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hmalagisi's review against another edition
3.0
One woman is torn between the loyalty to her birth family and the loyalty to her family by marriage. Now, this may sound like the story of Elizabeth of York, but alas, it is not. This story does take place in the fifteenth century, but it is the story of Elizabeth of York’s grandmother, “The Rose of Raby,” Cecily Neville. Born to the proud Neville family, who were proud Lancastrians, Cecily’s father, Ralph Neville, the Earl of Westmorland, arranged a marriage for his daughter to the young and ambitious Richard, Duke of York. She is now one of the most powerful women in England, but with power comes risks of ruin as Cecily has a secret that could be disastrous. War looms between the Red Roses of Lancaster and the White Roses of York, one that will transform English history forever, with Cecily caught in the middle. Her story is told in Joanna Hickson’s novel, “Red Rose, White Rose.”
Hickson begins her book by showing the interaction between Cecily and her half-brother, Cuthbert or Cuddy. Cecily is engaged to Richard Duke of York when she is kidnapped but is later rescued by John Neville, a distant cousin. In John Neville’s care, Cecily Neville’s life takes an unexpected turn, and a secret relationship is formed between the two. Although I know this was a fictitious relationship invented for this book, it still did not sit well with me. I have always thought Cecily was loyal and devoted to her husband and family (even though there were rumors of her and a knight having an affair), so this did not fit my view of Cecily Neville.
The bulk of this novel explores how Cecily and Richard were able to navigate the complex world of 15th-century English politics while their family grew. We also see Cuthbert fall in love and have his own family while he stays by Cecily’s side during such a tumultuous time.
This novel did not spend much time on the Wars of Roses. We get to see the origins of the major battles and how Edward became king, but we don’t see Cecily trying to hold her family together. I wanted to see her interactions with her sons Edward, George, and Richard during their feuding years. I wanted to see her reactions to Edward’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville and her interactions with her daughter-in-law. In short, I wanted a longer story that focused more on the Wars of the Roses and how Cecily Neville dealt with the changes in her family dynamic due to the throne's power.
Overall, this novel was enjoyable and well-written. Some elements were included that I disagreed with their concept. The story was engaging and gave Hickson’s audience a sneak-peek into Cecily Neville, Richard Duke of York, and their children. If you want a solid novel about Cecily Neville, I recommend reading “Red Rose, White Rose” by Joanna Hickson.
Hickson begins her book by showing the interaction between Cecily and her half-brother, Cuthbert or Cuddy. Cecily is engaged to Richard Duke of York when she is kidnapped but is later rescued by John Neville, a distant cousin. In John Neville’s care, Cecily Neville’s life takes an unexpected turn, and a secret relationship is formed between the two. Although I know this was a fictitious relationship invented for this book, it still did not sit well with me. I have always thought Cecily was loyal and devoted to her husband and family (even though there were rumors of her and a knight having an affair), so this did not fit my view of Cecily Neville.
The bulk of this novel explores how Cecily and Richard were able to navigate the complex world of 15th-century English politics while their family grew. We also see Cuthbert fall in love and have his own family while he stays by Cecily’s side during such a tumultuous time.
This novel did not spend much time on the Wars of Roses. We get to see the origins of the major battles and how Edward became king, but we don’t see Cecily trying to hold her family together. I wanted to see her interactions with her sons Edward, George, and Richard during their feuding years. I wanted to see her reactions to Edward’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville and her interactions with her daughter-in-law. In short, I wanted a longer story that focused more on the Wars of the Roses and how Cecily Neville dealt with the changes in her family dynamic due to the throne's power.
Overall, this novel was enjoyable and well-written. Some elements were included that I disagreed with their concept. The story was engaging and gave Hickson’s audience a sneak-peek into Cecily Neville, Richard Duke of York, and their children. If you want a solid novel about Cecily Neville, I recommend reading “Red Rose, White Rose” by Joanna Hickson.
wildwolverine's review against another edition
3.0
FYI: this book was actually 531 pages for me, including the Epilogue and Author's Note.
This book was pretty middle of the road for me. First of all, I applaud Joanna Hickson for writing about someone as formidable and complicated as Cicely Neville. She's a woman that I've been fascinated with for some time, and I was glad of the opportunity to read about her.
