Thursday 29 June 2017

A Discovering Diamonds review of: Queen of Trial and Sorrow by Susan Appleyard


Amazon UK £4.65
Amazon US $5.99

Biographical Fiction 
15th Century
England

“The story of Elizabeth Woodville, the wife of King Edward IV and the mother of the Princes in the Tower. As an impoverished widow, she was wooed and won by the handsome young king and believed her dreams had come true. But she was soon swept up in the War of the Roses, enduring hardship and danger as her husband struggled to keep his throne. When he died Elizabeth was unable to protect her family against the ruthless ambitions of the man he trusted above all others. It was the king's brothers, the unstable Duke of Clarence and the loyal Duke of Gloucester, who would prove to be Elizabeth's most dangerous enemies.”

An enjoyable read, although it did require a little concentration as it is told first person from the point-of-view of Elizabeth Woodville herself, which sometimes made me feel as if I were listening to one-person self-portrait, a little ‘me, me, me’. That said, it made a nice change to read something that had a different slant to a well-known period of events, and a different way of looking at Elizabeth’s emotions as her story – and her life – unfolds in all its joys and tragedies, through her love, her hope, her ambition – and her grief. There is joy and sadness here, every-day, life and Court intrigue.

Perhaps at times the author’s knowledge and research is a little too much to the fore? The scenes and the lifestyle were highly evocative – and interesting – but sometimes just a little overdone as they stumbled the story itself.

However, this was a fascinating account, which lovers of this era should enjoy.

© Anne Holt



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