My heart skips a beat every time I learn Weir has published a new book. She is an excellent historian and a great novelist. I was extremely excited to learn her new book centered on Elizabeth of York, mother of Henry VIII, grandmother of Elizabeth I. While the book was interesting it was over-long and tiresome. This novel leans more toward a history lesson than the fleshed out tale of a powerful woman who helped end a decades long civil war in England.

As always Weir delivers her theory on some of the mysteries of history (who killed the princes in the tower, etc) in a believable rendering. However, actions takes a back seat to exposition in this narrative. In the end, we get a history lecture with little passion.

Hopefully, Weir will get back on track with her next novel, which I will eagerly read as well. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Alison Weir writes compelling historical fiction novels. Elizabeth of York is an interesting figure who was able to help untie the kingdom after the War of the Roses with her marriage to Henry Tudor. As she should have been a queen in her own right, it was interesting to see the differences between her time and that of her granddaughter's reign as Elizabeth I. I found the history from her perspective to be very interesting, however I didn't give it five stars because her early childhood dragged for me. Overall, this is definitely worth the read.

When Alison Weir publishes a book, I read it! I previously really enjoyed her biography of Elizabeth of York and greatly anticipated this historical fiction account of her life. Weir has a wonderful ability to add humanity to these long dead historical figures. This story covers young Elizabeth (known as Bessy) from a little girl all the way to her death. I haven’t seen or read much about the period after her marriage to Henry VII and I really enjoyed those parts. A truly fascinating woman, who suffered so much loss and sorrow in her young life. I look forward to reading more in the Tudor Rose series and really anything Alison Weir writes!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first experience with reading subject matter about Elizabeth of York, and Alison Weir did a wonderful job of introducing the people involved in this pivotal point in history. It makes me want to read more about Elizabeth and her history.

This is a novel of Elizabeth of York, Princess of England, Elizabeth is the oldest child of the golden King Edward IV, and his fabled and beautiful wife Elizabeth Woodville. She is a lovely child fated for a spectacular marriage to the French heir. Then suddenly her father dies in his prime, leaving her young brother Edward as king. But before he is crowned her beloved uncle Richard declares all his brother's children illegitimate and takes the throne for himself. Elizabeth is an intelligent and well educated woman, but she doesn't know what to believe. Her mother has taken them all except young Edward who is in the Tower of London, into sanctuary. The Queen is eventually convinced to send her son Richard, Duke of York, to join his brother for safety. There both brothers disappear from history, and Elizabeth becomes a pawn in the deadly game of succession between Richard III, the Yorkist claimant, and Henry Tudor, the Lancastrian claimant. Both seek Elizabeth's hand in marriage as she is the next surviving heir to the late king.

This is a sweeping saga, in four parts, told from the time Elizabeth is old enough to have a voice until her untimely death, on her birthday, after childbirth at age 37. It is a very intimate story of the the girl who would unite the two waring houses of York and Lancaster, to end the War of the Roses. We participate in the events from the time her father was briefly chased from his throne, through the war, her marriage to Henry VII, family and political intrigues, childbearing, to her death in 1503. Through her eyes and voice we learn of those people who surround her, and her deepest feelings. Often overlooked because of her sweet nature, we see in Weir's portrayal, a woman who spent her life aware of her place in history and willing to take what actions she could to keep her extended family safe.

And, of course, because this is fictional portrayal is done by noted historian Alison Weir, the history is correct. At the end of the novel Ms. Weir includes a short Author's Note about the historical accuracy. Just as important, this novel is wonderful to read, and I couldn't put it down, not because I didn't know the history and what would happen, but because her voice in this novel was so spellbinding. Read it as a good historical novel; read it as a voice for a woman often neglected in history; most of all read it because it is compelling.

This was so good! I loved Alison Weir's series on the six wives of Henry VIII and now reading about Henry VIII's mother, Elizabeth of York. What a fascinating woman. The mother, daughter, niece, and wife of king.

I have not read another Alison Weir book, but I've had her "Six Tudor Queens" on my to-be-read shelf for a while now. I know she is very popular within the historical nonfiction and historical fiction genre; I see her books everywhere. This era of England's history has always been interesting to me, so whenever I see a book/show/movie/ect. within this period, I am automatically interested. That is basically how I came to be so excited when I received an ARC for this book.

The Last White Rose follows Elizabeth of York: A York princess, daughter of Elizabeth Woodville and King Edward VI, who later became Queen of England, wife of Henry VII, and mother of Henry VIII.

I'm so devastated to say that I didn't really enjoy The Last White Rose.

What I liked:

- I’m very familiar with Phillipa Gregory’s take on Elizabeth of York in her novel “The White Princess”; Alison Weir takes a somewhat different path which refreshes and gives new life to the limited history we have for Elizabeth of York. Recorded history can only tell you so much, leaving out much (and in most cases, all) of the emotions and inner thoughts of its leading figures. I liked this interpretation that Weir took.
- I can tell this book was well-researched. I have no doubt that this book is one of the more historically accurate historical fictions I have probably ever read.