Some pros were the interesting characters and plot. The historical detail added another dimension to the story and made it easier to imagine these people living their lives, as chaotic as those would've been.
The biggest con for me was the writing. There were quite a few, distracting typos, but that wasn't the biggest problem. Hickson is very expository in her writing. Part of that is because the history of the Wars of the Roses is very complex, but it felt like she tried to cram every English nobleman into her story. She would explain who so-and-so was when they only appeared for a paragraph, never to be seen again, and that was annoying. I lost track of everyone after awhile, and I completely forgot about the family trees in the front of the book. I'm sorry to say that if I hadn't read Philippa Gregory first, I would've been completely lost here.
The other annoying thing about Hickson's writing was that she over-explained every situation until the emotional punch was removed from the scene. This got a little better towards the end, but the end also suffered from a generalized overview of the events that I was bored and desperate to finish.
I'm torn on how Hickson employed a second POV in her story. Red Rose, White Rose is told from the perspective of Cicely Neville and her half-brother Cuthbert. On the one hand, I loved reading about battles while being in the thick of them and being privy to scenes where our heroine (and other women) would've been absent. That said, Cicely is a fascinating person, and she witnessed a lot of history in her life, a lot of humiliation and triumph. I would've enjoyed hearing more from her.
This is a longer book, so I wouldn't recommend it to casual fans of medieval history. You'll get lost before you even get started. If you're like me and you're fascinated by Cicely Neville, or you just want to learn more about the Wars of the Roses, then this book is for you. Just be prepared to be in it for the long haul.
This book was pretty middle of the road for me. First of all, I applaud Joanna Hickson for writing about someone as formidable and complicated as Cicely Neville. She's a woman that I've been fascinated with for some time, and I was glad of the opportunity to read about her.
Some pros were the interesting characters and plot. The historical detail added another dimension to the story and made it easier to imagine these people living their lives, as chaotic as those would've been.
The biggest con for me was the writing. There were quite a few, distracting typos, but that wasn't the biggest problem. Hickson is very expository in her writing. Part of that is because the history of the Wars of the Roses is very complex, but it felt like she tried to cram every English nobleman into her story. She would explain who so-and-so was when they only appeared for a paragraph, never to be seen again, and that was annoying. I lost track of everyone after awhile, and I completely forgot about the family trees in the front of the book. I'm sorry to say that if I hadn't read Philippa Gregory first, I would've been completely lost here.
The other annoying thing about Hickson's writing was that she over-explained every situation until the emotional punch was removed from the scene. This got a little better towards the end, but the end also suffered from a generalized overview of the events that I was bored and desperate to finish.
I'm torn on how Hickson employed a second POV in her story. Red Rose, White Rose is told from the perspective of Cicely Neville and her half-brother Cuthbert. On the one hand, I loved reading about battles while being in the thick of them and being privy to scenes where our heroine (and other women) would've been absent. That said, Cicely is a fascinating person, and she witnessed a lot of history in her life, a lot of humiliation and triumph. I would've enjoyed hearing more from her.
This is a longer book, so I wouldn't recommend it to casual fans of medieval history. You'll get lost before you even get started. If you're like me and you're fascinated by Cicely Neville, or you just want to learn more about the Wars of the Roses, then this book is for you. Just be prepared to be in it for the long haul.
ailurophile_bibliophile89's review
2.0
Original Review: 3/4/2017 - 3 Stars
Updated Review: 5/10/2018 - 2 Stars
Updated Review
I've been on a reread binge lately and this is one of the books I decided to pick up again. I actually disliked it more than when I first read it. Hickson feels more like a YA author than an actual author. Which is fine, but her writing feels juvenile, especially with the addition of Cuthbert and his story. The ending was rather inconclusive, as well. I felt no satisfaction upon completing it, honestly. Just a slight irritation that I wasted my time.
Original Review
Seemed a bit more fiction than historical, especially the beginning and the added POV of Cecily's illegitimate brother (who may or may not exist.) Not badly written, but even though I understand why Hickson used Cuthbert, he just seemed rather unnecessary to the plot overall. I didn't think he added anything to it and to be frank I even skipped over several battle scenes in his chapters.
