I loved The Winter King and have always wondered what Thomas Penn might turn his eye to next. This book is great; accessible yet deep, penetrating yet deft. I really enjoyed it.

Penn starts this history of the three York brothers with the background story of the weak King Henry VI, surrounded by venal lords and constantly threatened by Richard, Duke of York, father of the three brothers, who had a competing claim to the throne through the female line. He then takes us in a linear fashion through the downfall of Henry, and the reigns of Edward IV and Richard III, ending with Richard’s downfall and the rise to power of Henry VII, the first of the Tudors.

Penn writes very well, avoiding academic jargon and taking plenty of time to fill in the characters of the people he’s discussing. He assumes no prior knowledge, which as a newcomer to the period I found extremely helpful since it meant I never found myself floundering over unexplained references, as can often happen with history books.

The bulk of the book concentrates on the reign of Edward IV, which makes sense since he ruled for over twenty years whereas the middle brother George, Duke of Clarence, never got to be king and the youngest brother, Richard III, managed a mere two years before he lost his crown, and his life along with it. Unfortunately, Richard is by far the more interesting king (in my opinion), so I’d have been happier to spend more time in his company and rather less on Edward’s interminable taxes and squabbles with France and Burgundy. I have a feeling this says far more about my dilettante approach to history than it does about the book, however! But after an excellent start with all the intrigue and fighting leading up to Edward’s final power grab, I found my interest dipped for quite a long period in the middle of the book as Penn laid out the detail of his long reign.

It picks up again when Edward finally dies, and the nefarious Richard usurps the throne from his nephew. Richard’s reign might have been short but it’s full of incident and Penn tells it excellently. Intriguingly, although of course he relates the story of the Princes in the Tower, Penn doesn’t tell us his own opinion as to whether Richard was guilty of their murder or not. I suppose this makes sense, since (weirdly) there are still strong factions on either side of that question and he’d have been bound to alienate half his readership whichever position he took. He gives enough detail of the event and the contemporaneous rumours around it for the reader to make up her own mind, if she hasn’t already. (Yes, of course Richard was guilty, if you’re wondering... ;) )

Penn finishes as Richard’s reign comes to its tragic/well-deserved* end, rounding the story off with an uber-quick résumé of Henry VII and the Tudors, explaining how the Yorkist divide gradually diminished over time.

Overall, this is an excellent history, plainly but well told. I’d say it’s aimed more at the general reader than an academic audience, and is particularly good as an introduction to the period – I’m not sure that there’s much new in it for people who already have a solid understanding of the time of the York kings. It’s clearly well researched, with plenty of detail, and it covers all the major personalities of the time, not just the brothers. I came out of it feeling much clearer about how all the various well known names – Warwick, Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret of Anjou, etc. – fitted together, and what parts they played in the Yorkist story. I did struggle with the long middle section of Edward’s rather dull reign, but a historian really can’t be expected to make something exciting if it isn’t. But the first and last sections had more than enough treachery, betrayal and general skulduggery to satisfy even me! Recommended. 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.

*delete according to preference

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Allen Lane.

I loved Thomas Penn's Winter King. His work seems so fresh, yet his attention to detail is immense. One of the best historians working today.

I was looking forward to reading this book and ended up being disappointed. Why? Because although this is a readable book and gives an insight into the Wars of the Roses and the three brothers, Edward, George and Richard there are inaccuracies in the book. For example, I lived in Wakefield for many years but no one there called it Wakefield Castle, it's Sandal Castle. The memorial to the Duke of York is in Sandal. Also as someone who has been interested in Richard III since I read that wonderful book 'A Daughter of Time' as a teenager I believe that Richard III was a man of his times, yes he probably did have faults but I don't think he's the villain that history (mainly prompted by Tudor propaganda) has made him out to be, yet the author has resurrected this 'evidence' to flesh out his account of Richard. I have a teenage grandson who loves history and Richard III, - I won't suggest he reads this.

The Brothers York by Thomas Penn was an error on my part. I’d just finished reading The Lady of the Ravens by Joanna Hickson and loved the character building so I thought this would give me an insight into the men of the period. Since this writing is definitely a different genre I wasn’t in the right frame of mind for this more factual read and gave up early on. I’ve put it in the “too hard” folder for now but it’s one I think I might come back to at a different time. My advice is to download a sample to see if it’s for you and definitely get your thinking head on to follow the historical narrative

The Brothers York by Thomas Penn is a superb example of how history can be serious, detailed, absorbing and exciting. I loved it.

The York brothers – Edward, George and Richard were the successors of Edward III. Their history, spanning three kingships from 1465 to 1485, is full of rivalry, feuds, treachery and deception. This is one of the bloodiest periods in English history and Penn leads the reader through the twists and turns of fate that lead to the rise and fall of the three York brothers and ultimately to the Tudor dynasty starting with Henry VII.

The Brothers York reads as exciting narrative but it is also well researched and insightful history. I couldn’t put it down.

