- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (Aug 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0345391780
- ISBN-13: 978-0345391780
- Product Dimensions: 13.8 x 1.7 x 20.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,289,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Princes In The Tower
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"The mystery of the princes in the Tower is a cause of outrage as well as a whodunit . . . a deeply researched appraisal."
--Ruth Rendell, "Daily Telegraph" --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
--Ruth Rendell, "Daily Telegraph" --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Book Description
The story of the death, in sinister circumstances, of the boy-king Edward V and his younger brother Richard, Duke of York, is one of the most fascinating murder mysteries in English history.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I really like Alison Weir's non-fiction - especially the way she tends to focus on important yet neglected women in history (e.g. Kathryn Swynford, Eleanor of Aquitaine). Unfortunately, this book disappoints in that although her research is as painstaking as ever, her attempt to present almost a legal case for the guilt of Richard III in relation to the death of the princes falls down on several counts. I found myself disagreeing out loud with some of her statements and assumptions which, in some cases, were quite erroneous constructions on the words or acts of the protagonists. For an experienced historian, Ms Weir has unfortunately fallen into the trap of allowing her own beliefs to overpower the narrative, and she does not allow for any other possible scenarios/explanations. This lack of balance, exacerbated by her obvious dislike of Richard, taints what should have been an interesting and well-written book. My greatest discomfort however is with the conclusions she comes to regarding the skeletons found in the Tower in 1674 - all I will say to this is 'chain of evidence'.
39 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you want a non-biased, impartial, factual read with primary sources to back up the facts on the 'Wars of the Roses & deaths of the Princes in the Tower' - then this is NOT for you.
After a few minutes reading I had to get my pen out & start striking through assumptions, quotes that the author claimed to be contemporary which were in fact reports/stories that were written many years after the events took place (which is quite clear if you check her appendix!), gossip & tittle-tattle quoted as fact, & most glaringly of all, the authors complete bias against Richard III. She is even quoting, in her own words, 'an untrustworthy source' (ref Molinet, page 149) - if the source is untrustworthy then why is a historian even using it?!
Irritatingly she states the emotions of the source of her gossip and the main players too! Which is fine for a historical fiction but not for a 'fact based history book'.
Uses text such as 'ALMOST CERTAINLY...this happened'P123 & P148 'More was PROBABLY nearer the truth when he conjectured...'!
There is also a number of inconsistencies in her version of events.
EG that the author of the Croyland Chronicle is ANONYMOUS (p4) yet goes on to assume who this person was & (p126) that he WAS on the Council!
& On P141 she says that 'Rivers had been deputy constable but that appointment had LAPSED when he was arrested.' But earlier that 'Rivers had GIVEN the appointment to Dorset!'
This is not a good book! & I'm surprised that the cover includes quotes such as 'Absorbing' Sunday Times, lucidly written - oh also Sunday Times(!) - NOT!
After a few minutes reading I had to get my pen out & start striking through assumptions, quotes that the author claimed to be contemporary which were in fact reports/stories that were written many years after the events took place (which is quite clear if you check her appendix!), gossip & tittle-tattle quoted as fact, & most glaringly of all, the authors complete bias against Richard III. She is even quoting, in her own words, 'an untrustworthy source' (ref Molinet, page 149) - if the source is untrustworthy then why is a historian even using it?!
Irritatingly she states the emotions of the source of her gossip and the main players too! Which is fine for a historical fiction but not for a 'fact based history book'.
Uses text such as 'ALMOST CERTAINLY...this happened'P123 & P148 'More was PROBABLY nearer the truth when he conjectured...'!
There is also a number of inconsistencies in her version of events.
EG that the author of the Croyland Chronicle is ANONYMOUS (p4) yet goes on to assume who this person was & (p126) that he WAS on the Council!
& On P141 she says that 'Rivers had been deputy constable but that appointment had LAPSED when he was arrested.' But earlier that 'Rivers had GIVEN the appointment to Dorset!'
This is not a good book! & I'm surprised that the cover includes quotes such as 'Absorbing' Sunday Times, lucidly written - oh also Sunday Times(!) - NOT!
26 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is without doubt the worst history book I've ever read. Before I picked this up, I was by no stretch a Ricardian, but Ms Weir's book is so full of pejoratives, illogic, inconsistency, venom and distortion that I felt compelled to read further on the subject to get a more balanced view, which only served to convince me even further of how badly researched this book is. This is the only book I've ever thrown away. Do yourself a favour - give this a miss if you want a fair-minded or balanced view of these events! Try Richard III or Royal Blood: King Richard III and the Mystery of the Princes instead.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Cannot reach the conclusion
While my father (who the Kindle has been bought for) is enjoying the book so far, as he approaches the end of the book it mysteriously deletes itself from the device. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Julia H
A fine read - beware the negative reviews!
It is a curious phenomenon that Richard iii inspires such fierce loyalty from people hundreds of years after his fateful demise on the field of Bosworth in 1485. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Asmodeous
Great book.
I normally try to avoid history books because I have in the past found them so dry and staid that they have ultimately ended up going to the charity store but this one has changed... Read more
Published 8 months ago by nutter2b
the princes in the tower
It took a lot of getting into, but i must admit that the first chapter was hard to get into, and the last three chapters was fantisic. Well done to Alison Weir
Published 11 months ago by c marshall
Eye opening
I started reading this book with an open mind about Richard 111's guilt about the princes' murder. I found it to be excellent, well written and well researched. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mr. D. R. Mcmanus
Far too biased and partial
I actually read Weir's book after I read Bertram Fields' excellent "Royal Blood". Fields was very critical of Weir's book and I have to say I completely agree. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Rivers3162
The Princes in the Tower
The book was very informative for a history book and i read things that i did'nt realise had happened.
A good read.
A good read.
Published on 25 April 2010 by Mrs. D. Simpson
Zero stars actually - utterly dire
Alison Weir's pro Lancastrian/Tudor and anti Ricardian stance is well known but she has really "excelled" (for want of a better word) herself this time. Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2010 by E. S. Williams
Totally biased
In her preface Ms Weir claims to have approached writing this book with "as open a mind as possible" and to "avoid speculation and theories". Nothing is further from the truth. Read more
Published on 4 Nov 2009 by Blencathra
A nice history of a mysterious event
The Princes in the Tower is a subject that continues to bug at historians 500 years down the road. In 1984, a trial aquitted Richard III of all blame for the deaths of the Princes. Read more
Published on 28 Oct 2009 by Edward Rex
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