The Last White Rose is the first book in Alison Weir's Tudor Rose series. The Tudor Rose series is a companion to Weir's Six Queens.

Elizabeth of York, the eldest child of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, was the sister of the Princes in the Tower, niece of Richard III, wife of Henry VII, mother of Henry VIII, and ancestor of the current British royal family. The Last White Rose covers her life, from her childhood in her father's court to her death on her 36th birthday.

The novel spans over 500 pages, covering the final days of the Wars of the Roses and the beginning of the Tudor reign. At times, it can be challenging to keep track of the characters, as people of that era often sought to gain favor with the royal family by naming their children after its members. The royal family would also name their children after other family members. Alison Weir takes the reader inside Elizabeth's mind as she transitions from a pampered princess to a declared bastard, and ultimately to Queen Consort. Weir tries to stay close to the facts even though she has her own theories about why things happened. Weir knows her subject well. One of my favorite things is her author notes at the end of each of her fiction books.

Reading anything by Alison Weir is for me like having a good dose of comfort food! I absolutely love anything Tudor England. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy.

The history of this time period is fascinating and well researched, however, I felt the writing was very basic. As in the style is reminiscent of a debut with very simple sentences and lack of meat to a story that could include so many rich details.

I honestly just enjoy this author and any book she writes! I will always be willing to read anything she writes with the confidence that it is very well written. I have not been disappointed.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

I have always loved the story of Elizabeth of York and the War of the Roses between the two houses of Lancaster and York. This novel by Alison Weir beautifully depicts the life story of Elizabeth, the oldest daughter of King Edward IV, and follows her life and rise from powerful princess to sought after bride by her uncle. Having murdered her imprisoned brothers, her uncle, King Richard III, wants to take her as his wife to legitimize his claim to the throne. In epic fashion, she is saved by Henry Tudor, who kills her uncle and becomes king. Elizabeth's tale is truly a pivotal point in history with the unification of the two houses and the rise of the Tudors. Captivating and addicting writing keeps you glued to the pages even when you already know the history. Thanks so much to Alison Weir, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this e-arc!

The Last White Rose is a fascinating look at the life of Elizabeth of York, the young woman who would become the mother of Henry VIII. I knew little about Elizabeth and appreciated that this book told her entire life story, starting in childhood. It was interesting to see her develop from child, to young unmarried woman, to mother and Queen. I especially enjoyed learning how much power and politics played a role in marriage betrothals. Overall, a good start to a new series. I look forward to reading the next book in the series..

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Simply wonderful! She is superb in every thing she writes! I look forward to each book! Always pick her, you can never go wrong!

I love Alison Weir so much, I will never not read something she writes. She's just a master at taking history and interweaving creativity through it without making it historically inaccurate, and this was no exception. You can tell she did extensive research before writing this and that just makes this even better!

Elizabeth of York is such an intriguing historical figure who oftentimes get overlooked. I was thoroughly enthralled through the whole book.

If you're looking for a book full of romance, backstabbing traitors, and is historically accurate without reading like a history book, this is the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Alison Weir has written and a lot of books. She’s the biggest-selling female historian in the UK, has published over 30 titles, and sold more than 3 million books. And yet, somehow, I’d never read anything by her until this month. Why that is, I don’t know. What I do know is that The Last White Rose won’t be the last.

The Wars of the Roses was a complex affair. Extended English royalty tended to inter-marry, with the occasional fresh-ish blood coming via marriages as business agreements from mainland Europe. Both the houses of York and Lancaster were descended from King Edward III, and each house believed they had a valid claim to the throne. Within each house, however, various factions vied for power. Never was this more obvious than in the case of Richard III and his two nephews. The Last White Rose includes a family tree at the beginning of the novel, but I still find it complicated and requiring concentration to get everyone in their correct places and houses. I could’ve probably used a list of characters as well.

The book begins in 1470, when Elizabeth is four. Her father, King Edward IV is temporarily deposed by supporters of the monarch he’d previously deposed: Henry VI. The women of the family, including her mother Elizabeth Woodville, seek sanctuary at Westminster Abbey. In a hefty first chapter Elizabeth (and, consequently, the reader) is given information as to what has brought things in the country to this point. I’m not sure how much she would’ve understood at such a young age, but her mother lays it all out for her anyway. The work at this point reads partially in the simple style of a child. The other part is from an objective perspective. As Elizabeth gets older, the writing gets deeper and more complex although the third person narrative continues via these two perspectives. We experience events only as they happened to Elizabeth, therefore no battles scenes are described. Instead we learn of the prospective marriages Edward IV arranges for his oldest daughter and her siblings.

A central part of the plot is, naturally, the fate of Elizabeth’s two younger brothers. Young Edward, his father’s planned successor, is sent away from the family home at a young age in order to learn how to become king. When his father died, Richard of Gloucester supposedly agreed to act as his protector and regent. Somewhere en-route to take the throne, however, he disappeared and his brother vanished shortly thereafter. In the book, the dowager Queen Elizabeth claims to have never trusted Gloucester, and takes her remaining children back to Westminster Abbey. One by one, they are compelled to leave and join Richard’s court as he takes the throne in his nephew’s place. Although supposedly a proud and arrogant woman, Elizabeth’s mother comes across as a woman who whines and moans, a lot. She resembles Shakespeare’s version of her in Richard III, but she reminded me of Alison Stedman’s portrayal of Mrs Bennett.