Verdict: easy read with an easy to understand plot but definitely more fiction than historical overall.
Updated Review: 5/10/2018 - 2 Stars
Updated Review
I've been on a reread binge lately and this is one of the books I decided to pick up again. I actually disliked it more than when I first read it. Hickson feels more like a YA author than an actual author. Which is fine, but her writing feels juvenile, especially with the addition of Cuthbert and his story. The ending was rather inconclusive, as well. I felt no satisfaction upon completing it, honestly. Just a slight irritation that I wasted my time.
Original Review
Seemed a bit more fiction than historical, especially the beginning and the added POV of Cecily's illegitimate brother (who may or may not exist.) Not badly written, but even though I understand why Hickson used Cuthbert, he just seemed rather unnecessary to the plot overall. I didn't think he added anything to it and to be frank I even skipped over several battle scenes in his chapters.
Verdict: easy read with an easy to understand plot but definitely more fiction than historical overall.
novellenovels's review against another edition
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
lecrockett's review against another edition
DNF at 20%. Far more courtly intrigue than I was expecting -- just not really my cup of tea. This is a fascinating part of history, though, and following an important woman, so I had hopes.
Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book for review.
Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book for review.
goannelies's review against another edition
4.0
Cecily Neville wordt als jong meisje 'de rode roos van Raby' genoemd. Ze wordt echter uitgehuwelijkt aan Richard, duke of York: de witte roos en volgens hem de enige echte erfgenaam van de Engelse troon. In het Engeland verscheurd door de Rozenoorlogen zal Cecily haar eigen rol gaan spelen....
"Fortune's wheel keeps on rising." De Rozenoorlogen is de ingewikkeldste periode uit de Engelse geschiedenis, waarin allianties voortdurend wisselen. Dit boek focust heel hard op het York en Neville gedeelte. Ik vond het heel verfrissend om wat meer over de Neville oorsprong te lezen.
Red Rose White Rose, is een goede mix van historische fictie en feiten. Er zijn ontzettend veel personages waardoor het soms wat droog kan lijken, maar mij stoorde het totaal niet. Ik hou van de diepgang die in dit boek zat. Ergens halverwege het boek had ik even mijn twijfels, maar enkele hoofdstukken later hadden Cecily en Cuthbert me toch weer in hun greep. Ik heb genoten.
Goed historisch boek over een periode waarin veel gebeurt. Zeer aangename schrijfstijl van Hickson.
"Fortune's wheel keeps on rising." De Rozenoorlogen is de ingewikkeldste periode uit de Engelse geschiedenis, waarin allianties voortdurend wisselen. Dit boek focust heel hard op het York en Neville gedeelte. Ik vond het heel verfrissend om wat meer over de Neville oorsprong te lezen.
Red Rose White Rose, is een goede mix van historische fictie en feiten. Er zijn ontzettend veel personages waardoor het soms wat droog kan lijken, maar mij stoorde het totaal niet. Ik hou van de diepgang die in dit boek zat. Ergens halverwege het boek had ik even mijn twijfels, maar enkele hoofdstukken later hadden Cecily en Cuthbert me toch weer in hun greep. Ik heb genoten.
Goed historisch boek over een periode waarin veel gebeurt. Zeer aangename schrijfstijl van Hickson.
amyjstar's review against another edition
2.0
I received this from a goodreads giveaway =).
A well-written historical fiction novel. Whilst I did enjoy this, it lacked the emotional punch I find many historical fictions have. It can also at times be a little hard remembering all the characters by name as there are many.
A well-written historical fiction novel. Whilst I did enjoy this, it lacked the emotional punch I find many historical fictions have. It can also at times be a little hard remembering all the characters by name as there are many.
morgandhu's review against another edition
3.0
Joanna Hickson is very good at creating romance from the bare bones of history. She did it to good effect in her duology featuring Catherine de Valois, The Agincourt Bride and The Tudor Bride. She attempts this again in Red Rose, White Rose, a novel based on the life of Cicely Neville, Duchess if York and mother of both Edward IV and Richard III.
