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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Oh man this book started with some great prose and an amusingly shitty main character, and then halfway through it just falls headfirst into the minutia of royalty drama and I honestly couldn't find it in me to care.
challenging
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It's worth slogging through the first chapter or two to get to the actual mystery.
As someone who studied this topic as part of my University degree, I can confirm that no one can actually say for certain what happened to the Princes in the Tower. There's contemporary evidence that guides you in any direction you want to travel, and I'll conclude from my own reading that the most likely outcome remains that Richard III was most likely behind their killings, but there's no definitive answer and there never will be one.
This novel looks at the incident from the perspective of a police procedural. Alan Grant is convalescing in hospital, and with the help of a friendly young American historian working at the British Museum builds the case that King Richard wasn't guilty of anything worse than being a usurped ruler, and that his successor by usurpation, Henry VII, who comes away with the Princes' blood on his hands. The evidence starts with a portrait of Richard, which Grant feels cannot depict the face of a murderer, and from there begins piecing together the evidence.
How far the individual reader chooses to agree with his findings is of course up to them. One thing the novel does achieve is to paint Richard as a far different and more complicated individual than the deformed, Machiavellian monster as described by Shakespeare, which remains the best known - and for that matter wildly entertaining - impression we're left of him. While the novel fails ultimately, because Grant finds answers from the sources that are simply not there to be discovered, it's a good ride while following him to that end. It illustrates Richard's guilt or innocence as a matter of some doubt, and gains great mileage from the level of propaganda emanating from the Tudor sources after his death. The narrative simplifies the cast of characters involved at the time, no doubt partly by necessity, to keep things moving, but in doing so ignores some of the players who were in a position to cast doubt on Grant's claims.
Perhaps I should conclude with the thoughts of a historian, Charles Ross, who rightly described the brief period of Richard's reign as a bloody, backstabbing and chaotic time. There's the rub. Edward IV seized the throne. Richard in turn grasped it after he died and Henry from him. It was tough being at the top during this era, almost certainly for none more than the children who stood at one stage to gain everything.
This novel looks at the incident from the perspective of a police procedural. Alan Grant is convalescing in hospital, and with the help of a friendly young American historian working at the British Museum builds the case that King Richard wasn't guilty of anything worse than being a usurped ruler, and that his successor by usurpation, Henry VII, who comes away with the Princes' blood on his hands. The evidence starts with a portrait of Richard, which Grant feels cannot depict the face of a murderer, and from there begins piecing together the evidence.
How far the individual reader chooses to agree with his findings is of course up to them. One thing the novel does achieve is to paint Richard as a far different and more complicated individual than the deformed, Machiavellian monster as described by Shakespeare, which remains the best known - and for that matter wildly entertaining - impression we're left of him. While the novel fails ultimately, because Grant finds answers from the sources that are simply not there to be discovered, it's a good ride while following him to that end. It illustrates Richard's guilt or innocence as a matter of some doubt, and gains great mileage from the level of propaganda emanating from the Tudor sources after his death. The narrative simplifies the cast of characters involved at the time, no doubt partly by necessity, to keep things moving, but in doing so ignores some of the players who were in a position to cast doubt on Grant's claims.
Perhaps I should conclude with the thoughts of a historian, Charles Ross, who rightly described the brief period of Richard's reign as a bloody, backstabbing and chaotic time. There's the rub. Edward IV seized the throne. Richard in turn grasped it after he died and Henry from him. It was tough being at the top during this era, almost certainly for none more than the children who stood at one stage to gain everything.
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"History books are bunk"
Having no previous knowledge of Richard III or most of English monarchy history, this mystery seemed like an interesting read plus some background knowledge. Teys book contains an encylopedia of information, more perhaps than most people can digest; however, it is compelling and incredibly entertaining. I will definitely try to read up on the British monarchy and Teys book was a wonderful launching point.
Having no previous knowledge of Richard III or most of English monarchy history, this mystery seemed like an interesting read plus some background knowledge. Teys book contains an encylopedia of information, more perhaps than most people can digest; however, it is compelling and incredibly entertaining. I will definitely try to read up on the British monarchy and Teys book was a wonderful launching point.
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No