Lady of the Roses: A Novel of the Wars of the Roses | Sandra Worth

Lady of the Roses: A Novel of the Wars of the Roses | Sandra Worth | Review for "Lady of the Roses..."

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Lady of the Roses:...

	Lady of the Roses: A Novel of the Wars of the Roses Sandra Worth Berkley Trade, 2008 - 416 pages average customer review:based on 16 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

During her short time as a ward in Queen Marguerite's Lancastrian court, fifteen-year-old Isobel has had many suitors ask for her hand, but the spirited beauty is blind to all but Yorkist Sir John Neville. It is nothing short of a miracle when the Queen allows Isobel's marriage to the enemy, albeit at a hefty price. All around Isobel and John rages a lawless war. It is only their passion that can see them through the bloody siege of London by the Duke of York, the violent madness of Queen Marguerite, and the devolution of Isobel's meek uncle into the Butcher of England. For theirs is an everlasting love that fears not the scratch of thorns, from either the Red Rose or the White.

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Love Transcends Violence

A charge in Queen Marguerite's Lancastrian court, fifteen-year-old Isobel has many suitors for her hand, but she loves only Sir John Neville, a Yorkist. In the 1400s, during the Wars of the Roses, the rules of the day forbid such a pairing.

Isobel must overcome adversities of pressure from an arrogant suitor who thinks he is entitled to her, manipulation of a rival in the Queen's court, and the transformation of her kindly uncle into the Butcher of England. All this and more takes place in a background of knights and soldiers coloring acts of war as attempts to make peace.

If Isobel and John's romance is to survive they must overcome being miles away from each other, longing for the day weeks or months away when they will again speak, kiss, touch.

Lady of the Roses is written for the reader who wants a historically-correct powerful romance. Educated in Toronto, Worth's expertise is rewarded as a frequent lecturer on The Wars of the Roses.

Fierce emotion brings history to life. The dialogue is reminiscent of the time, m'lady. Good pacing between love and war keeps you turning the pages.
You may fantasize about the passionate time when lovers kissed goodbye not knowing whether the man would return from the Wars of the Roses.

I'd like to see the story optioned for a movie!

Review by Shara Smock author of book titles including Hooking the Reader: Opening Lines that Sell. [...]

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Review for "Lady of the Roses..."

Beautifully researched, exquisitely played out and described. I've read Sandra Worth's three other books, "Rose of York: Love & War", "Rose of York: Crown of Destiny", and, "Rose of York: Fall from Grace", but this is my favorite by far. Reading "...Crown of Destiny", I knew John Neville's fate, but this did not ruin the experience for me, it only made me more anxious to read the moments before.

Isobel Ingoldesthorpe is, at 15, recently orphaned and is taken under Queen Marguerite d'Anjou as her ward, making Isobel virtually Lancastrian. She falls in love with John Neville, the Earl of Warwick's brother, a staunch Yorkist. He and his family aren't just Yorkist, they are the Yorkists. When Isobel asks for Marguerite's consent, she obliges, with a large fee, milking the Yorkist family.

John and Isobel's love survives poverty, war, and feud, making it one that can truly capture the senses. If you're a reader who loves historical accuracy and fiction weaved through without impugning the purity, this is truly a book you are not soon to forget. You might need prior knowledge of this era to understand some themes and occurrences, albeit [Sandra Worth]'s literary talent.

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A Wonderful Romance

The Lady of the Roses made laugh and cry. A beautiful love story of Isobel and John of Salisbury. This book gives you a much better understanding of the Yorkist "side" of the War of the Roses. But better yet, it puts you into the character of Isobel, her joy, her sorrow, and her love for John. One of the best books I've read. It sticks very well to actual events. This is one you do not want to miss!

A rare true love contrasts with the awful sadness and brutality of the time

This latest novel by Sandra Worth tells the story of the tumultuous time in English history known as The War of the Roses. The conflict between the Lancaster and York houses is told from the viewpoint of Isobel Ingoldensthorpe, a Lancastrian and ward of Queen Margarite of Anjou. Isobell lays eyes on John Neville, a prominent Yorkist, and it's love at first sight...for both of them.

