Customer Reviews

The Black Rose

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first read The Black Rose in the late sixties while still in high school. I have read it at least 4 or 5 times since. I always disliked history in school but this book and others like it make history come alive. Admittedly, as Costain notes in his forward, he meant the book to be more about Edward I and Bayan of the Hundred Eyes, but became more caught up in the legend of Thomas a Becket's parents: an English knight married to an Eastern girl. In spite of this, it is well researched and shows good attention to detail while keeping the reader truly engrossed in the story line. All the locales are marvelously described: Oxford, medieval castles and their mores, Antioch, Cathay, Bombay, Venice, and Marseilles. This is the story of how a young man born to a privileged family comes to believe in the rights of the common man and the journey that forces this change in his beliefs. It is also the story of a great love between the unlikliest of lovers; an illegitimate young man of noble English family and the sister of a powerful merchant of Antioch. It is a good read, as are all of Costain's books. Other books by Costain that are worth exploring are Below the Salt ( a sci-fi take on the Magna Carta era a la "Back to the Future), The Silver Chalice (about Joseph of Arimathea and the Apostles), and The Darkness and the Dawn (about Attila the Hun). All are very good reads, will get you interested in history, and ready to explore more detailed books on the subject.

Walter is the bastard son of an English peer. Because of his involvement in the Oxford University riots of 1273, he is forced to flee England along with his friend Tristram, leaving behind the love of his live.
This book, as all Costain's novels, is well researched and thoroughly entertaining.
The reader will follow Walter's adventures in exotic places such as Antioch, Cathay, Bombay, Venice, Marseilles.
During his travels he will fall in love with another woman, and upon his return to England, he must submit to the king's decision on which of the two women he must marry: his first love, Engaine, or the "Black Rose".
I highly recommend this book.

At age 12, this was the first book that I read by Thomas Costain. I have since read as many as I could find. The book is filled with the rich details of life in olde England and Cathy (China). The book develops the characters to the point that you laugh and cry with them. While enjoying a love story and an adventure, you gain insight into the technical advances of ancient China and the difficulties endured on the overland trade routes to the Orient. A remarkable gem in Costain's crown of literary works.

It is quite amazing to me how you can simply read a book, no matter the place or the time of the story, and feel so deeply involved and part of the characters' lives. In The Black Rose, Thomas B. Costain does an explicit job of taking your attention and bringing you into the world and life of Walter of Gurnie.

I love the part about a book when you are always left thinking, always wanting to read more. During this novel, you will always be left wondering. One thing I pondered over throughout the whole time of reading it was; how is this going to end? There were so many things happening. But it all tied together and made an excellent ending.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone. It has a great storyline. It includes: hardships, life lessons, friendships, the love shared between not only a man and woman but a man and his best friend as well, and an amazing breakthrough of a young, lifeless boy, to a brave, strong, successful man.

This is a delightful adventure story beginning in England and spanning the globe all the way to Cathay (China) and back.

Young Walter of Gurnie, unable to marry the woman he loves sets out on a journey to the mystical land of Cathay after his father passes away. His goal is to make a name for himself and return to England with treasure and knowledge from foreign lands.

The author makes good use of the period to set the mood of restlessness and the need for adventure. This is a very easy read and rates as a page-turner. Though written in 1945 it is full of adventure, suspense, romance, and revenge characteristic of modern fantasy tales.

A mix of enduring love, adventure and history. This is my favorite book of all time! Obviously it's Costain's best, and I've read them all.

My experience with Thomas Costain's 1945 novel "The Black Rose" is that it sweeps you up in its arms and refuses to let you go. The tale of Walter of Gurnie starts with his radical student days at Oxford University circa 1273, his infatuation with the aristocratic beauty Engaine and then takes you on his adventures with the Mongols into China. His friend Tristam is one of the great supporting characters as is his love for the Black Rose herself, Maryam. The novel is episodic in structure, covering a period of many years. Historical figures like Roger Bacon, Kubli Kahn & King Edward I are referenced. This is a romantic adventure story that is nonstop thrills. By the time I reached page 300, I had to stay up to 4 a.m. to finish the final quarter of the book. I could not put it down. Some of the language was a bit strange with implements used in the Dark Ages referenced, but it gives the novel a good historical grounding. Costain's work is an excellent adventure. Enjoy!

I just finished reading this wonderful story. The plot involves encounters among a great diversity of cultures. Very relevant to today. It even has a sobering element of class conflict. I wish someone would do a remake of the 1950 film that was a bit more true to the spirit of Costain's original work and so clearly meaningful to our contemporary world. It's also a heartwarming cross-cultural love story. And it's just such a great adventure story!

Walter and Tristram go on an adventure from England to Cathay (China) at a time before even Marco Polo. This is one of my favorite books and has been for 10 years.

This is one of the best historical fiction books I have ever read! The first time I read it, I did it in one day. Every five years or so I read it again. The book is about a fictional Englishman named Walter who, although the grandson of a nobleman, is illegitimate and penniless, and to seek his fortune makes the perilous journey to the mysterious far east. Along the way he meets Tristan, who becomes his best friend and an unusual slave boy who is not what he seems to be. Everyone I have recommended this book to has loved it.