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Product Description
Review
'Better than Philippa Gregory.' --The Bookseller
Anne O Brien has joined the exclusive club of excellent historical novelists. --Sunday Express
Anne O Brien has joined the exclusive club of excellent historical novelists. --Sunday Express
Product Description
This title is about England's forgotten Queen. England, 1469. A daughter of Warwick the Kingmaker, Anne Neville cannot dictate her own future. Her marriage will be political, made purely to advance her family's interests. But at the age of fourteen, her father's treason forces her into exile, and into an uneasy betrothal with Edward of Lancaster. Edward is changeable and completely controlled by his powerful mother, Margaret of Anjou. In a hostile, impoverished court, Anne finds herself at the mercy of other's whims. On her wedding night, the audience assembled to witness her bedding instead witnesses a royal humiliation. At the point of consummation, Queen Margaret forbids the act. Anne went to her husband's bed a virgin, and she will remain so. The battle for the crown of England rages, and Anne's husband must fight for his cause. But he is foully done to death by Richard, Duke of Gloucester - a man who twice before has been betrothed to Anne. Anne must decide where her loyalties lie. And during the reign of King Edward, the wrong decision could mean death.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have mixed feelings about this book to be fair. Although Anne O'Brien does a good job in telling the story of Anne Neville, and quickly elicits the reader's sympathy for the young woman who is just another pawn in the Wars of the Roses, the story irritated me for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, is the use of first person, which means the POV is limited. Although we are very (perhaps overly) aware of Anne's feelings, our view of Richard, Duke of Gloucester and soon to be King, is occluded by romanticism. Secondly, the book ends rather abruptly, and the fact that Anne and her child did not live long is glossed over, which is odd, considering that Richard was accused by his contemporaries of being complicit in her death. So the story of Anne Neville is not fully told, which is rather a shame. To balance this, we have the reasons that AN was a 'virgin widow' handled extremely well, as was the legend of her disguised as a kitchen maid, and the glimpse we do get of Richard shows him in a more kindly light than history has allowed. However, none of the characters apart from Anne are fully developed, Margaret of Anjou being two dimensional, though the hint of incest with her son was an interesting idea, perhaps a little more attention there might have rounded both those characters out. Having also read the authors book on Eleanor of Acquitaine, I would respectfully suggest that her next book leave first person alone!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I really enjoyed this book. I love historical fiction but the Wars of the Roses is a period I am not so familiar with but like a lot of people I tended to think of Richard 111 as an evil figure with a hump and a limp as depicted in the Shakespeare play. Not so in this version - in fact quite the opposite! He comes over as a loyal, charming and hansome (yes, hansome!) man who you begin to like more and more as the story unfolds. It is his brother, the Duke of Clarence who appears as the villain of the piece. Well, who knows which version is the nearest to the truth but it does make for an excellent read and I am now keen to read more books about Richard and the whole of this troubled period of history.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
On the front cover of this book there is a quote from 'The Bookseller' stating that Anne O'Brien is 'Better than Phillipa Gregory'. In their opinion maybe, but in mine this novel comes nowhere near challenging Ms. Gregory.
First and foremost don't be fooled. This is a romance novel, not a work of top class historical fiction. Whilst the less than frequently described historical background is fairly accurate what you really get here is more a mills and boon type narrative rather than a novel in the mould of Phillipa Gregory or Elizabeth Chadwick. The characters are fairly believable and their interactions together are quite intriguing but to be honest the first person viewpoint narrows the scope of the story.
A nice easy read. Probably more suitable for teenage girls rather than the most history minded adult.
First and foremost don't be fooled. This is a romance novel, not a work of top class historical fiction. Whilst the less than frequently described historical background is fairly accurate what you really get here is more a mills and boon type narrative rather than a novel in the mould of Phillipa Gregory or Elizabeth Chadwick. The characters are fairly believable and their interactions together are quite intriguing but to be honest the first person viewpoint narrows the scope of the story.
A nice easy read. Probably more suitable for teenage girls rather than the most history minded adult.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
boring, boring!
What a disappointment this was. I did finish it but found it very dull & lack lustre. Not for me!
Published 2 days ago by Mrs Ferret
enjoyable captivating read
This is my second book by Anne O' Brien and I loved it as much as I did the first one. It is the story of Anne Neville from childhood until motherhood and is a pleasing mixture of... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mrs. A. Wright
HIghly entertaining
While I thought I knew about this period of history, it was very interesting to read about it from a different perspective. Read more
Published 6 months ago by C.H: Spain
The Virgin Widow
Anne O'Brien is a master of this genre of writing. I love the historical accuracy woven into all her books. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Hazel Robertson
Unputdownable
This book is brilliant, I've read many historical fiction books including Philipa Gregory's, and it is as brilliant as her's, perhaps even better. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Lissy Lou
good
3/4 of the way through the book and enjoying it. It has certainly inspired me to find out more about the Neville family.
Published 9 months ago by thalia
OK book
This passed an hour or two. It isn't Shakespeare but perfectly acceptable for an afternoon's read. I'd buy a Kindle but I like handling books too much.
Published 11 months ago by C. Ashton
an enjoyable enlightening read
I didn't know anything about Anne Neville when I started reading this book but had heard of the Earl of Warwick. I am pleased I read it! Read more
Published 14 months ago by Ladyg
Very enjoyable.
A thoroughly enjoyable book,that really took me into the King's Court and what went on there; a dangerous world too. Read more
Published 17 months ago by F. Pawley
Expect a romance and not a historical novel (SPOILER WARNING)
O'Brien takes a new spin on the early life of Anne Neville, daughter of the mighty Earl of Warwick, "The Kingmaker". Read more
Published 17 months ago by Misfit
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