This was a big read, not for the faint hearted or for those wanting a light holiday novel. The story of the war of the Roses is complex, full of twists and turns, allies becoming enemies, villains becoming the good guys, and back again. History really does provide the best plots and our author has done their research well. The wonderful thing is that, while this is a work of non fiction, it is written to be read, not like a textbook. Highly recommend it, just allow a lot of time....

I have mentioned before that historical novels are not my usual go to genre, but I am always open to stepping outside my comfort zone when the blurb interests me, and this one did.

I did have to slow my reading down a lot to be able to process this book, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it, at times I struggled, but overall I found this to be a solid and interesting read.

A very interesting and well researched book. Very readable and not too confusing for anyone new to historical subjects.

My thanks to Penguin U.K. Allen Lane for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Brothers York: An English Tragedy’ by Thomas Penn in exchange for an honest review. It was published on 3 October 2019 in hardback, audiobook, and ebook and will be available in paperback on 2 April 2020.

“It is 1461 and England is crippled by civil war. One freezing morning, a teenage boy wins a battle in the Welsh marches, and claims the crown. He is Edward IV, first king of the usurping house of York...”

While I have read a number of fictional books set during this turbulent period of English history, this was my first foray into nonfiction about the Wars of the Roses. I found this a well written and accessible read while remaining a scholarly work providing in its final 13% (90 pages) notes, a detailed bibliography and index.

I appreciated that Penn also incorporated details of economic and social issues including the introduction of the printing press to England by William Caxton, the influence of the Medici bankers and the early stirrings of the Renaissance.

Although Penn tried to be impartial I did feel he was more inclined to support the Lancastrian cause and the young Henry Tudor, who was the subject of his 2012, ‘The WinterKing’. Also, there was only minimal information about the women, who made important contributions to the period’s history.

Still, I am glad that I finally have read it and supplemented the eARC by borrowing its audiobook edition, read by Roy McMillan.

I don’t often get excited about non-fiction books, but having enjoyed Thomas Penn’s Winter King – a biography of Henry VII – a few years ago, I was really looking forward to reading this new one, particularly as it covers one of my favourite periods of English history: the Wars of the Roses. I’ve read about this period many times now, but it sounded as though this book had something different to offer, promising to focus on Edward IV, Richard III and George, Duke of Clarence – three of the sons of Richard, Duke of York and Cecily Neville.

The Wars of the Roses were a series of battles for control of the throne of England fought between two rival branches of the House of Plantagenet: the House of York and the House of Lancaster. The background to the conflict is quite complex, but Thomas Penn devotes the early chapters of the book to explaining how it came about and the efforts of first the Duke of York and then his eldest son, Edward – assisted by his cousin, the Earl of Warwick – to take the throne from the Lancastrian king, Henry VI. Penn then takes us through the whole of Edward’s reign until his death in 1483 when his youngest brother, Richard, claims the throne under controversial circumstances. A relatively short account of Richard’s reign follows, before the book comes to an end with Richard’s defeat at the Battle of Bosworth and the rise of a new dynasty: the Tudors.

The Brothers York is as well written and thoroughly researched as I would expect from a Thomas Penn book, yet I had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it provides an excellent overview of a complicated, fascinating period of history written in a very readable and accessible style; on the other hand, if you’re already familiar with the period, as I am, there’s nothing new here that hasn’t been covered before in other books. I found The Hollow Crown by Dan Jones, for example, just as engaging and informative – and a more manageable length! I should mention that The Brothers York is a very long book that took me most of January to read; if you’re planning to read it, bear in mind that it’s going to be quite a commitment.

The majority of the book deals with Edward IV, which is understandable as his reign spanned more than twenty years (apart from a few months in 1470-71 when the crown was briefly reclaimed by Lancaster). I thought Penn’s portrayal of Edward seemed quite fair and unbiased, showing his transformation over the years from the brave, handsome, charismatic young man who succeeded so brilliantly on the battlefield to an increasingly overweight and unhealthy king, interested mainly in comfort and pleasure, accused of showing favouritism towards his wife’s Woodville relatives, something which caused resentment amongst his own loyal friends and supporters.

The portrayal of Richard, whose short and troubled reign is covered in the final section of the book, is less well balanced. It’s certainly not as negative as some I’ve read, but I definitely felt that Penn was selective about which sources he used and which aspects of Richard’s life he chose to focus on in order to show him in a bad light. That’s not really surprising though, as his sympathies are clearly with Henry Tudor, the subject of his previous book. What did surprise me was that the mystery of the Princes in the Tower is hardly mentioned at all. It’s implied that Richard was responsible, but it’s all passed over very quickly and none of the other theories for the princes’ disappearances are explored, which I thought was unusual (not that I particularly wanted to read about all of that again, but if this was the first time you’d read about it you wouldn’t realise it was actually one of history’s biggest unsolved mysteries).

