Richard III, the last of the Plantagenets, died on Bosworth Field. The author aims to cut through the legend and propaganda and asks some important questions: what happened to the princes in the tower? Why did he seize the throne? Did he really believe his brother and nephews were illegitimate?
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
My kingdom for a fair read of a reviled regent.,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Life and Times of Richard III (Life & Times Series) (Paperback)
This is an eminently readable text. The author is a good story teller. He effectively uses a narrative style that brings these historical characters to life. He begins by setting Richard in his historical context. Briefly reviewing the events from the minority of Richard II, which set in motion the events leading to the Wars of the Roses he weaves the tapestry that becomes Richard III. Cheetham (the author) goes to great pains to show the complexity of Richard's personality contrasted with the power-driven tyrant of Shakespeare's work. Additionally, he helps the reader by continually reminding us of the role of the supporting characters in this unfolding drama. Finally, the author painstakingly looks at alternative theories surrounding the deaths of young King Edward V and Prince Richard. He does not mention the unlikely theory that they were spirited away for safekeeping. Rather, he explores the possibilities that others besides Richard III had motive and opportunity to murder the youths. This is not mere alibi for Richard, since he demonstrates the holes in each theory. In the end this book gives even treatment of Richard and his accomplishments and his misdeeds. It is a fair review of a monarch that has suffered from more bad press than he deserves.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easy-to-read overview of the life of Richard III,
By JaneConsumer (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Life and Times of Richard III (Life & Times Series) (Paperback)
The book is a good start for anyone interested in learning more about Richard III. It's enjoyable - reading more like a novel than a history text. Moreover, the book is filled with black-and-white as well as color illustrations with brief descriptions of their significance to Richard or the times.In addition to being well-written, the book is an objective overview of Richard's life as well as the times in which he lived. He paints Richard neither as villian nor saint, but as a man charged with much responsibility at a young age and during troubled times. For more in-depth coverage of Richard III, read Jeremy Potter's GOOD KING RICHARD? or Charles Ross's RICHARD III. The first reviews historical assessments of the man while the latter is a detailed biography.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A balanced view of Richard III,
By Steven A. Peterson (Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL)) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Life and Times of Richard III (Life & Times Series) (Paperback)
So, did Richard III kill the young king and the young prince? Was he this bloodthirsty king? Was he hump-backed?This book does a nice job of laying out what we know about King Richard III's life. I don't know about other readers, but I depended heavily on pages 218-219 (where a genealogical tree is provided) to keep the players straight. Again, for others this might not be a problem, but I sometimes lost sight of who was who and how each was related to another in the complex, shifting tides of dynastic conflict, characterized by the War of the Roses. The book depicts the struggles between the House of York and the House of Lancaster (I live in central Pennsylvania, and the cities of York and Lancaster are called, fittingly enough, the Red Rose City and the White Rose City). Part of the struggle over time that makes it so complex was the many leaders who would switch sides to gain advantage. Treachery was a part of the ongoing conflict. In this tapestry, the life of Richard III is discussed and assessed. At times, he was "in" as he grew up; at other times he was "out" (fleeing abroad for awhile until the political temper in England allowed his return). Overall, he is described as capable, a successful military leader and administrator at a young age. When his father died, leaving the crown to a very young son, Richard was named as the Protector. Given the uncertainty of the times, Richard eventually took the opportunity to imprison the young king and his brother and take the crown himself. The two eventually died in the Tower of London. What happened? The other does a careful analysis of this and--in the end--can't make a definitive judgment. But his "default" logic is at least sensible. Then, the short reign of Richard III and his defeat in battle. The book does nicely in, first, simply describing Richard's life and, second, trying to place it in context and assess is role in history. If interested in a nonpartisan account of this controversial royal figure, this is not a bad starting point.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
