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In England in the late 1400s, King Edward IV and his wife Elizabeth have eight children. The ruling couple's claim to the throne is stronger than that of any other contender, and their continued rule seems secure. Their daughter Elizabeth and her sisters expect to make brilliant marriages with other European royal houses to create alliances and end a long series of wars. Edward becomes ill and unexpectedly dies. In his will, he appoints his brother, Richard III, to make sure Prince Edward is safely crowned. Richard usurps the throne, putting both Edward and his brother in the Tower of London, where they vanish. This makes Elizabeth the next in the line of succession, although she cannot rule outright because she is a woman. Overcoming intrigue, political shifts, changing alliances, and dirty dealing finally brings Elizabeth, the last White Rose of the House of York, to the throne. Historian Weir draws on the extensive research she conducted for her 1998 biography The Life of Elizabeth I to create a fictionalized account of the queen's life. Narrator Rosalyn Landor's nuance and inflection make Elizabeth's story come to life. VERDICT Recommended for fans of historical fiction.—Joanna M. Burkhardt

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Following her landmark Six Tudor Queens series, Weir moves back one generation with this comprehensive fictional take on Henry VIII’s mother, Elizabeth of York. The adored eldest daughter of Edward IV during the tumultuous Wars of the Roses, Elizabeth spends part of her childhood in sanctuary with her mother and siblings. The early sections move slowly, with outside events largely recounted to her. However, her personality blossoms over time, and Weir provides a realistic feel for the worry Elizabeth’s family experiences as their fortunes shift, especially after Richard III usurps the throne following King Edward’s death, and her brothers disappear while in his custody. The story gives a coherent, convincing picture of the treacherous political climate and its many players and reveals why Elizabeth plots to marry Henry Tudor. Weir doesn’t anachronistically superimpose a feminist viewpoint on Elizabeth, who knows her value yet prefers being a supportive wife and mother, but her female characters are overly prone to weeping. Weir’s thorough approach to her subject is impressive, as is the sumptuously recreated atmosphere of late- medieval royal life.

Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

After wrapping up her "Six Tudor Queens" series, New York Times best-selling novelist/historian Weir tracks back to Elizabeth of York—the first Tudor queen, rescued from marriage to Richard III when Henry Tudor stepped up, slew Richard at the Battle of Bosworth Field, and united the swords-drawn houses of Lancaster of York by marrying her himself.