A fascinating book about the mother of Henry the 8th! It begins when she is 4 years old and is forced to go into sanctuary. Her uncle, the duke of Clarence, is trying to overthrow Elizabeth’s father, the king of England. This book takes you through her life. Her life of being the white princess of York. Her life of being queen of England. And her life of being the mother of the next king of England.

I loved getting to know this amazing woman that had to overcome so many different trials in her life! The ups and downs of her life! The twists and turns! I knew some of the things from her life but there were new things I learned about her. Thank you to Netgalley, Alison weir, and random house for allowing me to read this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

Weir is one of the reigning queens (ha) of historical fiction - I always feel immersed in her imaginings of historical figures, and this novel on Elizabeth of York was no different. Her life and her legacy are a turning point for English history, and Weir evokes the drama and struggles Elizabeth survives to wed Henry Tudor and unite the York and Lancaster lines. Elizabeth is a model of female power and control, even in the midst of emotionally fraught circumstances.

WOW! This book is phenomenal! It is gripping, intriguing, full of history, emotional, and so much more! Whenever I picked up "The Last White Rose", I was whisked back in time, and went on such a journey with this story.

Alison Weir is one of my absolute favorite authors, and her books are must-reads for me! In her historical fiction novels, she seamlessly blends history and fiction, brings to life historical figures in such a unique and dimensional way, and her storytelling and world-building is spectacular. From the first page to the last, I always feel immersed in the world of the book, and "The Last White Rose" is no different!

This book centers around the life of Elizabeth of York, who became the first Tudor Queen. Throughout, you really feel what Elizabeth is feeling, and come to understand her relationships with those around her. She truly was such a strong and incredible woman.

If you enjoy historical fiction novels, I highly recommend this book! It kept me turning the pages late into the night, and I can't wait to read what Ms. Weir writes next.

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC of this book, it is unputdownable! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

When you read historical fiction about British royalty by Alison Weir, you know it is deeply based in research and facts. She’s an expert at filling in the blanks, especially about the women, who are largely ignored in history except for their role in creating the next heir. Elizabeth of York was a very important person, living at a pivotal time and her lifetime saw many changes that altered the royal landscape moving forward.

I loved this book and couldn't put it down. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. It gives you details about what Elizabeth went through from birth until her death. Allison Weir does not disappoint again.

Thank you #netgalley and #randomhouse #ballantinebooks for this #giftedebook copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

#alisonweir is one of my all-time favorite Historical Fiction authors. That being said, this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022! I knew this one was going to be excellent, and it was! Elizabeth of York is one of the most intriguing British monarchs as she is bathed in controversy, deceit, tragedy, and triumph. You will be fascinated and unable to put this book down! Alison Weir has the gift of being able to tell historical stories in a way that is easy to grasp. It is like you are watching a period piece on television. A definite add for your TBR pile!

Tha characters are vibrant and captivating. So well written and researched.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book reads like many, many short stories/chapters in the life of Elizabeth of York. We see her life unfold chronologically from the time she was a young child fleeing one of many claimants to the English throne to her death. The author, who has written extensive actual biographies about many royals, used literary license to create a story-like account which is much, much more fact than fiction.

I really enjoyed reading this book, yet it felts like a collection of snippets instead of flowing together, despite being written chronologically. I almost felt as if I were being fed lots and lots of facts with a little bit of colorful description and Elizabeth's probably thoughts and feelings thrown in, instead of a cohesive novel. The choppiness of it is why I took away one star, as the information about her life overall is very interesting.

If you don't know much about English history in the 15th-16th century, I suggest you look over a summary as a refresher so you can keep track of the many characters.

I liked it (3 stars is a liked in my book). Alison Weir is the queen of historical fiction and biography so I was thrilled to be able to dive into the story of such an important woman! Elizabeth of York has always been at a critical junction of British history - between Richard III and the prince of the tower and as the mother of Henry the eighth. But I feel like her story was formerly reduced to damsel battered about by fate (thanks Shakespeare). This book shakes off that tired song and follows her from age 5 through the reign of her father, then Richard III and then her husband Henry VII.

It was great to hear the world from her point of view and the ways women had to work in the extremely patriarchal society. I didn’t know before this book that she could have ruled outright, but was hindered by the philosophy at the time that women couldn’t rule. It was fascinating to watch her go from child to wife and mother. It was also cool to see all the “famous faces” known to history start to emerge- Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon - we know how it ends, but little attention is often on how it began. Seeing that story get set into motion through the eyes of Elizabeth is great for history nerds like me.

Overall I learned more about an extraordinary woman and enjoyed the historical fiction. Would recommend to anyone looking for historical fiction.

I have a lot of thoughts about this novel. As someone who loves historical fiction novels, especially those surrounding the War of the Roses and the Tudor dynasty, I found this extremely bland and uninteresting. I’m honestly glad I made it to the end because at times I felt like giving up.

This reads like a draft, where the author was trying to map out all of the events of Elizabeth’s life and would eventually scale to the most important or exciting events and focus the novel. That didnt happen. There wasn’t even a discernable plot. It was simply a day in the life of Elizabeth from childhood to death. A lot of significant events happened in that long span. This felt repetive and just unfocused. The pacing is terrible. The attention to detail lacking and Elizabeth herself feels lackluster. She isn’t the main character in her own story, she simply exists in it.

