Disclaimer: ARC via the publisher and Netgalley.
How one
feels about this book will depend on how much one knows about the War of the Roses
and/or Richard III. And that is not
Batley’s fault.
The problem
with historical figures such as Anne Neville is that by and large their voices
have been lost. In cases like Anne Neville, even though she was a public figure,
she wasn’t as public or as powerful as her husband and father, so her actions
are always overshadowed by theirs.
In other
words, much of this book is simply an overview of the War of the Roses and how
it may have affected Anne Neville in addition to the facts that are known about
her life. Batley does a good job of this. She uses details that are known about other noble
and royal women to flesh out who Anne Neville might have been. Batley, to her credit, makes it very clear
that she is making educated guesses.
Additionally, Batley does cover all the most likely possibilities. So for instance, in discussing the marriage between
Anne and Richard as well as Anne’ s death, Batley details the various possibilities
– from Richard being a cruel husband to a loving one, from Anne having a hand
in her marriage to her not. In regards
to Richard and his nephews, Batley, at least here, does not take a side. So if you are or are not a Ricardian, you can read this book.
That is
the advantage to this book. If you are
just entering into a look at the War of the Roses because of the various Gregory
books and shows, or because you just got interested, this is a good starting
point. Batley writes well, she is
engaging. I would pay good money to see
her lecture. She is also fair and clear.
In
short, if you are just starting to explore the War of the Roses, this is a good
start. If you have already read several
books on the subject, there isn’t anything here that you most likely don’t already
know.
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