5 out of 5 stars
On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads
How I discovered this book: I read and loved earlier books about Richard, Duke of Gloucester by J P Reedman, and finally decided this had been on my TBR list for long enough!
In a Nutshell: Richard's life up until the age of 30.
I loved this book, totally engrossed all the way through. There is so much detail about customs and the way people lived back then, that I found fascinating to read about.
Throughout the years this novel covers, J P Reedman has cleverly developed the main characters as they age. Richard becomes harsher, more determined, and with an increasing sense of right and wrong, while the negative aspects of George's personality are magnified; his stubbornness, inconstancy and drinking. Edward the King becomes almost a parody of himself, and I was struck once more by how his grandson Henry VIII was all him, with few traits inherited from his father, Henry VII.
The book is written in Richard's first person, but I was aware of how deftly the author has made clear to the reader the thoughts of other characters, too, even though they may not have expressed them verbally. How they thought of Richard, too, as he becomes more and more like the historical figure many perceive him as. Smart writing!
This part of the story ends when Richard is 30, just after the complicated skirmishes with the Scots, and as Edward's health is failing. I look forward to reading the next episode very much.
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