The novel deals well with the political issues of the times, the growing antipathy between reigning Lancaster and ambitious York, and the various historical nobles whose actions led to the continuation of the Wars of the Roses that resulted in the reign of the two Yorkist kings and the ultimate triumph of the Tudor line.
It also shows, through the viewpoint of Cicely and the relationships of her sisters, friends and daughters, many of the harsh realities of the lives of the noble women of the times. Often the wives and daughters of the great lords were little more than pawns, their marriages serving as ways of solidifying political alliances, their bodies useful only as the producers of heirs.
However, it is in the realm of personal relationships, that I feel Hickson goes somewhat astray. Hickson invents a story of an abduction and seduction by an estranged kinsman when Cicely was young and not yet married that turned into love unrequited for many years after that. I feel that the relationship between Cicely and her husband Richard of York was complex enough without inventing secret lifelong adulterous desires.
The novel has as one of the two viewpoint characters (Cicely herself being the other) a supposed bastard half-brother, Cuthbert of Middleham. I liked the invented character, and Hickson effectively uses him to allow us to see further than even a politically active woman like Cicely Neville could reasonably take us - into the councils of men, and into battle. But the naming of this character was to my mind inappropriate and potentially confusing. It's certainly true that Cicely's father, having had 20 legitimate children, could easily have had more than a few illegitimate children, and might have brought one into his house to be raised alongside his half-siblings - but Cicely did have an older, legitimate brother named Cuthbert (who died young) so why not call the invented brother something else?
Red Rose, White Rose carries Cicely's story through to the moment when, her husband dead in battle, her eldest son Edward is offered the crown - though not before he has managed to defeat the Lancastrian forces and capture Henry VI. There is a postscript which notes that Cicely outlived all but two of her children, both daughters.
Aside from the quibbles I have with certain invented elements (which Hickson actually addresses in her Afterward), I found the novel both enjoyable and an interesting look at the events surrounding the York rebellion and Edward IV's rise to the throne.
The novel deals well with the political issues of the times, the growing antipathy between reigning Lancaster and ambitious York, and the various historical nobles whose actions led to the continuation of the Wars of the Roses that resulted in the reign of the two Yorkist kings and the ultimate triumph of the Tudor line.
It also shows, through the viewpoint of Cicely and the relationships of her sisters, friends and daughters, many of the harsh realities of the lives of the noble women of the times. Often the wives and daughters of the great lords were little more than pawns, their marriages serving as ways of solidifying political alliances, their bodies useful only as the producers of heirs.
However, it is in the realm of personal relationships, that I feel Hickson goes somewhat astray. Hickson invents a story of an abduction and seduction by an estranged kinsman when Cicely was young and not yet married that turned into love unrequited for many years after that. I feel that the relationship between Cicely and her husband Richard of York was complex enough without inventing secret lifelong adulterous desires.
The novel has as one of the two viewpoint characters (Cicely herself being the other) a supposed bastard half-brother, Cuthbert of Middleham. I liked the invented character, and Hickson effectively uses him to allow us to see further than even a politically active woman like Cicely Neville could reasonably take us - into the councils of men, and into battle. But the naming of this character was to my mind inappropriate and potentially confusing. It's certainly true that Cicely's father, having had 20 legitimate children, could easily have had more than a few illegitimate children, and might have brought one into his house to be raised alongside his half-siblings - but Cicely did have an older, legitimate brother named Cuthbert (who died young) so why not call the invented brother something else?
Red Rose, White Rose carries Cicely's story through to the moment when, her husband dead in battle, her eldest son Edward is offered the crown - though not before he has managed to defeat the Lancastrian forces and capture Henry VI. There is a postscript which notes that Cicely outlived all but two of her children, both daughters.
Aside from the quibbles I have with certain invented elements (which Hickson actually addresses in her Afterward), I found the novel both enjoyable and an interesting look at the events surrounding the York rebellion and Edward IV's rise to the throne.
louisefbooks96's review
2.0
It was an interesting book one that was enjoyable however - it wasn't my favourite on the subject. It was interesting to learn more about Cecily as not much is known about her however - I was dismayed at the end to find out that 'Cuthbert' had died young - hilda was fake and that also her romance with John Neville was faked - even though it is a fictionous story I would rather it have a little more truth than not.