Elizabeth OF York -Alison Weir- Blog tour/Book review

I’m so pleased to be part of the Random Things Tours for Elizabeth of York by Alison Weir , historical fiction set in the War of the Roses following the life of Elizabeth, The Last White Rose.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Series: Tudor Rose Trilogy

Source: Received with thanks from Headline publishers and Random Things Tours

An English Princess, born into a war between two families. Eldest daughter of the royal House of York, Elizabeth dreams of a crown to call her own. But when her beloved father, King Edward, dies suddenly, her destiny is rewritten. Her family’s enemies close in. Two young princes are murdered in the Tower. Then her uncle seizes power – and vows to make Elizabeth his queen. But another claimant seeks the throne, the upstart son of the rival royal House of Lancaster. Marriage to this Henry Tudor would unite the white rose of York and the red of Lancaster – and change everything. A great new age awaits. Now Elizabeth must choose her allies – and husband – wisely, and fight for her right to rule.

Review

I always enjoy readings books set during The War of the Roses, an English civil war between the House of York and The House of Lancaster and have read so many. So, I was pleased to be part of the tour for Elizabeth of York: The Last White Rose, one of the key but rarely heard who influenced the course of history.

Would that I had been born a boy,’ Elizabeth sighed. ‘Although, if I had, I would likely be dead!

I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.

This is a well-researched book, full of rich detail bringing this world to life. It covers all the important events of this time- Edward’s the fourth’s reign and his death, the death of two princes in the tower, Richard the third usurpation and his downfall and the start of the Tudor dynasty. Events that Elizabeth of York was witness to or an important part of.

This book is told purely from Elizabeth’s point of view in the third person. Her story starts with her as a young child fleeing for safety till her death as Queen. As expected her life is full of peril and uncertainty not just because she is the daughter of the House of York but also a woman.

I have rarely heard of Elizabeth of York as a powerful woman in her own right (unlike her namesake Elizabeth the First) but always as a King’s daughter, a King’s niece, a King’s wife or a King’s mother even though she would have been Queen even if Richard the Third had defeated Henry the seventh. Maybe if she had been born a man, the course of British history may have been different and this book highlights this. Elizabeth is never an active participant in all the wars, court intrigue and battles even though her fate lies in their outcome. But the Elizabeth in this book is never passive and her actions do matter.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves well written and well researched historical fiction and fans of this particular time should definitely read this book.

Content Warning

Death of children- there are a lot of references to children dying and descriptions of parental grief.

Perfect for Fans of

Philipa Gregory, The Son of York ( Review here) and The York King ( review here)

About the author

Alison Weir is the bestselling female historian in the United Kingdom, and has sold over 3 million books worldwide. She has published twenty history books. Alison is also the author of twelve historical novels, including the highly acclaimed Six Tudor Queens series all of which were Sunday Times bestsellers. The complete short-story collection, In the Shadow of Queens, accompanies this series. Alison is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an honorary life patron of Historic Royal Palaces