Reading this doesnt entice me to read any other books by this author. I’m turned off completely by the prospect of that. This was just so, so disappointing

Another hefty novel from one of my favorite authors about Elizabeth of York, perhaps the most important woman in medieval English history. Normally I keep an eye on publication dates for upcoming books by Weir, but this one completely took me by surprise! Somehow I was expecting that she would be done writing novels for awhile when she completed the Six Tudor Queens series, especially as she mentioned that her son had passed away. I was excited to receive a galley from the publisher and hope this means Weir will continue writing more novels about royal women.

This book is nearly 600 pages, so it took me awhile to get through. I couldn't shake the feeling that it seems like it was written or at least started before the Six Tudor Queens series. In the afterword, Weir mentions that it was heavily influenced by her biography of Elizabeth (I highly recommend reading) which was written in 2013. Some of the characterizations feel off, for example Elizabeth Woodville comes across as a hysteric gossip until she retires from court. Some of the conversations veer wildly from Arthur being sick to someone offending King Henry and his needing to exact revenge.

I live for the moments of introspection in this book. When Arthur dies and Elizabeth wonders if she loved him enough. When she's fed up with Henry and decides that she needs to do something for herself. When she defends and cares for her sisters as they lose their husbands and children to various circumstances. It's impossible to know what kind of person Elizabeth was, because the historical record leaves us so little, so it's one of the reasons I love when an author who knows the record so well makes their best guess.

The Last White Rose written about Elizabeth of York the mother of Henry VIII was very well written. I loved reading this historical novel while learning the details of her life! You would think her life would not have been so crazy. She was promised in marriage many times and suffered being a pawn being pulled which ever direction her father chose. Then after his death she still was a pawn for those men wanting to be the next king. Life as a queen is not always as rosy as you might think. Very well done!

The Last White Rose by Alison Weir. Pub Date: May 10, 2022. Rating: 3 stars. I love historical fiction and this time period of the Tudors is no exception, so I was thrilled to be able to receive a copy of this book to read. In this lengthy novel, Elizabeth of York is explored, comes to light and all of the drama that surrounds her life and succession to becoming queen. Overall, I can appreciate the amount of research, time and dedication it took to create this masterpiece, but honestly I was slightly bored as it read like a history textbook. I wanted more "based on a true story" vibes rather than a lot of telling about the historical aspects of the time period. It is a very long novel, but nonetheless full of historical aspects that are fascinating. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

First Tudor Queen!

Ah! Tudor times! I’ve always been fascinated by those Tudors, tantalised by the cut and thrust and their political jousting, and the sheer ruthlessness of those who would be King, or kingmakers. After all the stakes were high.
Technically, this is a fascinating look at the life of Elizabeth of York and the plots surrounding her family as the highest role in the land is grappled for. Thoroughly researched and explained, the complexity of regal politics is well described. I must say I found the characters difficult to relate to and harder to engage with as events unfolded. The conversations between them were often stilted. The result for me? Somewhat flat and my interest flagged.

A Random House - Ballantine ARC via NetGalley

This is one of my favorite time periods and one my favorite historical figures to read about. The daughter of a King ,the wife of a King and the mother of a king. Elizabeth of York is endlessly fascinating to me and Alison Weir did a wonderful job with the story of her life.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As someone who reads history books, particularly about royalty, I tend to avoid historical fiction about those characters like the plague. Reading the inconsistencies drives me crazy (even though I know it’s fiction). But there is one author I will read, happily, and that’s Alison Weir.

She always has the research down, as well as the respect for the people. And this book about Elizabeth of York is no exception. Elizabeth is the daughter of King Edward IV, mother to Henry VIII, and her marriage to Henry VII helped end the War of the Roses. This is a thoroughly enjoyable & readable book!

Thank you to NetGalley & Ballantine Books for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Last White Rose by Alison Weir is a fictionalized version of the life of Elizabeth of York, wife of King Henry VII, and mother of the notorious Henry VIII. She led a gilded life as the father, and the, the wife, of kings. She lived through wars and heartbreak, losing children and family. The story is full of history and historical personages that one can hardly run the page without something popping up. Her marriage was a love match, unique among monarchs and lasted, in tact, until she died, after birthing her last child. Alison Weir does an excellent job of research and them brings her subject to life in a readable format.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Last White Rose by Ballantine Books, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #ballantinebooks #alisonsweir #thelastwhiterose

After the death of her father Edward IV, Elizabeth of York's life is turned upside down. Her brothers are imprisoned in the Tower of London, and her uncle Richard III seizes the throne. Now, she's a pawn in his scheme to shore up his claims to kingship. Richard wants to marry her to secure the succession. Meanwhile, Henry Tudor, Duke of Richmond, is putting together an army to invade and overthrow Richard. Can Henry save her from a forced marriage to the man who's destroying her family?

This is a long but riveting book—I didn't want to put it down. The author does a good job of humanizing the historical characters, making the story fresh and interesting.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This is my go to author for historical fiction and once again, Ms. Weir did not disappoint. As always very well researched, great writing and a whole lot of entertainment. Great read. Loved it. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Interesting, but not engaging. The author tells a very detailed version of Elizabeth of York's life as a princess, daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend to those in need. The pacing was odd and rather annoying – at times there is in-depth exploration of an event or set of events, and then suddenly we've jumped weeks ahead with no transition. This happens frequently. The writing is rather dry, and I felt as though I were reading a nonfiction biography rather than an historical novel. The author describes the emotions of Elizabeth, but doesn't create a story in which the reader can actually feel them with her. To me, this was the greatest disappointment. I didn't feel like I was there in medieval England, but rather simply being told somewhat matter-of-factly about the people, events, and places. In the end, I'm glad I read it, yet probably won't read another fiction work by this author.

Thank you to Random House Publishing, Ballantine, the author, and Netgalley for access to an early version of this book.