The Rose of York: Love & War
Sandra Worth, 2002
Atlasbooks
340 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780975126400
Summary
Adventure, deadly passion and intrigue… History’s most enduring mystery… A love story that may have inspired a beloved fairy tale and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet…
Known as Shakespeare’s villain, Richard III is also the king who gave mankind “Blind Justice” and the legal concepts that flowered into modern Western democracy. Against the sweep of England’s fifteenth century Wars of the Roses, Love and War, the first book in the "Rose of York" series, recreates Richard’s tumultuous early years and his love affair with Anne Neville, the traitor’s daughter he made his queen. (From the publisher.)
More
In a tumultuous era marked by peril and intrigue, reversals of fortune and violent death, the passions of a few rule the destiny of England and change the course of history.
A stirring tale of passion, romance, friendship, honor, betrayal and civil strife, and the winner of a remarkable eight awards, including the 2005 Glyph Award for Best General Fiction, this historically accurate novel tells the true love story of two star-crossed lovers—Richard of Gloucester and Lady Anne Neville—before they become King and Queen of England. Set in Malory's England during the Wars of the Roses, The Rose of York: Love & War is a page turner that thrills as it enlightens. (Also from the publisher.)
top of page
Author Bio
• Birth—1954
• Where—Canada
• Education_B.A. University of Toronto
• Awards—Gylph Award-Best General Fiction
Sandra Worth holds an honors B.A. in Political Science and Economics from the University of Toronto and was first published at twenty-three by University of Toronto Press. She is a frequent contributor of articles to The Ricardian Register, the quarterly publication of the U.S. Richard III Society and has been published by Blanc Sanglier, the publication of the Yorkshire, England, branch of the Richard III Society.
Sandra has been invited to teach the Wars of the Roses Course at Suite University, a Canadian internet university, commencing in late 2003. Love and War, her debut novel was nominated for the 2003 Dorothy Parker Award, awarded by the Reviewers International Organization. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
Expounding an historical epic of honor and love during the time of the Wars of the Roses, The Rose Of York (Love & War) is both dramatic and evocative in its portrayal of struggling souls making the best choices they can in an unjust world. A deftly written, reader engaging, thoroughly entertaining and enthusiastically recommended historical novel which documents its author as a gifted literary talent.
MidWest Book Review
Worth has done meticulous research… Though conversations and some incidents must of necessity be invented, she makes them seem so real that one agrees this must have been what they said, the way things happened.
Myrna Smith - Ricardian Register (U.S. Richard III Society)
With her debut novel, author Sandra Worth takes readers on an unforgettable journey through the life of Richard Plantagenet III.... Ms. Worth is an extremely gifted writer with the ability to immerse her readers into the lives and world of her characters ... The Rose of York: Love and War isn't historical fiction; it is a time machine.... I know shall be placing this novel on my keeper shelf and anxiously await the remaining books.
Sharon McGinty - Library Reviews
Ms. Worth chronicles brilliantly his (Richard's) all too brief childhood and the events and the people that molded him into the thoughtful and insightful young man he became. It is powerful; it is heartbreaking; and it is a beautifully told love story.... The historical aspects will give you insights that the casual historical fiction reader has probably never thought of, as I can surely attest to.... oh for the lovers of history, and for those looking forward to a most passionate story of love, this for you is a marvelous treat!... Whether intentional or not, I found that the secondary romance between John Neville, Lord Montagu and his wife Isobel to be pure poetry...depicted so beautifully that it simply took my breath away. I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this planned trilogy and if the tone and finesse imbued in this, her debut novel is any indication of what to expect we are all in for a marvelous treat.
Marilyn Rondear - Historical Romance Writers.com
Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
Also consider these LitLovers talking points to help get a discussion started for The Rose of York: Love & War:
1. One of the overriding themes in this book is loyalty vs. betrayal. You might talk about the costs of loyalty.
2. Sandra Worth presents an honest, detailed and unvarnished view of life in the 15th century. You might discuss how she portrays that life, particularly for women.
3. Worth's portrait of Richard is vastly different from that of Shakespeare's version in Richard III. It would be interesting to compare the two views. You might read the Shakespeare play...well, okay. Here's another idea: rent Al Pacino's Looking for Richard (1996)—an intriguing and entertaining film in which Pacino plummets the character of Shakespeare's Richard.
4. Consider the political atmosphere of the time—then discuss the jurisprudence reforms Richard introduces: innocent till proven guilty, for one.
5. What were the events and people in Richard's young life that helped form and shape his later character— as a thoughtful, insightful adult?
6. You might want to explore the various romances in the story: that between Richard and Anne Neville, between Richard and Katherine Haute, and between John Neville and his wife Isobel.
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
top of page