What I didn’t like:

- It felt like a historical nonfiction with a little commentary made by Elizabeth.
- Little character development. I couldn’t distinguish the growth in Elizabeth’s voice throughout the book. Even in real life people grow and develop.
- The dialogue was weird at some points. It didn’t feel like actual conversation. It was choppy and unnatural.
- A lot of telling, not a lot of showing. At one point, Elizabeth is telling the reader how this other person is her favorite person. A couple of pages later the person is sick. Then they die. Then Elizabeth is sad. And that’s all we get. She interacted with this character a couple of times before this, but there was no indication in body language or dialogue that suggested that these two characters were as close as they were.
- I had no connection to the characters.
- Lots of little facts that didn’t move the story along.


Overall, I would recommend this book to someone who mostly prefers historical nonfiction and would like to try a fiction novel. I would also recommend it to someone who hasn’t read anything on Elizabeth of York before.

Allison Weir is the queen (pun intended) of Tudor novels for a reason! Elizabeth of York had an incredibly turbulent life. A Yorkist who married a Lancastrian, she bridged the divide between the two factions in the War of the Roses.

A great read, even if you think you know every Tudor out there.

I’ve been reading everything written by Alison Weir since The Six Wives of Henry VIII was published in 1991. Her biographies of fascinating women in history filled my imagination about strong women who wielded influence in male dominated society.
The research Ms. Weir conducted to write her non fiction books serve her well in her historical fiction. The Last White Rose brings to life the story of Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV and Elisabeth Woodville, niece of Richard III, sister of the princes in the tower, wife to Henry VII, mother to Henry VIII, and grandmother to Queen Mary and Queen Elisabeth I.
This period in history continues to draw me into a time when women were pawns, brothers fought one another for the throne, war seemed endless, and princesses were married off during childhood for political benefits.
Loved the book!

3 Stars

Whenever a new book is out by British Royal author Alison Weir my interest is immediately piqued. I have many of her excellent royal biographies on my bookshelves which I have enjoyed and treasured over the decades. My main focus and passion has been on The Tudors, but was delighted to reach backward when I watched "The White Queen" and "The White Princess" series where Philippa Gregory historical fiction novels were translated to the screen. This was a game changer for me because although I hadn't read these books it finally put faces and a human touch to the story of The War of the Roses- which launched the Tudor era. Now I could understand who King Henry VIII's parents were and delve further back into their history.

This book is about Elizabeth of York, the eldest daughter of King Edward IV. When her father died, chaos ensued when her uncle Richard III seized the throne, her two younger brothers/princes having gone missing from The Tower. For a time it was actually considered that she might become a bride of her uncle, but when he was defeated by Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth, she was designated to marry the victor. Either way she would become Queen of England, but as history turned out, her union with Henry united the long warring factions of the Lancasters and Yorks, in the hope of a settled peace once and for all. This was signified by the overlaid white and red rose motif. In fact, as the eldest living child of King Edward IV, she was entitled to be The Queen in her own right and not just a Consort, but at this time females were not accepted as monarchs. Therefore, her marriage to Henry Tudor strengthened his somewhat weak claim to the throne. They are the parents of King Henry VIII.

This book is over 500 pages and really felt like it! Editing it down some would make it far more palatable. There was a lot of repetition that became tiresome. The endless threats to the throne that simmered throughout this book from the unresolved mystery of what happened to the Queen's two little brothers (the legendary Princes in the Tower) and other pretenders, usurpers, etc. were a constant. I also found it difficult keeping a handle on the characters because these British royals often re-use names such as Elizabeth, Margaret, Edward, Katherine, etc. I felt guilty because I was excited to read this, knew the author was stellar, but wasn't quite enjoying it as I had hoped. It made me wonder if the problem was the actual historical story was unpleasant, or just a failing on the writing craft itself. Maybe it's a combination.

Thank you very much to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

A fascinating read and well-researched book, I thoroughly enjoyed The Last White Rose by Alison Weir.

In The Last White Rose, the story of Elizabeth of York is told, from about the age of ten until her death. This part of history is covered in many books and movies as it was a particularly contentious time in the struggle for power in England. There were wars and uprisings throughout Elizabeth’s life in attempts to wrest the throne away by another contender.

Elizabeth’s marriage to Henry Tudor, who would become King Henry VII, helped solidify the crown by uniting the red and white roses – the houses of Lancaster and York. The marriage was political but was by all accounts a successful and loving marriage. Interesting as well in this history is that Elizabeth was the mother of King Henry VIII, a powerful leader who also challenged the Catholic Church with his desire to be head of the Church of England.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and am pleased to see she has written other historical fiction novels – I will check them out!