As for the third York brother, George, Duke of Clarence, although he never becomes king himself he spends most of his adult life alternating between supporting Edward and conspiring against him, and in conflict with Richard over the inheritance of the Neville lands (George was married to Isabel Neville and Richard to her sister, Anne). The book is subtitled An English Tragedy and I think it’s obvious that the tragedy we are being shown here, as far as the House of York is concerned, is that the division within the family and the inability of the brothers to stay united and work together is what led to their downfall.

While the focus of the book is obviously on the situation in England, events taking place elsewhere in Europe are also discussed, including the succession to the Duchy of Burgundy and diplomatic relations between France and England. It’s all very interesting and all adds up to give a full and detailed portrait of the period. What I really wanted from a book with the title The Brothers York, though, was more analysis of the relationships between the three brothers and more insight into their characters, and there was just not enough of that for me. I think I learned almost as much about the Earl of Warwick as I did about Edward, George and Richard.

Overall, this is a very good book but I suppose I was slightly disappointed because I was hoping for something a little bit different and not just a straightforward retelling of the Wars of the Roses. For newcomers to the period, though, I’m sure you will find a wealth of information here and I would have no hesitation in recommending this book as a suitable place to start.

Very smoothly written but I wasn´t quite sure what this book wanted to be, if it was a novel it was completely detached and lacking passion, if a history book, well it was a bit too subjective even if well-researched.

If you want a detailed account of the complexities of the War of the Roses you could do no better than start here. And, boy, was that war complex! It made Game of Thrones look like tiddly winks... At times, however, it felt like one humongous info dump. Oh there were some very nice if tangential references to current British politics, especially with all the toings and froings with France and Burgandy, but at the end of the day I found this complex story pretty cold.

A work of non-fiction treating about the controversial and frequently vilified York kings, Edward IV and Richard III. The book was packed with historical details and analysis, but it had moments when it read like fiction especially when the author dived directly into specific events and let the course of those events take over the narrative.
I found it absorbing, with several interesting propositions and revelations about historical mysteries such as the Princes in the Tower.
The language was accessible.
Informative and intriguing!

One of thee finest pieces of historical non fiction I've ever had the pleasure to read. So important to be re-discovering a period when monarchy really mattered!

A fascinating and very well researched book. Bloody long though and for me, not really suitable to read on a Kindle.

Having said that, I was an enjoyable read. The author managed to bring this period to life in a way that I hadn't read before.

The Brothers York is predominantly the story of Edward IV as he reigned the longest of the two York kings, but the tumultuous relationship between the three brothers runs throughout the story.

The author shows us two sides of Edward, including how much of what made him impressive was also his downfall. It is interesting to read about him as a person and not just read his conquests. Richard is initially portrayed as a loving and loyal brother, it is upon Edwards death that this changes and then he eventually becomes the king that we recognise him to be.

This is an easy to read book, bringing to life the main characters of this period.
I was given a copy of The Brothers York by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Brothers York tells the story of the three brothers - Edward IV, Richard III and George, Duke of Clarence - from Edward’s taking of the throne in 1461, through the Wars of the Roses, to the Battle of Bosworth and beyond. It gives a very full and complete history of the period, which does make it a little hard going in places. Events were discussed in great detail, with the many characters fleshed out and brought to life.

The Wars of the Roses is a fascinating period in England’s history and lends itself to an in depth analysis. My one disappointment was that the death of the Princes in the Tower was not covered in more detail.

I think this is more a book to dip in and out of, rather than read in one sitting. At times there was some repetition of titles and names, as If it was expected that events in a previous chapter had been forgotten.

A well written, detailed history book.

This book is quite detailed in looking at the house of York from Richard through Edward IV and his siblings Clarence and Richard III and how the house imploded through infighting and changing politics in the struggles of late 15th century England. the book itself really enjoyed and a greater insight into the other part of the cousins war.

Enthroned as a baby Henry VI is a weak and powerless king. When his nobles kill his Uncle, the Duke of York, it sets off his demise because York's three remaining sons are out for vengeance. The eldest is Edward, tall, strong and a powerful leader in waiting, who takes the throne after the bloody battle of Towton in 1461. Over the next decade Edward fights to hold onto his throne as the supporters of Henry wage war but Edward has the support of his two younger brothers, Clarence and Richard. Between them these brothers direct the course of English history for a quarter century.
This is a masterly book. There is some criticism of Penn's portrayal of Richard but it is a balanced biography, Richard is shown as a capable administrator and soldier as well as a manipulative uncle. The mercurial nature of loyalties is shown brilliantly and the research is second to none. Unlike many worthy studies Penn has a modern writing style which draws the reader in and, by use of modern idiom, engages.

Thomas Penn takes a poignant part of history, which happens to be my favourite era and retells it seamlessly. I've read many books from the same time period and came away feeling I learnt something.
Penn manages to captivate you enough to put you in the thick of it. Really enjoyed this epic tale.