A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury [Paperback]

Edith Pargeter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1989

It is 1399. Henry Bolingbroke, unjustly banished and deprived of his inheritance by Richard II, returns to claim his rights and deposes the king to become Henry IV of England. He is aided by the powerful lords of Northumberland, especially by his friend, Harry Percy. But the triumph of his accession quickly turns sour in the face of ever-growing crises in his new kingdom, and Wales is the most pressing and troublesome of these. The specter of Richard holds sway beyond the grave, and the shadow of regicide, the memory of past crimes, and growing doubts and divisions cause a dangerous rift. The king also has powerful enemies who are all too willing to take advantage of this.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Henry IV of England becomes jealous of the friendship between his son Prince Hal and a knight known as Hotspur in this account of events leading up to the 1303 battle of Shrewsbury. Pargeter, who also writes as Ellis Peters, serves up ``a tale compounded of romance, stirring adventure and subtle psychological insight,'' said PW.

Copyright 1991 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 378 pages
• Publisher: Headline Book Publishing (October 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0747233667
• ISBN-13: 978-0747233664
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 4.5 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #158,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good History, Great "Fiction", January 10, 2002

By 

Bryant M. Smith "skip" (Costa Rica) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury (Paperback)

Having really knocked Dudley Pope's "The Black Ship" I feel compelled to review another book that shows how it is possible to make history thrilling without seriously departing from historical fact. Edith Pargetter wrote the "Brother Cadfael" series of medieval whodunnits under the pseudonym "Ellis Peters," and in "A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury" turned her talent to the story of Harry Hotspur's unsuccessful rebellion against Henry IV "Bolingbroke." Instead of trying to play psycologist (as Pope did in Pigot's case), Pargetter beautifully lays out the characters of Henry IV, Henry V and Hotspur by their interactions. Prince Henry had been a hostage of Richard II, but their relationship was such that Richard was more a father to the prince than was Bolingbroke (contrast how Pargetter carries this off with Pope's stolid comparison of Pigot's father and uncle). When the prince is called home from Ireland by Richard's impending ouster (and probable murder), Hal is very ambivalent towards his father, and needs reassurance (from Hotspur) that Bolingbroke's claim that Richard suicided is credible. He is placed under the guardianship of Hotspur, who becomes another father figure to him, and when, in the end, knowing that his father did starve his beloved Richard to death, but also knowing that his father's survival on the throne meant he would one day be king, and having to choose between Bolingbroke and Hotspur,
he chooses to be king. The psychology Pargetter develops through the relationships in her "fiction" is far more valid than was Pope's stumbling attempt at explicit analysis. This bit of English history was high drama in and of itself, and Pargetter gives it the dramatic tensions its narration deserves. Pigot's mutiny was also high drama, which Pope utterly failed to bring to life. This is not Pargetter's only serious historical fiction, and I'm eager to get more of it. Oh by the way, for the historically uneducated: Richard II was a "bad" king -- might have been manic-depressive -- and there was a wide concensus that he had to be go rid of. Hotspur's father and uncle, Warwick and Northumberland, led the junta that brought Bolingbroke in to take over. Bolingbroke himself got "out of control" once he got to the throne, probably really did do Richard in, and, from the northern and marcher barons' point of view, had to be replaced in his turn. Hotspur (Sir Henry Percy) was married to a sister of Edmund de Mortimer whose claim to the throne, based on the strictest application of the rules of primogeniture, was a better claim to suceed Richard II than Bolingbroke's. It was the competing claims of the Lancastrian and Yorkist houses that fuelled the "Wars of the Roses" beginning, arguably, with Hotspur's rebellion.

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars English history circa 1400 comes to life., July 4, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury (Paperback)

Sharon Penman reigns as queen of English historical fiction writers but Pargeter is a strong second. "Shrewsbury" revolves around four main characters: the usurper, Henry IV; his son and heir: Henry "Hotspur" Percy and a woman named Julian.
King Henry not only shoves aside rightful king Richard II but bypasses a family with a better claim named Mortimer. Thus are the seeds of the Wars of the Roses sown.
Hotspur and other nobles helped Henry gain the crown but they soon see him as a changed man -- and not for the better.
An open rift follows. Then Hotspur and his faction openly revolt. Hotspur emerges as the book's most appealing character. Plain, blunt, outspoken but also loyal and honest, he epiotmizes the best qualities of the age of chivalry.
Although Hotspur is passionately devoted to his wife, there are romantic moments with Julian which she would always treasure.
The book climaxes in what else? A battle on "A Bloody Field Near Shrewsbury."
Any fan of historical fiction should find it highly enjoyable

47 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A preview to the War of the Roses, February 5, 2000

By 

Kellyannl (Bronx, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury (Paperback)

This is a must read for anyone interested in the War of the Roses or the events that led up to it. In some ways it is more accurate than Shakespeare's plays (Hotspur was not Hal's age but a few years older than Henry, and like most royal murders we can make educated guesses but we don't really know for certain how Richard died), and the missing pieces of the puzzle that Ms. Pargeter inserts are believable (Hotspur's presumed contact with Glendower during this period and Hal's relationships with three men he loved in very different ways - and his reaction to the fact that two of them would have to die, and the third sell his soul, for him to become king). Above all, this is a very moving story about the emotional cost of politics. The fact that much of it may be close to the truth makes it painful to read at times but even more poignant.