12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining but flawed, August 12, 2006
This is the first book by this author that I've read. I only chose it because it has to do with Richard III and the Princes in the Tower, a mystery that has always fascinated me.
I'm not going through the storyline here, as numerous reviewers before me have already done so. The main question is, who was responsible for the disappearance of the Princes?
Ms. Maxwell's answer as to the identity of the culprit is clever and credible (psychologically and historically speaking), but the whole rescue-of-the-princes scene is such a stretch it's not believable for one second.
Also, though Ms. Maxwell did read some previous books of the subject, she didn't assimilate them very well and makes several historical mistakes, like the people in the crowd circa 1500 referring to Richard III as a hunchback. If they lived at the time, they should have known he was no such thing, that's only Shakespeare's take on it. Besides, by general accounts, Richard III was loved in his time. He was a good king for the little time he had ruling England.
She also absolves Henry VII from the crime on the grounds that he wasn't in England at the time. She obviously didn't read, or conveniently forgot, Josephine Tey's and others' theories that the Princes were alive and well when Henry Tudor took over the Tower (which was not a prison at the time, but a royal residence) and that he (supposedly) only did away with them after he took the throne. Another theory of course is that they were never murdered at all.
Being a stickler for at least some historical accuracy even in a work of historical fiction, that irked me and detracted from my enjoyment of an otherwise entertaining book. I liked Nell Caxton's romance with Lord Rivers, and the fact (which might be true) that Elizabeth of York was in love with Richard III.
The ending left one hanging, because the two friends, Nell and Bessie, tell the whole "true" story to the future Henry VIII. What good did it do? We all know he didn't lift a single finger to rehabilitate his great-uncle's memory. Actually he finished what his father had started, killing off what was left of the heirs of York. And what became of the Princes after they were rescued is also left to the reader's imagination. It would have been nice if she had hinted at the "pretender and impostor" Perkin Warbeck, who claimed to be the younger of the two princes during a rebellion under Henry VII.
All in all, I did enjoy the story but purely as a work of suspense/mystery fiction. As historical fiction, it was sadly disappointing.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
AN INTERESTING TWIST ON A HISTORICAL MYSTERY..., February 21, 2006
When King Edward IV of England died, he left behind a widow, Elizabeth Woodville, an unpopular commoner by whom he had two sons, Edward and Richard, as well a number of daughters, the eldest of which was named Elizabeth after her mother. Richard of Gloucester, brother to Edward IV, was named Protector of England and was to rule as regent on behalf of young King Edward V. Richard then usurped the throne of his young nephew, claiming that the children of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville were illegitimate, due to King Edward IV's prior binding betrothal to a Lady Eleanor Butler, and had himself crowned as King Richard III. With Elizabeth Woodville and her children in sanctuary, the two boys were eventually released to their Uncle Richard and sent to the Tower of London. From there they would disappear, never again to be seen. For centuries, the general consensus has been that King Richard III murdered them. The author offers a new and intriguing theory as to what may have happened.
It is against this backdrop that this story takes place. The events that transpire and set the stage for what was to happen to the two young princes are seen through the eyes of Nell Caxton, daughter of William Caxton, who was the first English printer, as well as her best friend, Elizabeth, oldest daughter of King Edward IV. While her theory as to what really happened to Edward and Richard is an intriguing one, it fails somewhat in its execution. There are simply too many modern sensibilities interjected throughout the story that are often jarring to the reader. Moreover, the characters tend to be somewhat two dimensional and not fully fleshed, making for a less than satisfying book. This author has written a number of fine books of historical fiction, but this is simply not one of her best. Those who are aficionados of English history and historical fiction, however, may still derive some enjoyment from this book.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting take on murder/Needs research, November 29, 2005
I am a student of the 15th century and of the ruling family of
the times. While Robin Maxwell's TO THE TOWER BORN has an interesting twist on the murder of the princes in the tower, she needs to do better research. On one page she has Henry VII preparing his younger son Harry to be "the first English pope." Sorry, that was Adrian IV (1154-59). Also she credits Elizabeth Woodville with trying to marry off her brother Antony Woodville to "the queen of Scotland." Again, there was no queen of Scotland until the 16th century.
The story is quick moving and interesting, but a historical novelist needs to be more careful in researching her characters and times.
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