We know Elizabeth’s brothers died at some point in time, and strongly suspect Richard III was involved in their deaths. We don’t know how they died, however, and it’s likely we never will. In The Last White Rose, Elizabeth too realizes they must have died but she still maintains a faint hope. Their fate becomes one of her main purposes in life. This fictional Elizabeth discovers what it was shortly before she dies. (And no, she didn’t tell us.)

So, did I enjoy my first Alison Weir novel? Yes. Would I read another of her novels? Again, the answer is yes. I found The Last White Rose to be entertaining, detailed, and informative. And maybe one day I’ll figure out that entire family tree thing!

Disclaimer: Although I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher, the opinions below are my own.

*Review initially posted to blog March 30, 2023

Such a great book with the perfect blend of historical accuracy mixed with creative exploration - the end result is pure brilliance! If you are intrigued and curious about this harrowing time of History - Alison Weir is the perfect author to read!

5 Stars!

Thank you for the opportunity to read & review this amazing book! All opinions are my own!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC
Another great book by Alison Weir. You can tell the author puts a lot of research into her books. Always recommend Alison Weir's books!

Blending fact with fiction, Alison Weir has crafted a well researched, very detailed account of the life of Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, wife to King Henry VII (first queen of the Tudor dynasty) and mother of King Henry VIII. This fictional account follows Elizabeth from childhood through death, capturing the highs and lows of her life and the losses she endured.

I’ve read several different interpretations about Elizabeth and enjoyed Weir’s rendition, although I did feel it lacked the dramatization I was looking for in a fictional account. Packed with historical detail from an intriguing period in time, this rendition felt more like a non-fictional telling. It was quite long and often repetitive.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own

I enjoyed this and loved the historical detail (this is one of my favorite time periods in history) which brought the day to day of medieval living to life. The author typically delivers historical facts as well as adding entertaining fictional details to her stories so that I feel that I know and have a be greater understanding about Elizabeth of York. I agree with previous reviewers that it's an 'easy' read, which it definitely is, but easy reads have their place. I did enjoy it but it was not one of my favorite books by her.

Alison Weir is an exceptional storyteller, and she shines yet again with The Last White Rose. Elizabeth of York had a bright future as her father King Edward's oldest daughter, until his reign was overthrown by his own brothers. The turmoil that ensued, the battles, the wars, the forced sanctuary all became a normal part of her life until her marriage/merger with Henry Tudor. This novel is supposed to be a fictionalized version of the history between the Lancasters and the Yorks: the rumors, half truths and the verified facts all come into play at some point or another in The White Rose making it difficult to distinguish what is real. Regardless, I enjoyed my jaunt through Ms. Weir's version of history, and this is my honest and unbiased review of the complimentary copy provided by Netgalley.

Anytime Alison Weir has a book come out, I'm immediately adding it to my TBR shelf. I was equally excited about this series especially after I saw the plans for who the subjects were going to be. I deeply feel like Elizabeth of York doesn't get the due credit she is deserved, and I had hoped that this book would highlight all of her strengths as well as portray her hardest times in life.

But, surprisingly, this tome was lackluster for me. It droned on and I had a hard time keeping my interest in the work, which again, was surprising for me because EoY is one of my favorite of the English queens to read about. Its well written, to be sure, but it all felt very muted and dejected.

Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC copy of this book! This wasn't my first Weir book, and its style was very similar to the others. She closely follows the life of Elizabeth, wife of Henry VII which is a riveting story full of traitors, romance, backstabbing, and lots of plot twists. Weir's writing to me seems a bit juvenile in some areas, especially in the earlier parts of the book. As Elizabeth gets older though, her writing style develops. Nevertheless, it was a fast and easy read and the plot kept me extremely engaged. I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of her other books, or books by Philippa Gregory, Dan Jones, or Antonia Fraser.

I loved reading this book. Though historical fiction, the author has done extensive research into the lives of Henry VII, Henry VII, and the people involved. The book really gave me an understanding of life in 16th century England and the Courts of the Kings of that era. It also gives understanding to the impact of Cardinal Wolsey and other powerful men and women of the era. Excellent reading.

Weir adds to her stellar collection of published Tudor works with a new fiction release on the mother of Henry VIII, Elizabeth of York. Admittedly Weir used a large part of the research she conducted for her non-fiction work Elizabeth of York, published in 2013 on this new book. The Elizabeth in this new release left me wanting. Weir starts this one off with Elizabeth as a youth and then continues the story through the entirety of her life. There is no doubt that Elizabeth was an important tool in the machinations of her father, mother, uncle and other ambitious kinsman. Weir wrote of a woman who understood all of that. She showed an Elizabeth who was emboldened to do whatever she needed to do to save her family and secure her life, compassionate towards those who needed her help, and smart enough to be demure when it suited her.
While I would not consider this her best work, it is a good book. I much preferred Weir's non-fiction biography Elizabeth of York.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book. I hope the author continues to write more books in the future. I can't wait to see what the author releases in the future.

I really enjoy Tudor books. This one did not disappoint. I often wondered what Elizabeth thought of everything that transpired with her brothers, etc. It covered so much in the book.