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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
This is a fascinating look at the fortunes of one family the Pastons — during the turbulent period of the Wars of the Roses in the 15th Century. It is based on a huge trove of personal correspondence sent and received by the family during this time. The letters were miraculously preserved over the centuries and rediscovered in the early 19th Century.
Castor turns this material into a very readable story of the family and their circumstances, a unique insight into what it was like to live in England while all the political turmoil was going on.
Castor turns this material into a very readable story of the family and their circumstances, a unique insight into what it was like to live in England while all the political turmoil was going on.
Review - A interesting concept to look at the progression of one family through the Wars of the Roses, but records weren't always kept so there is some supposition and guesswork involved. Nevertheless, the book does follow the story all the way through, using as much information as is available. Not really my kind of thing, as I'm more interested in the wider political consequences, but nevertheless an interesting read.
General Subject/s? - History / Wars of the Roses / Plantagenet
Recommend? – Maybe
Rating - 13/20
General Subject/s? - History / Wars of the Roses / Plantagenet
Recommend? – Maybe
Rating - 13/20
The writing is excellent and the fact the book is about a private family and their everyday lives against the backdrop of the War of the Roses intriguing. However, a lot of the book was about the Pastons legal battles over estates and wills. I found it intriguing that ownership of title or occupancy didn't mean anything as anyone with aristocratic blood or 'lineage' could dispute it, especially given the Pastors had risen from humble beginnings as a result of class mobility from the black plague and legal challenges and decisions changed with whoever was in power. BUT the legal details became so tedious I started skipping sections, particularly in the 2nd half of the book. I wanted more social history and analysis.