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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Worthy Sequel!, August 13, 2006
This review is from: The Rose of York: Crown of Destiny (Paperback)
Sandra Worth's Crown of Destiny takes up the story of the future Richard III of England in the years just before his brother, Edward IV, dies. Though it is a sequel to Love and War, it can easily be read on its own.
Worth's Richard is an honest, moralistic man who wants what is best for his family and his realm. In following his elder brother's orders, he watches as Edward's wife's family drags him down to a shadow of the man he once was. Richard would gladly spend his life in the north, away from court intrigues and family arguments, but duty calls and he finds himself drawn into the fray when Edward dies suddenly, leaving Richard as Lord Protector of the Realm and his young son, Edward V.
Worth's storytelling is always well-done and she brings Richard to life by showing that although he was not infallible, he did strive to do justice for all concerned. We feel Richard's anguish upon learning of his betrayal by close friends, and we are led to understand why Richard felt his only choice was to set aside his young nephew and take over the throne himself. Far from Shakespeare's despicable turn, this Richard is human and compassionate, though still capable of angry tirades and subterfuge at times. My biggest complaint is the relative shortness of this novel; I'm left hanging, wanting to know how Worth will bring this sad tragedy to its ultimate end, knowing it won't be pretty but that Worth will do justice to the man. This one is highly recommended!
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Engaging and Poignant Second Novel in the Trilogy, September 6, 2006
This review is from: The Rose of York: Crown of Destiny (Paperback)
Sandra Worth's "Crown of Destiny", her second novel in a trilogy about Richard III, picks up shortly after the first book's conclusion, with Richard finally wed and attempting to safeguard his new family from the machinations of his brother Edward IV's court. This is a fast read, but one that never lags. Richard grows in this unusual portrayal of a humane man in an inhumane time, one who must confront challenging choices that threaten to rend his world apart, and contend with the own darkness in his own nature. It also paves the way for the third and final book in the trilogy. Once again, Ms Worth succeeds in bringing to life the tumultuous era of the last of the Plantagenets, as well as offering a different interpretation of a much-maligned historical figure, one that compliments the canon rather than detracts from it. In particular, Richard's love for Anne and his hopes for England are poignantly rendered, while the obvious meticulous research never intrudes on the narrative. A moving reading experience for all lovers of historical fiction, this book deserves its place on the shelf beside the other illustrious authors who have undertaken the difficult task of elevating Richard from the myths surrounding him.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Entertainment and Great History, December 14, 2006
This review is from: The Rose of York: Crown of Destiny (Paperback)
The many mysteries of the reign of King Richard III of England have occupied both popular fiction and academic writing for many years. Worth's fluid style makes the Rose of York series a pleasure to read, and those with a special interest in the period will especially appreciate her deft handling of the historical sources, to which she is absolutely faithful. It is especially gratifying to find that for once Richard's wife, Anne Neville, is not portrayed as a weak and ineffectual semi-invalid, but is instead shown holding court and dispensing patronage in her husband's absence in the grand tradition of the medieval noblewoman.
Worth skillfully develops secondary characters like John Neville, George of Clarence, Anthony Woodville and Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham. For example, Buckingham appears for the first time in Crown of Destiny at the wedding of the Edward IV's son Richard to Anne de Mowbray, one of the few times that the historical sources record that Richard and Buckingham met before Richard became Lord Protector upon his brother's death. Buckingham gained enormous influence with Richard in a very short time, a peculiar circumstance which Worth attributes to Richard's loneliness after the death of his beloved brother. One suspects that this influence will be a factor in the author's solution to the central mystery of Richard's reign, the question of whether he murdered his nephews in order to usurp the throne. But for that, readers will have to wait for the third book in the series, Fall From Grace. I, for one, am looking forward to it enormously!
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