Interesting perspective on Tudors and Henry III. ( )

The King's Daughter recounts the life of Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV, sister to Edward V and wife to Henry VII and mother to Henry VIII. This is all pretty much well known history and enough reviewers and the product page recap the main story line I don't want to rehash it again. Worth's version of Elizabeth's life, told in the first person POV, just ended up for this reader to be a sodding, boring mess - I ended up skimming through the last 200 pages.

The goodies were really really good and the baddies were really really bad. Elizabeth herself was so pure and perfect I was waiting for her to cut her finger so I could see if she would bleed sugar, while her mother Elizabeth Woodville was practicing witchcraft when she wasn't busy running into sanctuary. Her son Arthur is pure as the driven snow, while young Harry (the future Henry VIII) is a borderline child sociopath. As for Henry's mother Margaret Beaufort - well the only person I can think of to portray her in the movie is Cruella de Vil. Honestly, Henry VII is the only character who got a fair shake in this one.

As for historical accuracy and the author's research from her notes, I am not a historian so I'm not one to judge. However, the bit about proving to Henry VII that she was a virgin has no historical basis that I've heard of, nor does the author mention in her notes where she picked up that bit of supposition from. Worse yet, is the unrequited love (and never-ending even after death) Elizabeth holds for her uncle Richard.

To top it all off, way too much melodrama and "woe" is me from both Elizabeth's (mother and daughter) and over the top prose. Here we have Elizabeth's reaction after Ann (that would be Queen Ann Richard's wife) as she tells niece Elizabeth her uncle will need her,

"I felt as if a shutter had been thrown open, pouring in brilliant light. The sleepless nights, the pounding of my heart each time King Richard drew near; my shyness in his presence...."

Elizabeth's mother giving her advice on keeping her husband in line,

"You'd know what to do -- you'd get into bed and lick that king of yours until he stops listening to his mother and turns to you". Eeeewwww.

Get the point? It is unfortunate, as so little is really known about Elizabeth of York's life and a well written fleshed out novel on her is sorely lacking - however, this is not it. While its certainly not the worst historical ever written, IMO it's far from the best as well. If you're dead set on reading this, get it from the library first and then buy it if you love it. ( )

http://shelfandstuff.blogspot.com/200... ( )

The first child of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, Elizabeth of York seems destined for greatness. She is the apple of her father’s eye, betrothed to the heir to the French throne, and loved by the people. When her father dies too young and Richard III takes the throne over her brother Edward, Elizabeth’s mother rushes the family into sanctuary. Increasingly, the family hears horrible things about Richard and fears for the worst. One night, however, Richard himself visits the sanctuary and everything changes. As history inexorably moves forward, changing lives all over England, Elizabeth well earns her reputation as selfless, generous, and noble.

I’m not sure how to review this book. Let me say first that I really enjoyed it and give you my historian’s opinion. Sandra Worth never goes outside of the facts; she fills in between the lines. With Elizabeth of York, there is quite a bit to fill in; she is so little known. In some ways, I’d call this a very romantic interpretation of the history, but I think that’s why many of us read historical fiction. I simply know too much about Richard III. Worth has definitely done her research, and I really appreciated her selected bibliography at the end, but I’m wondering why she didn’t include more of the modern histories on Edward IV and Richard III. Personally, I loved the idea that Perkin Warbeck was actually the younger of the two princes in the tower. So little has been done on that possibility and it’s an exciting question, if one we’ll never know the answer to. I too wonder why the bones found in the Tower haven’t been exhumed and analyzed in recent years. If they are the princes, then these questions would be conclusively answered.

Okay, now, as a book, how did it hold up? Well, I really liked it. I loved Elizabeth. She’s a great, strong, sympathetic character throughout. I knew what was going to happen, so I didn’t get caught up in the plot, but I think if I didn’t know the history I would have been. In any case, the book is well-written and easy to lose yourself in for a while. Something else I really liked was how well the author depicted the changes between the Plantagenet kings and the Tudors and the shift into the early modern period, which for me is marked by the growth in the king’s power and the lessening of the nobles’ power.

Overall, this is solid, entertaining historical fiction and I definitely recommend it.

http://chikune.com/blog/?p=371 ( )

England in the 15th century isn’t exactly a stable place to be if you’re royalty. The Wars of the Roses leave the throne bouncing back and forth between the Yorkists and the Lancastrians. Princess Elizabeth of York spends much of her time in and out of sanctuary, hiding while her father, Edward IV, defends his throne. After her father’s death, her younger brother is crowned Edward V- and he, along with younger brother Richard, are sent to the Tower of London by their uncle, who becomes King Richard III of England. What happens to the boys after that is one of the great historical mysteries, and no one is able to say for certain whether one or both of them died in the Tower. The final outcome of the Wars of the Roses is determined at Bosworth Field, and Henry Tudor, a Lancastrian, beats Richard III and becomes Henry VII of England. In an effort to legitimize his seat on the throne and end the wars once and for all, Henry marries Elizabeth.

The King’s Daughter by Sandra Worth is Elizabeth’s story. Elizabeth of York holds an interesting place in history: she is the only Queen of England to have been daughter, sister, niece, wife, and mother of kings of England. Yet she doesn’t receive much attention- she certainly doesn’t receive the same level of attention as the wives of her son (Henry VIII). But that doesn’t make her any less important. It was for her sake that subjects were willing to accept Henry on the throne.

For me, The King’s Daughter was everything that a historical fiction novel should be: it’s a new take on a familiar story, and every single character is absolutely believable. I studied history in college, and my interest has always been with British monarchs. But I don’t know much about monarchs preceding Henry VIII, and this book made me want to run for my history books, and order books on monarchs that predate my books on the Tudors. My curiosity is piqued, and I want to know more.

One of the things I loved most about this novel is that it didn’t fall into the traps that plague many historical novels: tawdry (and unbelievable) love scenes, and women with 21st century sensibilities. Certainly, there were strong women at the time. Henry’s mother, Margaret Beaufort, was one of them- and Worth’s portrayal of Margaret Beaufort is historically accurate. But Elizabeth herself was kind of a doormat in some ways, and that’s okay. Worth doesn’t portray her as weak and insipid, but as the type of woman who knows to pick and choose her battles- and she does so with dignity and class. And in regard to my first point, there is one scene I can recall in the novel that involves physical intimacy, but it’s not particularly titillating. There were scandals and intrigues enough during this time that it’s not necessary to invent more.

I highly, highly recommend this book. It’s one of the best historical fiction novels I’ve read in a long time. ( )