Customer Reviews

The Beggar's Throne

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Alright, first to take into account my general reservations toward historical fiction when I am into the period. And, of course, the fact that Warwick (whom I greatly admire) is the villain doesn't help. *grin*

However, that said, there were quite a number of aspects that I really enjoyed. First of all the run down, The Beggar's Throne follows the early years of Edward IV from days before Wakefield until slightly after Tewkesbury. Besides the political stuff (which Falconieri does deal with as part of the story rather than externally), he also uses a family of Yorkshire Millers as a second interweaving story (one becomes a member of Edward's personal guard, another who marries into the family was with Rutland when he dies, a third supports returning the Percies to the Earldom of Northumberland, etc...). Probably due to my own preconceived notions of the personalities of the main players of the Wars I did prefer this secondary story (of course it helps that in the secondary story I didn't know exactly what was going to happen *grin*).

Falconieri does a very good job with the history. Caught me on one point actually...I could have sworn that Montague had Northumberland taken away from him _before_ the Robin of Redesdale incident. There are a few omissions which are understandable as they make Edward less sympathetic of a character (for instance the taking of the Great Seal from the Archbishop of York, when York was ill and Warwick was in France). I only noticed one historical error of any note which was that Falconieri combines Robin of Redesdale and Robin of Holderness into the same person and the same uprising.

I found Warwick to be pretty dry and 2-dimensional, but there were some other characters that definitely made up for it. In particular I was fond of his portrayal of King Henry VI. Rather than a completely garbled madness, Falconieri chooses instead to give him a prophetic madness (actually making him one of my two favorite characters in the book). Henry gets to do a lot of foreshadowing in this way which makes him very entertaining to me.

All in all I found the book enjoyable and very readable. Again taking into account my natural reservation toward fiction in this time period, I would nevertheless recommend this one to Edward fans, or anyone looking for a readable fictional account that is mostly accurate (he did his homework) and entertaining.

The infamous Hundred Years War devastates medieval England, pulling desperately needed resources and men into a vortex of war, as the House of York and The House of Lancaster engage in Machiavellian scheming for dominance. The needs of the country are secondary to the struggle for the throne.

The author includes a family of millers in the context of the greater drama, as two brothers find themselves on opposite sides. The younger brother, Samuel, is a trained archer and, like his elder brother, a Lancastrian. Once engaged in battle, Samuel's allegiance changes, as he questions the motives of those he follows and he offers his talents to The House of York. The resulting rift between Samuel and brother, Christopher, costs Samuel the support of his family. Truth be known, he misses them terribly.

Samuel's simple soldier's life is constructed around the loyalties that bind men-at-arms together. Inevitably, Samuel falls in love with a serving maid who is actually a well-bred lady in disguise, hiding a damning document from the Queen and her followers. Unable to confide her secret to Samuel and his family, Kate haplessly drags them into the ensuing conflict, putting them all in danger.

The first half of the book addresses the eventual denouement of The War of the Roses, the historic and complicated details of conflated loyalties, nobility and greed. Meanwhile, the Miller's are motivated by their need to repair familial connections and live free of strife. To this extent, Falconieri cannot quite get his footing; however, the author's knowledge of subject is impressive, although his challenge is the melding of the commoner's concerns and the eventual termination of the war with an acceptable king, intact on the throne.

The Beggar's Throne has moments of excitement, the vitality of fighting for a cause, even if it is on opposite sides. In any case, the tedium of the world grinds on. Those who rule reap the benefits and the foot soldiers lose their lives in endless scenes of carnage. The Miller family exemplifies the commoners, struggling to survive daily needs and to improve their lot. These are the soldiers left lying on the fields of war, strewn across history, leaving wives and children, dreams and ambitions behind. Power and intrigue are the issues that form the crux of The Beggar's Throne, the nature of war and it's victims. Luan Gaines/ 2004.

I think Falconieri does an excellent job of mixing actual historical events with the fictional perspective of the Miller family. I do have one quibble, however. By the end of the book it seemed that all the "good" aristocrats take no notice whatsoever of class differences, while all the "bad" aristocrats go around literally and figuratively stomping the peasants under their boots. I don't think either extreme is really true to the time period.

The Beggar's Throne by David Falconieri is a superbly written historical novel set against the background of a lethal struggle for control of the British throne during the early years of the reign of Edward IV. A gripping saga of Machiavellian manipulations, skillful intrigue, veiled words and ruthless thuggery, The Beggar's Throne is an exciting story that draws one in to a rapture of criss-cross motives and keeps one guessing until the last page. Highly recommended.