Product ReviewsThe Wars of the Roses by Alison Weir (1996, Trade Paperback)

The Wars of the Roses

Not only is this book a must-read for the English history buff, it is a sure means of addiction to Alison Weir's masterful writing style. Ms. Weir, exhaustive in her research and factual detailing, brings the fifteenth century wars between the Houses of Lancaster and York to vivid life. In addition to the strife between the warring monarchs, the reader is also witness to the activities of the powerful, and frequently traitorous, nobility who served them.

Leaving no stone unturned, the effects of these wars is chronicled from mightiest to lowliest, for in doing such, we see how the lives of even the commoners, the true base of the monarchial armies, were continually ravaged by bloodshed, devastation, and change.

In this engrossingly captured time, the shadows of former kings play against the dynastic struggles of Lancaster and York; past usurpations and self-proclaimed entitlement blur the line where royal lineage and lust for power meet. What was best for the nation did not always figure into the scenario, as the reader finds out.

Witness how the variations of character and leadership, separated at times by a mere generation, could provide either flourishment or detriment to a kingdom, as seen in the case of the powerful Henry V's legacy lost to his weak son Henry VI. Should the pious Henry VI ever have been King? Certainly, throughout the course of his well-documented battles with Edward IV, you, the reader, will decide for yourself.

Either add to, or begin your Alison Weir collection with this wonderfully detailed, compelling work.Read full review...

Did you ever wonder

Perhaps we have been "over Tudored". I see no other reason why the excellent film which was made of "The Other Boleyn Girl" didn't have a better run at the box office. Perhaps we should now turn to finding out how Henry the Eighth's scramble for a male heir came about. Alison Weir's "War of the Roses" will explain the ins and outs of this period of English history. The machinations of Richard III, the story of John of Gaunt and his beautiful Kathryn and their offspring, the sad, never really explained tale of the Princes in the Tower. All of these things leading up to the winning of the throne by a member of an insignificant Welsh family in the person of Henry VI are covered in this wonderful book. Weir's very readable prose leads the reader through this maze. Its a fine read for anyone who has ever wondered where the Tudors came from.Read full review...

Textbook posing as literature

If you want to read a textbook about the 14 & 1500's this would be great, otherwise it is dry and unless you are into British Royalty in the late 1400 & early 1500's then this was too boring to read!<br>Read full review...

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Idk

I have yet to read it

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Beginnings of Tudor/Stuart Dynasty

The Houses of Lancaster and York are a favorite of mine and I purchase anything that Alison Weir puts on paper.Weir is "The female Shelby Foote"in my eyes.he is the paragon of British royal history.r> I have a Ph.D. in History but her work is so good that I enrich myself with her books.
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