We Speak No Treason II (We Speak No Treason S.) [Paperback]

Rosemary Hawley Jarman (Author)

Book Description

Series: We Speak No Treason S. | Publication Date: October 1, 2006

As Edward IV lay on his deathbed, he had no knowledge of the dark conspiracy which was to surround his son, and his brother Richard after his death. He decreed that Richard should act as protector to the young Edward, but his wish was honored for just a short time - until Edward was named a bastard and the crown placed on Richard's unwilling head. This is the story of the two tumultuous years of his reign - told by the Man of Keen Sight, who befriended and then betrayed him, and by the Nun, who had known him in happier times. Here is the story of the last Plantagenet, who died a king on Bosworth Field...

Editorial Reviews

Review

PRAISE FOR WE SPEAK NO TREASON: 'Ablaze with colour, smell and sound, for lovers of the historical novel, this is a feast' VOGUE; 'A rattling good tale' ANTONIA FRASER; 'The portrait of Richard III is utterly credible... a superb novel, the product of a rare talent' THE SUNDAY EXPRESS; 'The flow of the narrative, the richness of the scene are superb' THE SUNDAY MIRROR; 'Superb... I could not put it down' THE SUNDAY MIRROR; 'Miss Jarman manages to convey the lush, devious bawdy ambience of her chosen century' TIME; 'Brilliant... A broad, rich tapestey of medieval life' THE SUNDAY EXPRESS; 'An outstanding first. What mostly emerges is an unusual sense of the historical detail: the folds in the dress, the smell of bodies crammed in low and smoky rooms, the light in a diamond on a hand travelling across a yellow parchment' THE GUARDIAN; 'A most impressive novel. The historical background is very good indeed, every major source has been used to add to the verisimilitude to the tale' TLS. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Best selling author both in the UK and the North America, Rosemary Hawley Jarman was born in Worcester. She lived most of her time in Worcestershire at Callow End, between Worcester and Upton on Severn. She began to write for pleasure, and followed a very real and valid obsession with the character of King Richard III. With no thought of publication she completed a novel showing the King in his true colors, away from Tudor and Shakespearian propaganda. The book was taken up almost accidentally by an agent, and within six weeks a contract for publication and four other novels was signed with HarperCollins. The first novel We Speak No Treason was awarded The Silver Quill, a prestigious Author's Club Award, and sold out its first print of 30,000 copies within seven days. We Speak No Treason was followed by The King's Grey Mare, Crown in Candlelight and The Courts of Illusion.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Tempus (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752439421
• ISBN-13: 978-0752439426
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #259,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure magic, September 4, 2006

By 

Cheryl Elliot "Cheryl Elliot" (Missouri) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: We Speak No Treason I: The Flowering of the Rose (We Speak No Treason S.) (Paperback)

One of my favourite books; I've read it several times in the
last ten years and I'm thrilled to see a new edition.
Beautiful, haunting, extremely moving.

The novel is about the controversial and much vilified
'last Plantagent' Richard III. His story is told
successively by three people who knew him : his first
love, who bears his only daughter and later becomes
a nun, a court jester, and an archer bound in service
to him. The writing is exceptionally fine, lofty and
lyrical and most reviews (including the NY and London
Times) rightly termed it 'poetic'. The journal Best
Sellers termed it a work of art.

"Give me the strength to finish the tale and if it is sad
remember there is truth in sadness; joy is only an illusion."
RHJ

Ms Jarman has written several fine novels, but this was her
magnum opus. Bravo.

If you see this, ma'am, thank you.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not a complete printing!!!, May 22, 2009

By 

J. Lacey "music maniac" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: We Speak No Treason I: The Flowering of the Rose (We Speak No Treason S.) (Paperback)

This novel is among my all time favorites. It was first published in the early 70's and was a best seller! It was out of print for many years, which irritated me to no end, so I was overjoyed when finding this on Amazon. The novel tells the story of Richard III through the eyes of three people. I will not go into details, other than to say it is NOT the usual Shakespearean treatment, and if you read this you will learn a great deal about the man that history has ignored in favor of Tudor era propoganda. But the problem is that the original 1970's printing contained around four hundred pages - this edition one STOPS half way through the book! There is a notation on the last page that the reader needs to go out and purchase "Book II" of the saga, which was originally part of the earlier novel! Since the entire work isn't THAT long, I feel this is an attempt to drag more money out of the reading public and I find it annoying!!! So be careful when purchasing this; if it says "Book I: The Flowering of The Rose" the novel is not complete and you will have to hunt around for Book II (which I have not been able to purchase as yet)! I did find an older "complete" version which I purchased last Christmas for a friend. If you shop around, I am sure you can get the full story. Otherwise, this is truly a remarkable book and a well written work about an otherwise overlooked part of English history.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, Incredibly Sad Story, October 10, 2007

By 

Suzanne Williams "Suzanne" (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: We Speak No Treason I: The Flowering of the Rose (We Speak No Treason S.) (Paperback)

I picked up this book because of the Amazon review and it was worth every page! The language of the book was a bit archaic and difficult, but I found that only rather a challenge to my vocabulary and my perception.

I liked the author's use of different character's perspectives. There are in effect 3 "speakers". The first speaker, a young maiden who falls in love with a young Richard, begins her story in Part One, but doesn't finish it until Part Four. Her story was by far the saddest and most interesting. The heights and depths of her love for a man she knew only briefly was thought provoking to me.

Parts Two and Three are male characters with interesting connections to the young Duke/King and to each other. They both gave fascinating points of view of what might have happened. I like how the author tied the different characters together in subtle ways.

I knew the story of King Richard III already, having read other nonfiction and historical fiction books, so I was aware it had a sad ending. But this author's version of it was heart-rending indeed. I was sad as I read further into the story and even sadder to see the book end. Amazing the emotions one story can bring!

This is a great book and well worth your time reading it!