For those interested in the pre Tudor period this book is a must. It cuts through the myth and gives the historical facts. I am not able to read this as a novel but keep going back to it. I recently read Sunne In Splendour which is a well researched novel of the same period and this is a good companion to that.

A most fascinating and intimately detailed account of the battle of the rose and how King Edward of the house of York gained the crown and became the rightful king of England. When King Edward dies the crown passes on to the eldest of his three sons. The period of their rule is dominated by the double dealing politics and the economics of the time. However it was the sibling jealousies, pride and greed which caused them to plot against each other that brought them down so that the hose of Lancaster was able to install King Henry on the throne and so establish the Tudor dynasty. A most enlightening account that explains the back ground to the story of vanished princes in the tower and the role of King Richard.

A comprehensive and fascinating book that looks back on The Brothers York - Edward, Clarence and Richard - and made me realise how little I really know about the history of my own country!

The fifteenth century was certainly not a dull time in history and with these complex characters at the centre of the action, it was a most absorbing read and we got to learn more of their personalities, the bond (or lack of!) between the brothers and the lengths they were driven to in the quest for power and glory!

With the Yorkists v the Lancastrians at the core of the times, things were never pretty! It was a brutal time to be alive and even made Game of Thrones look a little tame when reading of the exploits of certain characters - the betrayals, the alliances, the deals!

With a big cast of characters central to each brother, I did find it a little overwhelming at times in keeping up with who was who! But it was told in such a way that you could keep up through the years as things progressed, and with what was going on with each brother. I'm sure I must have slept through history at school as there was so much that I knew very little about and getting to see each brother individually was a great way in learning more about them and how brutal the power struggle became.

It was also fascinating to see the kind of people they surrounded themselves with, as well as how the public reacted to each brother - we think of the Brexit years as being uncertain, but they are no patch on the tumultuous times back then with wars, feuds, betrayals, beheadings and battles amongst different factions across the country. It also bought home the human cost to people - the loss of life through plague, even in the royal household, and to read of 3 year olds getting married is just unimaginable to us now, but it was all part of life back then to gain more power and standing.

Full of staggering details and a complete eye opener for me and has just made me more eager to more history books, especially if they're all written as brilliantly as this one!

Wow, this is certainly an impeccably researched and detailed book - there's the positive of the wealth of information provided, but the negative is that it's a little slow and dry at times, and this did alienate me, and I skimmed. I think I'd prefer something shorter or maybe split into volumes, however that's just my preference; it's a great book for historical research and I learnt a lot about the brothers. My daughter is studying the early Tudors, so it was great helping her understand what came before - we're going to visit Leicester to learn more about Richard and to visit the Bosworth battlefield soon.
Overall, a comprehensive, detailed and thorough look at a fascinating time in British history and the complexities of the Brothers York.

This is a very well researched and comprehensive history of the War of the Roses and the York brothers, up to Henry V11 and the Tudors. Although a very long book it is fascinating and totally absorbing. I now feel well informed about this period in our history.

I accept that this is factual history, not a historical novel, but a book of this length should have something to hold interest and this is dry as dust. I love this period; it is so full of intrigue, backstabbing, exciting women, treacherous men. Yet such an outrageous event as the murder of Clarence in his butt of malmsey is mentioned for a mere sentence, leaving the continual back and forth of diplomacy between England and France to fill out the next several pages. This isn't the book for me, I am halfway through and now finding it sufficiently hard going I may not finish it.

The story of three sons of Richard, Duke of York - Edward IV, crowned at the age of 18, and his younger brothers George, created Duke of Clarence, and the future Richard III. It is' a compelling story of political intrigue, war, killing, international relations, money, and personalities. The story is told with assurance and at a page turning pace, despite the necessary complexity and detail.

This is a very interesting book I struggled with it at times as i do with all books based on history. Although it reminded me of the same genre as Ken Follett so fans of this author will definetely love the book

Although we generally think of the Wars of the Roses as being largely the conflict between the two branches of the ruling elite, the houses of Lancaster and York this book focuses more on the tensions which developed between the three brothers at the heart of the Yorkist faction. Edward, who became Edward VI, was handsome and charming; middle brother George spent time as Edward’s heir apparent but became resentful when the King’s growing family pushed him lower down the ranks; youngest brother Richard worked hard in support of his brother, gradually learning how to be a monarch himself. We see Edward in his struggles with the rather unworldly Lancastrian king, Henry VI, and his much more assertive wife as well as with the rulers of other major European nations. We also see his much more complex battles with the economics of running a country, public opinion (especially regarding the very large family of his wife Elizabeth Woodville) and with the ambitions of those who helped him to gain the throne (and then feel that they can share in the actual ruling…) This is more than a book about the battles (although they are in there) but also about the difficulties of being a flawed human being with ultimate authority.

This is very well written and clearly well researched, just not ideal to read on a Kindle, due to footnotes. I mistakenly believed it to be a work of historical fiction, when in fact it’s a factual account of the brothers York. It is also very long. It was too dry for my personal taste, but it will appeal to fans of factual history works.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my advance copy.

Firstly, I have to say that this book is not really suitable for a kindle as there are many important footnotes to support this lengthy,detailed piece of history. A physical book is what the youngsters call 'the way to go'.

