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cartwright's review against another edition
3.0
It's aight. Long and exhaustive. Best book I've read on the Wars of the Roses, if that's your thing.
monicakessler's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. What a book.
I came to this book knowing only what Phillipa Gregory had told me about the Wars of the Roses (haha) and desperate to know the actual facts of the situation. I definitely achieved that!
This is an incredibly comprehensive book about the Wars of the Roses. So comprehensive in fact, that it can be difficult to read because it is so unbelievably dense. Nevertheless, it's this dense for good reason as it gives you a full account from every possible perspective of these turbulent times - to the point that it can be fatiguing and impossible to read all at once. However, the vivid detail that Penn presents us with is fantastic. There is never a dry moment as in spite of the attention to political detail, every scene is drawn up carefully, almost in a way reminiscent of a fictional account. The scenes are set and the characters play their parts. It's incredibly atmospheric for a non-fiction account, and sometimes just feels like a very, very detailed story.
I love the focus on the house of York and of course the three titular brothers. The book gave a fantastic understanding of their characters; George is more than just vain, he struggles with a sense of injustice throughout his life; Edward is majestic, idealistic, sensory, and desperate to be loved; and Richard, intriguing Richard, who is the only one I feel there's no way to fully understand all these years later - his complex fear of uncertainty driving his actions which when viewed as a whole, we might struggle to comprehend without all the knowledge that Penn presents us with. How could such a kind, thoughtful, studious, loyal, and dutiful boy turn into such a tyrannical, disloyal murderer? The clues are hidden in plain sight throughout all the events that Richard has to go through. Although it's clear to see that Richard was not a great person by the end, this book seriously made me consider joining the Richard III society!!! Haha. (Not done so yet.)
I recommend it to anyone who likes British or medieval history, or interesting characters. It's a treasure trove of everything you could possibly want to know about the lives of these three men and the Wars of the Roses. I still dip into it every now and then. Fantastic.
I came to this book knowing only what Phillipa Gregory had told me about the Wars of the Roses (haha) and desperate to know the actual facts of the situation. I definitely achieved that!
This is an incredibly comprehensive book about the Wars of the Roses. So comprehensive in fact, that it can be difficult to read because it is so unbelievably dense. Nevertheless, it's this dense for good reason as it gives you a full account from every possible perspective of these turbulent times - to the point that it can be fatiguing and impossible to read all at once. However, the vivid detail that Penn presents us with is fantastic. There is never a dry moment as in spite of the attention to political detail, every scene is drawn up carefully, almost in a way reminiscent of a fictional account. The scenes are set and the characters play their parts. It's incredibly atmospheric for a non-fiction account, and sometimes just feels like a very, very detailed story.
I love the focus on the house of York and of course the three titular brothers. The book gave a fantastic understanding of their characters; George is more than just vain, he struggles with a sense of injustice throughout his life; Edward is majestic, idealistic, sensory, and desperate to be loved; and Richard, intriguing Richard, who is the only one I feel there's no way to fully understand all these years later - his complex fear of uncertainty driving his actions which when viewed as a whole, we might struggle to comprehend without all the knowledge that Penn presents us with. How could such a kind, thoughtful, studious, loyal, and dutiful boy turn into such a tyrannical, disloyal murderer? The clues are hidden in plain sight throughout all the events that Richard has to go through. Although it's clear to see that Richard was not a great person by the end, this book seriously made me consider joining the Richard III society!!! Haha. (Not done so yet.)
I recommend it to anyone who likes British or medieval history, or interesting characters. It's a treasure trove of everything you could possibly want to know about the lives of these three men and the Wars of the Roses. I still dip into it every now and then. Fantastic.
alldebooks's review against another edition
5.0
Very tense and complicated part of British history described poignantly by Thomas Penn. Incredible story of three brothers turning on one another.
rachel_kw's review
3.0
3.5 stars
Going into this book, especially in the beginning, you need some prior knowledge of the War of the Roses and the situation in England up until 1460. This book is definitely not baby's first War of the Roses.
Penn is very good at being unbiased. He treats everyone with the same level of distance. I like his writing but it's not my favorite. Some of the reoccurring people he mentioned needed more context whenever they came up again. Some people he would provide context every time like any of Elizabeth's relatives but like Northumberland???? Who tf is that, I don't think it was that Percy guy in the north but also at the same time I do?? It isn't Penn's fault that there were so many people involved in this time period but all their names are confusing and similar and then there are people's actual names vs titles
I think he did a good job with each of the brother's stories. Edward definitely got the spotlight but that makes sense cause he was king. Maybe he could've devoted slightly more time to Clarence but besides that, I thought it was good.
Can't believe this book made me feel bad for Richard III, I think it's because he got himself trapped in his situation as king, and bc of his actions nobody really liked him
I wish Penn had expanded more about who killed the Princes in the Tower.
Love the fact that Margaret Beaufort, Elizabeth Woodville, and their co-conspirators were able to raise a rebellion in two months. Icons!!!
This is now an earl of Warwick stan account, idk what it is but something about him is so captivating!!
He was such an amazing propagandist and shrewd political manipulator and was able to use public discontent to his advantage. I think he might be my only favorite historical figure who is a man lol.
The epilogue felt rushed and I thought the last sentence of the book was weird. I think he was trying to make a statement about England and its politics but it felt too disconnected from the story he'd been telling throughout the book.
Overall it was a good book, I won't rush to read Penn's book about Henry VII but I could definitely see myself doing it in the future
Going into this book, especially in the beginning, you need some prior knowledge of the War of the Roses and the situation in England up until 1460. This book is definitely not baby's first War of the Roses.
Penn is very good at being unbiased. He treats everyone with the same level of distance. I like his writing but it's not my favorite. Some of the reoccurring people he mentioned needed more context whenever they came up again. Some people he would provide context every time like any of Elizabeth's relatives but like Northumberland???? Who tf is that, I don't think it was that Percy guy in the north but also at the same time I do?? It isn't Penn's fault that there were so many people involved in this time period but all their names are confusing and similar and then there are people's actual names vs titles
I think he did a good job with each of the brother's stories. Edward definitely got the spotlight but that makes sense cause he was king. Maybe he could've devoted slightly more time to Clarence but besides that, I thought it was good.
Can't believe this book made me feel bad for Richard III, I think it's because he got himself trapped in his situation as king, and bc of his actions nobody really liked him
I wish Penn had expanded more about who killed the Princes in the Tower.
Love the fact that Margaret Beaufort, Elizabeth Woodville, and their co-conspirators were able to raise a rebellion in two months. Icons!!!
This is now an earl of Warwick stan account, idk what it is but something about him is so captivating!!
He was such an amazing propagandist and shrewd political manipulator and was able to use public discontent to his advantage. I think he might be my only favorite historical figure who is a man lol.
The epilogue felt rushed and I thought the last sentence of the book was weird. I think he was trying to make a statement about England and its politics but it felt too disconnected from the story he'd been telling throughout the book.
Overall it was a good book, I won't rush to read Penn's book about Henry VII but I could definitely see myself doing it in the future
canadianbookworm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
3.5
https://cdnbookworm.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-brothers-york.html
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