The Last White Rose is the story of Elizabeth of York, wife of Henry VII, from her teenage years until her last pregnancy. The book was engaging from start to finish, and was full of historical figures and characters which was expected given the author. Ms Weir masterfully tells this incredible woman’s tale, as she does so many other historical women of this time period. This book made me actually feel as though I was there with the characters, and was transported through time each time I picked it up.
Im giving it 4 stars simply because I don’t find Elizabeth of Yorks story as exciting/interesting as her mother’s (Elizabeth Woodville) or her children, however I’m happy to devour anything by this author, especially as it relates to women in history. I definitely recommend this book to any Tudor history lovers! Thanks NetGalley!

This book was provided by NetGalley as an ARC.

The Last White Rose was not a book I enjoyed. The premise of exploring the life of Elizabeth of York was very intriguing to me, as she is one of my favorite historical individuals. Unfortunately, the character development, plot, and overall themes were slow and repetitive. The conversations felt cyclical and choppy, which lead me to lose interest.

Alison Weir is such an amazing historian! She is one of the best known names in Tudor fiction! I am so excited about this new series from her! I love how she covered most of her life and her relationship with the King. There isn't much to say about a historical fiction other than it didn't read like a text book and the subject so so interesting!


*Thank you so much to the publishers for gifting me an early release copy to give an honest review. My opinions are my own*

Another significant work of historical fiction chronicling the turbulent time in English history through the eyes of Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. Elizabeth’s life was shown from a young child to living in sanctuary after her father died to marrying Henry VII thus joining two warring houses. Elizabeth is eventually the mother of the infamous Tudor king, Henry VIII.


This is a fascinating and rewarding account of Elizabeth’s life and power, or lack thereof, in history. The first in a new series, the story spans close to 40 years and is full of intrigue, conflict, and murder. Famously known in history as the War of the Roses. Elizabeth effectively combines the houses of Lancaster and York, creating a new period in time known by many as the Tudor Dynasty. With Ms. Weir’s usual immaculate attention to detail and knowledge of the period, she effectively brings the time to life.

Out of all of the Tudor stories out there, I think that maybe the last few decades of the War of the Roses time period is my favorite. And yes, technically it’s the Plantagenets time, but the Tudors are in there.

I haven’t read many books about the earlier Tudor times with Edward IV so I really only knew the story from one other author who wrote a bit of a different version from this one. I believe that Alison Weir’s version is closer to being much more accurate and I couldn’t get enough of it.

In Elizabeth of York, Last of the White Roses, the story follows Bessy’s life starting from when she was just a little girl in her father’s (King Edward IV) Plantagenet court throughout her life to eventually being the mother of Henry Tudor the VIII. Out of all the historical figures in the Tudor world, I think that Elizabeth of York is my favorite!

It felt like Weir really captured the historical aspects and I’m so happy she switched to writing fiction. I had a hard time putting this book down and can’t wait to find out what Alison Weir comes out with next in this Tudor Rose series!

*Thank you so much to Random House, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the advance copy!*

Another instant classic from Alison Weir! I found this novel less engaging than others in the series, but it's still such an important piece of history. The characters fell a bit flat, and it was sometimes hard for me to truly engage with them. Definitely worth a read if you're a fan of her other books.

I love the Tudor Dynasty. As someone with a history degree it’s one of my favorite eras that I’ve studied. Yet, I didn’t know that much about Elizabeth of York. Weir has written such a beautiful book going over her history from when she was just a toddler all the way up to her death. I haven’t read historical fiction in so long even though I have many books. And Weir has reignited my love for historical fiction again! If you love the Tudors then you need to read about Henry VIII’s mother!

A fascinating novel about Elizabeth of York, Henry VIII’s mother. I have read a ton of books, fiction and non-fiction, about the Tudor period, but didn’t know much about the earlier period immediately preceding the rise of the Tudors. Very interesting.

The Last White Rose is the story of Elizabeth of York, the mother of the infamous Henry VIII, sister to the Princes who mysteriously disappear after the death of her father Edward IV, and niece to Richard of Gloucester, he of "my kingdom for a horse" fame. Despite all these interesting relatives, Elizabeth's story is one of politics, changing loyalties, spoiled royalty, and unsolved mysteries. Growing up during the War of the Roses, Elizabeth is destined to make a prestigious match with some other royal house. The untimely and unexpected death of her father leaves Elizabeth and her family trapped in sanctuary due to her mothers conviction that the king's brother Richard, who is guardian to the princes, would make a play for the throne. Reluctantly she allows her son's to go with Richard to be where the King and his brother should be. What happens next has been the subject of much debate over the centuries, but the boys disappear as does Elizabeth's prestigious betrothal, and the former royals find themselves penniless. The rest of the story follows Elizabeth as she grows up, , gets involved in various intrigues, marries and has children. It's an interesting story, and well worth the read. Alison Weir is an excellent researcher and knows her subject. It's not a fast read, but it is an engrossing read.