Mr Penn has written a superb book about the three brothers Edward IV, George and Richard III and how they themselves effectively ended the Plantagenet era in British history; with the battle of Bosworth Field as the final act. Shakespeare gave us Richard III to 'help'?

I think Mr Penn could have tried harder with the mysterious story of the princes in the tower. He probably felt he could add little to this 'conspiracy'.

Amongst all the wonderful characters of this era lurks the glorious Lady Margaret Beaufort, and the start of the many years of the Tudors.

Thanks to Net Galley for the chance to read and revie.

This is not a work of fiction where the author dramatises the lives of historical figures. It is a readable account of a dramatic and turbulent time in history.
It is detailed, very well researched and describes clearly the cause and effect of the actions of the leading players at that time.
You don’t need to be a history scholar to read it or have any previous knowledge of the era as everything is clearly explained. You do need plenty of time though as it is a lengthy book.

An amazing historical novel set during the war of the roses with a different view of why things happened the way they did. For me history and the retelling of battles are the perfect combination. The author has written a very detailed, factual in many ways account of 25 years of history in a very entertaining way, most enjoyable. Recommended.

This book covers a period of history I’m pretty familiar with and enjoy enormously, so I was looking forward to reading it. It didn’t disappoint. It was clearly very well researched and gave me more depth and insight than I previously had. It also avoided the lazy cliches that we’ve grown up being told are historical fact. It’s a confusing time in our history - lots of people with the same name and lots of changing of sides, but this book explains very clearly. I’d certainly recommend it.

This is quite a weighty tome. For a history book with a significant amount of detailed research in, it is very readable. If you want a clear account of the murky ins and outs of the Wars of the Roses, this is for you. I’ve read quite a bit about this time in history and this is extremely thorough and despite the confusion of the alliances and betrayals and counter alliances, you do keep the thread of what’s going on and who’s who.

What a long book this was giving details mainly of Edward IV's reign and all that happened at home and abroad. The references to George seemed restricted to his support and then his opposition to Edward's reign, wanting the position of KIng for himself. Richard III takes very little space in the main part of the book and only appears for his short reign towards the end. This book is very readable and informative, as is confirmed by the fact that I was able to read it all, information packed as it was. I felt a little cheated that the brothers themselves did not have their characters examined, only their actions. I am not sure that anything new was presented but the history was thoroughly covered in a readable format.
Three and a half stars for me!
Many thanks to Netgalley/Thomas Penn/Penguin Books UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

The saying goes something like "You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family". There seems to have been little to choose between them in this sweeping history of the three York brothers: Edward IV, George (Duke of Clarence), and Richard III. Brother against brother, friend against friend - loyalty was ever-changing, depending upon which way the political wind was blowing and this well-researched book shows just how insecure the reign of any monarch was in the fifteenth century.

It's not a read for the fainthearted. It's quite a weighty tome at over 600 pages and it is packed with historical detail. There were also one or two icky bits - especially the death of one of the Burgundian horses which I found difficult to read and it made me dislike Anthony Woodville rather a lot. The majority of the book deals with Edward's reign and as a consequence I didn't feel as if I got to know as much about George or Richard, and the 'princes in the tower' were also rather shadowy figures. Overall though, it is a very well written, informative read especially if you aren't familiar with this era of English history.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Penguin Books UK / Allen Lane, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

A history book that has the ability to capture its audience like a thriller is a rare beast indeed but Thomas Penn's latest book definitely fits into this category. The protagonists come to life and are not just stereotypes of Tudor mythology perpetrated by Shakespeare. It is well researched and gives in depth detail of a family - albeit a royal one - that implodes and devours itself.
Highly recommended to anyone interested in the War of the Roses and the birth of the Tudor dynasty. Also recommend Winter King by this author

For a vast proportion of my life, I was convinced that I felt nothing but total contempt and disinterest when it came to the topic of history and as a consequence avoided it. But this book has reignited my love of history and focuses solely on the House of York and the fact that it managed to destroy itself from the inside out. This is a complex and compulsively readable political thriller and manages to tell the story of the House of York and its eventual downfall in a very engaging fashion; quite how Mr Penn achieves the perfect balance between information and drama is beyond me. An astonishing feat of writing. It doesn't take long before you are as gripped as you would be with a superb fiction book; it certainly is more fascinating than many other similar reads.

Lively and accessible, you can see just how passionate Penn is about the topic as he writes with such flowing language and no amount of effort was spared trying to keep this as interesting and absorbing as it was. It has undoubtedly become the author's labour of love and I imagine it took a long time to compile. His writing is infectious and definitely lightens up the subject meaning more people will enjoy it. It is clear it has been crafted to attract non-history readers and those who appreciate highly informative book but also those easy and quick to get through. A definitive, detail-centric story and rightly holds a mirror up to the mistakes made by brothers Edward, George and Richard. A superb read. Many thanks to Allen Lane for an ARC.

I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.

The Brothers York concerns itself with the building blocks of the Tudor dynasty. Thomas Penn has skillfully crafted a book that is enjoyable to read and crammed with historical facts.

It's an interesting read for those who enjoy historical fiction - or Game of Thrones fans. The series is said to have been inspired by this period of history. The politics and international relations of the time are detailed in an every-day, readable way. If you're used to solely historical fiction, this may seem a little dry but it is well written and incredibly well researched.