The Red Queen: Margaret of Anjou and the Wars of the Roses [Paperback]

Ruth S. Perot (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: 1st Book Library (April 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587212331
• ISBN-13: 978-1587212338
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,092,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Red Queen, June 5, 2008

By 

Susan Higginbotham "boswellbaxter" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Red Queen: Margaret of Anjou and the Wars of the Roses (Paperback)

The Red Queen is a rather sedate telling of Margaret's story, reminiscent of Jean Plaidy's The Red Rose of Anjou. It's a sympathetic look at Margaret, though it doesn't gloss over her faults either. The writing is solid, as is the research.

This novel could stand to be longer. In less than 300 pages, The Red Queen covers 40 years, and the period from 1460-71 seems to have been given rather short shrift. I would have especially liked to have seen more interaction between Margaret and her maturing son, between her and the Earl of Warwick, and between her and Anne Neville. It was nice, however, to see some familiar faces from the Wars of the Roses without the stereotypes that mar so many novels set during this period. For telling the story of a woman who's too often been reduced to a mere caricature, Perot deserves high marks.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Flimsy, February 21, 2003

By 

Evelyn Hoffester "Eve" (VA, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Red Queen: Margaret of Anjou and the Wars of the Roses (Paperback)

There is little to recommend this novel for people with any background knowledge on the Wars of Roses, or really to anyone who enjoys good writing. The writing is sappy, clumsy, and not accomplished. This makes for painful reading, and to be honest I had to stop about 75% way into it. As for the history...There is a wealth of information on Margaret of Anjou if you take the time to find it, and the facts that were portrayed could have been lifted off Wikipedia. As for a serious understanding of what her life entailed or how Margaret, as both a person and character evolved over the course of her life, there was nothing but oversentmentalized rhetoric.

Not recommended. Try Sharon Kay Penman.

11 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars History comes alive with a woman's touch, June 21, 2000

By 

Michael D. Patrick - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Red Queen: Margaret of Anjou and the Wars of the Roses (Paperback)

Ruth Perot has brought a complex historical period alive in The Red Queen. Through careful research and a graceful writing style, she has enabled all the characters involved in the conflict of the War of the Roses to become human beings with frailties and self-doubt, but the the potential of changing history and becoming heroes. This is particularly true of Perot's development of Margaret of Anjou as a character in her historical novel. The reader comes to know Margaret not only as a historical figure but also as a woman who grows from a 16 year old girl into a mature woman. Her multi-layered personaltiy is that of a mother, a wife, a queeen, a politician, and eventually a heroic figure. She is set against a backdrop of political intrigue and unspeakable cruelity, but ultimately remains an intelligent woman, who much like Thomas More, is a woman for all seasons.Additionally, Perot's understanding of language gives the reader a real feel of the speech of the period. For readers of historical, this is a book that will delight them while giving them insights into history.