The Wars of the Roses

One of the best history books I've read in a while, and I read a lot! The author hit the perfect balance of content with readability. Doesn't get too bogged down in detail yet covers all the bases. The subject can be a very confusing one, with all the various names and Titles becoming tedious at times. But Weir handles this beautifully and I rarely found myself having to go back and re-read a portion like I do with other books on this period. Excellent background story on King Richard II and the lead up to the wars. I can't believe how much great detail on the character's lives she was able to include. She makes the connection between characters. She seemed to answer every question I could have thought to ask. What was the motivation of these people? What in their background made them this way? She avoids the overly academic dull prose and gets straight to the point. She avoids the impulse of many history writers to write mainly to impress their peers. Instead it is beautifully written, flows along in a logical manner, and makes for a book even non-history buffs might want to read. My only complaint is that the book ends with the reign of Edward IV and we don't get to hear more about Richard III, because I bet she would do a wonderful job with that as well.

Alison Weir writes compelling and easy to understand history of a conflict that is anything but easy to understand with its numerous royal players involved. The book had me captivated and anyone interested in Medieval England this is a good read. I liked the details in which she has to describe 15th century England and how puts you in the mindset of the main participates involved. I only have two complaints, 1. I wish the had summed up the period f 1399 to 1455 (the start of the war of the roses) a little faster. Nearly half of the book is not actually about the war. It's good background but it for someone really wanting to read about the war it can be frustrating that the actual war doesn't start till after 200 pages. 2. The book ended too soon. It ends with 1471 when Edward IV takes back is crown. I know she says that another book was written about Richard the III but a book about the war of the Roses without Bothwell and Henry VII feels incomplete. She should have shortened the beginning a bit and added the end of the war of the Roses. Overall though it was a very good read. I would recommend it if you want a well written detailed account of most of the War of the Roses.

I'm new to English history, having never read anything on the subject since my days in high school, and only recently have I decided to brush up on the monarchy and its fascinating history. A friend of mine recommended this author, and I decided to start with "The Wars of The Roses". I found it hard at first to keep track of the many names and who belonged to whose house and who was a son/daughter of whom. But after the first two or three chapters, I was able to relatively follow the narrative, and Weir tackles this very confusing period of British history with skill and hefty research. I came away from this title thoroughly entertained and informed, and I immediately dove into the sequel to this book, "The Princes In The Tower". I am nearly finished with that one, and I am finding it just as interesting and entertaining as I did "The Wars Of The Roses". I would definitely recommend this author to anyone who is looking for some armchair reading of English history.

I tend to find battles and military history difficult to concentrate on - all I really need to know about a battle is who won, who died, who was injured, who was captured. So you might wonder why I would read a book on the Wars of the Roses. I assumed it would be filled with much more than battle scenes - there would be character assessments and lots of political intrigue too. And I was right, it was incredibly fascinating and I feel I understand this time period and conflict much better. I still wind up skimming the battle scenes but I never skip over them completely since they usually contain those important details I'd rather the author would just sum up. But surprisingly, there were a few bits and pieces of battle descriptions that actually caught my eye. No one can claim this is too "dry", no matter how you might feel about military history: "As their forces broke, the Yorkist cavalrymen raced to the horse park behind their own lines and mounted their steeds to give chase. As they thundered past, the King and Warwick, flushed with victory, yelled, `Spare the commons! Kill the lords!' Their words went unheeded." For once, I was glad that the author did not just sum up the results of the battle. The scene really came to life from this and I could visualize it clearly. Weir is a skilled writer; scholarly but not dry.

Great book, full over dates and interesting information, but also captivating.

Another masterpiece from Ms Weir. Truth is so much stranger than fiction.

I'm writing about Alison Weir's The Wars of the Roses. A DeMillean cast of thousands that demands your every attention to keep the actors straight (although there exists a comic book, in color, which tells about the war in only 18 simple and simplistic pages). Although perhaps too evolved for comic books, I'm nonetheless not intelligent enough to understand why a supremely democratic people as the English still need their silly royals (last seen, Harry was romping naked in Vegas), but in former times kings and queens may have had their purposes. At the very least, they were highly entertaining. These royals and their entourages will have you on the edge of your seats, and during one episode, the killing of York's young son (I HATE the murder of kids), I was even shouting `Oh Christ! Oh Christ!', physically stirred, 400 years after the event. Which reminds me of when I got to the end of Ambrose's fabulous Undaunted Courage and learned that Lewis, who had opened the West, committed suicide: I burst into tears, 200 years after the tragedy. In another part of the Weir's book Warwick, the most important man after the King himself, runs a sword through his horse's throat, vowing that he would now fight on foot and die with his men; strong stuff, although the killing of loyal and totally innocent animals is only slightly less horrific than the killing of boys. Intrigues and double-crossings that defy imagination are the essence of this excellent work. But the real discovery within these pages is not a king but a king's queen: Queen Margaret, an incredible woman who had gigantic brass you-know-whats.

Book looks ok(I ordered it used for way cheaper than the new price). It has yellowed pages and some stains, but it still looks good and it even gives the book an old vibe.

As a former University Student who specialised in the Wars of the Roses, I just wish I had access to this superb telling of the story when I was studying. As an overview it brilliant and sets you up for more focused research of the primary and other secondary sources.It is a fast-paced, exciting and riveting read that is very well written. As hobby I wrote notes that I hoped would assist me in the writing of a film script of the Wars of the Roses based on Alison Weir's book - at the very least I thought the exercise would be fun and improve my personal grasp of the subject. As I was writing my notes, I was struck by the concise nature of her writing - it is detailed and thorough, but not a word is wasted. As such the story really flows. Casual readers may get frustrated with some of the names of the central characters (i.e they are referred to by their titles so you will find several 'Suffolks' for instance, which can get a bit confusing if you are not paying attention, but to tell you the truth that is the nature of the subject my friend). However the story of this period is fascinating and more than compensates - it is like the Godfather films or maybe the Sopranos, where you really don't know who is going to come out on top and who is going to meet an untimely, violent or sad end (which happens to be most of them)as power politics is raged in the most cutthroat and shocking way. This book describes the kind of lengths our modern politicians would go to if they had the chance (or am I being naieve - perhaps they already are). This book is probably the number one book I would recommend to students or casual readers because it is so well written in an accessible,lively style. As for the film script, well I believe it would make a superb series (HBO anybody?) but my notes/draft had a hiccup when my wife acidentally threw away all my planning notes that had been based on the book (it took me ages...) so I am not sure where I am going with that project, save to say the process at leat made me appreciate the intellect,research and literacy skills of Mrs Weir, and in many ways that is enough for me. A very impressive book!