LADY OF THE ROSES

Author: Sandra Worth ISBN: 0425219143 1/2008 HISTORICAL FICTION Publisher: BERKLEY

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.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

If you love the concept of Romeo and Juliet or fell in love with Eleanor and Simon de Montfort's story contained in Sharon Kay Penman's Welsh trilogy, then LADY OF THE ROSES by Sandra Worth will be a must read for you. Set amongst the conflict and factional differences between the Yorkists and Lancastrians in mid 1400 England as the hated Queen Marguerite and her forces battle against the Nevilles and the mighty Kingmaker for the rule of England, Ms. Worth totally captures the time period and brings it to life in this emotionally gripping love story. It is a simply wonderful book.

Written through the eyes of Isobel, there's so much to see and witness through those young eyes that you just can't look away. And you don't want to. These are dangerous times for all, with events and mechanizations that will eventually give birth to the rise of the Tudor dynasty, and which make for an enthralling and yet bittersweet read. Just as in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, there's no real happily-ever-after in this story. And yet... well, I won't spoil the ending for you, but in a way John and Isobel did have that, which left this reviewer a very, well satisfied reader.

It has to be both a challenge and a blessing to be a historical fiction writer. On the one hand, you get to take some obscure person—like Isobel—from far back in the past, search historical records for whatever references you can find, both good and bad, sort it all out and then mold and shape all that into a living, breathing true-to-life character. One who fits in like a glove with the rest of the characters you create. At the same time you must do that as well for those true, non-fictional characters—like John—and make them all come together in such a way that when a reader reads your story, tunes into their conversations and interactions, they think, yes, that's exactly the way it might have been and exactly who they were. How they talked, who they loved, how they acted and why they did what they did. On top of that, there is capturing the atmosphere of the time period, the essence of what daily living and the events that occurred must have been like for all those characters you've created. A skillful writer can do that, and do that well, which is exactly what Sandra Worth has done in LADY OF THE ROSES. She takes you back into that dangerous and chaotic time, to those places, those events, and amongst those characters she has created and makes it all seem alive and real.

I've never read Sandra Worth before, but if LADY OF THE ROSES is illustrative of her many other works then I'm definitely going to be making up for that lack in the very near future. LADY OF THE ROSES is truly one of the best, emotionally charged all-nighters set in this time period I've read in a very long time, and I'm just so glad I had the chance to read and review it. Its story and characters won't soon be forgotten.

Nancy Davis