The Stolen Crown: The Secret Marriage that Forever Changed the Fate of England
by Susan Higginbotham
The Stolen Crown,
by Susan Higginbotham, appealed to me because I wanted different perspective on
Edward IV’s Queen, Elizabeth Woodville.
Higginbotham selected one of my favorite perspectives from which to
craft a historical fiction novel; the selection of living people who were
peripheral figures at the time and of whom the reader does not have a long
entrenched opinion of how the character should develop. By using these marginal but historical
figures Higginbotham focuses her reader on the story line, which she crafts
masterfully.
The Stolen Crown’s
protagonist is Katherine Woodville, called Kate, the younger sister of
Elizabeth Woodville who secretly weds King Edward IV and becomes England’s
queen. The entire large Woodville family
suddenly rockets to the center of the English court and Kate finds herself a pawn
in her sister’s plan to extend her influence by marrying her brothers and
sisters into as many of the noble families as possible. Kate is just seven years old when she is married
to nine-year-old Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, referred to
as Harry, as in life. As the Duke of
Buckingham, Harry is the foremost noble in the land, behind only King Edward,
his children and his brothers. A coup
for the Woodville’s but one of many that made the entire family many enemies.
The narrative is given through the eyes of both Kate and
Harry throughout their lives, which just happen to be during one of the most
tumultuous periods in English history, the Wars of the Roses. The reader follows along as Kate and Harry
mature, from childhood friends to finally discovering their deep love for each
other and beginning a family. The
marriage however is haunted by the influence of Richard, Duke of Gloucester the
one man that Harry admires above all others.
Kate however does not like the Duke and finds that the feeling is
mutual.
Kate and Harry’s lives take many twists and turns, first
when Harry supports Richard against King Edward and then again when the young
King unexpectedly dies and Harry along with the King’s brother Richard are
given charge of the heir apparent, the uncrowned Edward V, during his
minority. However, Richard, Duke of
Gloucester, craves the throne for himself and only the young Edward and his
brother, George, Duke of Clarence, stand in his way. Kate feels that not only must she save her
marriage and her husband from Richard but also the lives of her young nephews.
The Stolen Crown
gives the reader richly developed characters as well as vivid descriptions of
15th century England. Historians
will appreciate Higginbotham’s attention to factual historical detail but it is
presented in such a way that the casual reader of the genre will not be put
off. I enjoyed the portrayal of
Elizabeth Woodville, which is in contrast to the usual vilification found in
other works and I appreciated another perspective on this dynamic and
interesting woman. However, do not look
to find any vindication of the character of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later
Richard III. Within the pages of The Stolen Crown Richard is every inch
the duplicitous power hungry murderer Tudor propagandists made him out to
be. Also, important to note is that
Higginbotham provides an excellent Author’s Note explaining her decisions for
presenting the account as she did.
Without a doubt I enjoyed The Stolen Crown, it is not only a great novel but also a wonderful
example of historical fiction. I
recommend it highly and without reservation but do caution anyone with strong
opinions about Richard III to be on notice that this might not be the novel for
you.
This review qualifies for the following challenges:
Historical Fiction Book Review #20
Tudor Book Blog Reading Challenge #18
This review qualifies for the following challenges:
Historical Fiction Book Review #20
Tudor Book Blog Reading Challenge #18
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts!!