Cover Image: Wars of the Roses

Wars of the Roses

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Member Reviews

This book is definitely one for Tudor lovers, it is not a period In history which interested me but I found Paul Kendalls' writing to be clear, factual and easily read. Great illustrations and easy narrative gives an interesting insight into the Tudors. He knows his subject and this publication is an excellent example of good historical writing. Highly recommended. Thanks to Pen &Sword publishers and Netgalley for an advance copy of Wars of the Roses

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I thought that this book was excellent and it was a perfect introduction and guide to the Wars of the Roses and what was quite often a tumultuous period in history.

Living less than 10 miles from the location that was reported to have been where the Battle of Bosworth Field took place, the period of the Wars of the Roses, as it is now known has always been one that intrigued me.

I was delighted to find that I had been lucky enough to visit quite a few of the places that were mentioned in the book, and I have added a fair few more to the lists of places to visit in the future too, I do travel quite a bit now with work and Wakefield is one of the locations I have to go so that was first on the list.

I loved the layout of the book; the chapters are punchy and generally between 2 and 4 pages for each topic. The chapters are full of facts and important details, and they give a great summary.

I love that there are so many illustrations and images in the book, there is a mix of older illustrations and new images of what some of the locations look like now. These really are needed in a book like this and this one is a brilliant guide to the sites and locations of where the key events took place.

It is 5 stars from me for this one, very highly recommended

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I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone interested in reading about English history and it’s Effects on how this country ruled the nation in the aftermath of these battles.

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I have to say, I decided to read this book because I was under the mistaken impression that it was written by Paul Murray Kendall who wrote a biography of Richard III that was an early challenger of the Shakespearean stereotype. Silly me - that biography was published nearly 70 years ago, and if this author is related to that one there is no indication given.

However, I stuck with this for the pictures - the book not a conventional historical narrative, it is a series of photos, many taken by the author, of important places, or representations of important people, involved in the Wars of the Roses. Each photo gets a two-page writeup about what happened there, and the photos are arranged in chronological order so that the history of the long conflict is outlined. Because I already knew the story, the photos were that much more interesting.

Because this is an uncorrected galley, the fact that it needs a good copyedit is a given - not sure this particular publisher is likely to care about that, but I would do it... Just as an example, the individual whose DNA was compared to the king in the car park was NOT a DESCENDANT of Richard III, he had no descendants, it was a descendant of his brother - that is stated clearly a few sentences later, and then after a few more sentences the word descendant is used again. Things like this need a bit of correction.

If you are a history buff and already know the actual information presented here, but aren't going to be able to go wander England to see these things for yourself, this would be a good book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read an advance proof of this book.

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I think it had to be destiny the one that made me read this book at the time that I did.
After years of researching and reading about Henry VIII's reign and wives, I was at a point where I found myself yearning for knowledge about the wars that had put him on the throne.
Problem was that most of the documentaries and books can be a bit confusing due to the fact that most of the people mentioned share names.
But then I got the chance to read Paul Kendall's book and it helped to put everything in order and make it make sense.
Paul has an understandable way of talking about very complicated and confusing events. The chapters are short, which makes it very digestible, and it includes lots of pictures to illustrate and understand what's being explained.

I'd recommend this to everyone that's starting to learn about the Wars of the Roses.

Loved it.

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For those who are fans of the Wars of the Roses - this is a must read! Paul Kendall takes us on a journey through the key players, locations, and so much more! This book contains amazing details, and some pretty fabulous illustrations as well.
I look forward to seeing this book in print!

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This book is a detailed account of the infrastructure surrounding so many of the historical events and people of an interesting time in England. I found it gave great context to what I have already read and added real colour and “life” to my understanding of the time. The information on Richard III was particularly fascinating, given the relatively recent discovery of his remains, I think this is an important addition to the library of anyone interested in this period,

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Thank you NetGalley, Paul Kendall, and Pen & Sword for allowing me to read an advanced copy of the book.

The illustrations attached to each chapter give a brilliant visual to the span of the War of the Roses. They allow the reader to become fully immersed in that part of history. It has a textbook like feel and would be a great addition to any history class studying this time period.

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A wonderful book for any history lover. The War of the Roses is complicated to follow, but this book is written in a way that engages the reader and makes the players in the war easy to follow and remember. A must for any Tudor history fan.

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