose her allies – and husband – wisely, and fight for her right to rule.
Review
Having previously read In the Shadow of Queens: Tales from the Tudor Court by Alison Weir I fell in love with her writing. I have since purchased the entire Six Tudor Queens series in hardback (they are STUNNING) but have yet to read them (I wanted to wait until I owned them all first). However, when I saw Elizabeth of York, the Last White Rose on NetGalley I knew I had to read it as well! It is the first in Alison Weir’s Tudor Rose trilogy and what a start…!
A wonderfully skilled blend of factual history with the imagined thoughts, feelings, and conversations between characters, whilst also considering their known loyalties and temperaments, makes for a completely plausible and fascinating tale of their lives. This is no mean feat when it comes to Elizabeth of York. She had so many ties with so many varying persons of power and influence during her life. Whilst most of us know the facts around what happened at the end of the Wars of the Roses (and the beginning of the Tudor dynasty) we don’t often stop to think about how it impacted and affected the women involved. I loved seeing this through the eyes of Elizabeth of York (as well as her mother and sisters) as her life plays out, from childhood right the way through to her death.
The story is gripping and the writing superb. Everything I had expected from such a fantastic author. Very much looking forward to the next book in the trilogy.