In a time of so much sadness and loss, fate allows the love between these two to grow and flourish. In another kind twist of fate, Queen Margurite actually allows these two to marry, athough it was helped along by John's Father, Isobel's Uncle, and a ridiculously huge bride price. The fact that two lovers from these warring families were actually allowed to wed was rare indeed and I can't help but think, although historically not much is known about their marriage, it must've indeed been true love or they wouldn't have moved heaven and earth to marry.

This, however, is not a happy ending fairy tale. After all, it was a time of war!! As the country is torn apart by what just may be the biggest and bloodiest family fued in history, their love and marriage is tested time and again. John shows prowess as a military commander so is constantly involved in one battle after another. Betrayals by the ruthless and power hungry are common place and sides are switched so many times it'll make your head spin. All this, of course, takes a toll on women, children, and the common people who have little to do with the fueds of the nobles.

The author does a great job describing the tension and conflicts of the time. From the elation at the promise of peace at last to the let down when yet another fued, and the ensuing battles, flares up. Warwick, the Kingmaker, was brilliantly portrayed as were most of the secondary characters. Also, Isobel's uncle "The Butcher of England" is portrayed as a man who loves to read poems and love stories yet is capable of torture and inflicting unimaginable pain all in the name of peace.

There were two characters whose portrayal I wasn't too sure about though. Elizabeth Woodville, is portrayed as being so evil that there's practically no redeeming quality about her whatsoever. I realize this is pretty common depiction of her but I can't help but wonder was she really that bad or was she, as women often are, merely a scapegoat for the horrible brutality of the times. Also Somerset initially was a evil would be rapist who suddently 2/3 of the was through the novel turns into a sweet sentimental man who only wanted to be with Isobel. Huh? How'd that happen? It wouldn've been nice to have some explanation of what caused that total 180.

Overall this was an enjoyable novel and I appreciated all the historical research that went into it. I like how the author used the premise of a romance to craft a great novel that is essentially a tale of The Wars of the Roses. The love between John and Isobel is really just a context or background. I thought it was a great story and would recommend it. 4/5 stars.

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A Love Story in a Time of War

Lady of the Roses exposes the reader to a lesser-known story of the devastating war between the Lancasters and the Yorks in Fifteenth century England. The engrossing love story between the Lancastrian Isobel and Yorkist Sir John Neville is one with which even the modern reader can identify.

The young Isobel is a ward of the court of Queen Marguerite, the French wife of Henry the Sixth. Henry, who had more interest in religion and scholarship than in military matters, was not a successful king. He had sovereignty from infancy and his decisions had been proscribed by regents. When he married Margaret, (Marguerite being the French spelling) his mental condition was already unstable and by the time of this story, he was considered mad, and the Queen was in control of crown and country. Isobel has caught glimpses of John Neville on her way to court, and from the very beginning was so deeply enamored of him that she would have no other. Neville was a Yorkist leader in the Wars of the Roses, best-known for eradicating Lancastrian opposition in the north of England during the early days of the reign of Edward IV of England.

The details of royalty and the royal lineage are difficult to comprehend, so it was with relief that this reviewer saw the genealogical charts at the beginning of the book. The Houses of York, Lancaster and Neville are set out on three pages, making the lineage easier to understand. Despite the usual betrayals and flip-flopping from one side to the other, if you can get a grasp of who was on which side, you will find this book completely understandable.

Not merely an historical novel, Lady of the Roses contains beautiful presentations of the characters and their tumultuous times. The dialog is completely believable. Despite the complications of the ever-changing royal titles, the reader gets to the important aspects right from the first page. Much like the classic Romeo and Juliet, this young couple was from two different warring factions. Fortunate enough to win the fickle Queen's blessing, they married and became one of the world's least known love stories. They had seven children, six of whom lived beyond infancy. Their youngest daughter Lucy was the matriarch of another famous line of descendants that included Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill.

Throughout the vicissitudes of the turbulent times, Isobel and John remain true to one another and to their dream of a peaceful England. They continue to appreciate and understand one another through long separations, including at least two imprisonments for John. Despite Isobel's family's militant behavior, (her uncle went down in history as "the butcher of England") Isobel remains a strong and self-reliant woman. Her strength of character and deep abiding love for her husband enable her to support him in all the travails of their lives. Sandra Worth tells their story in such a way as to not only draw more readers to her War of the Roses novels, but also encourage them to seek out more information about this relatively unknown couple.

by Laura Strathman Hulka
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

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