A Brief History of the Wars of the Roses cover art

A Brief History of the Wars of the Roses

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A Brief History of the Wars of the Roses

By: Desmond Seward
Narrated by: Mark Elstob
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About this listen

A classic account of the bloody rivalry between the dynasties of York and Lancaster for the throne of England. During the 15th century England was split in a bloody conflict between the Houses of York and Lancaster over who should claim the crown. The civil wars consumed the whole nation in a series of battles that eventually saw the Tudor dynasty take power.

In A Brief History of the Wars of the Roses, Desmond Seward tells the story of this complex and dangerous period of history through the lives of five men and women who experienced the conflict firsthand. In a gripping narrative the personal trials of the principal characters interweave with the major events and personalities of one of the most significant turning points in British history.

Desmond Seward was born in Paris and educated at St Catherine's College, Cambridge. He is the author of numerous studies and biographies.

©2007 Desmond Seward (P)2013 Audible Ltd Europe Great Britain Medieval England War Tudor Middle Ages Royalty Civil War

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Critic reviews

"A brilliant study of the period. Rich in historical detail, yet passionately written, the smell of battle seems to linger on the page." ( Yorkshire Post)
"It is hard to imagine a historian more in command of his subject.... The result is history as compelling as any novel." ( Independent)
"This is a splendidly and vividly written book." ( Evening Standard)
All stars
Most relevant  
Recommended to those already familiar with the history of the Wars of the Roses. Biographies and analysis of 5 key figures of the period. Excellent - with perfect narration.

Fascinating and informative

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Well presented well written and packed full off interesting incites bring the history of the wars of the roses to life.
Highly recommended.

Recommended

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Great to dip in and out of and has definitely given me a more well-rounded understanding of the period.
Loved the reader as well! Some of his voices were a little OTT (for instance giving people who were probably only in their 30s or 40s typically 'old man/woman voices) but his reading style was bright and varied and helped to make what could have been quite dry and hard to follow quotes engaging. A great listen for history fans interested in that period.

A good, engaging listen

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I found this indigestible . The silly voices used by the narrator were very irritating.

Stodge

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great book ruined by narrator's irritating use of irritating voices
buy the paper back instead

good book ruined

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If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

If you sit down with this and a family tree of the British monarchy of the period you might have a chance of grasping it but if like me you like to walk around pruning roses and listening it's just too complicated to grasp. I suspect the hard copy book is quite interesting as it might be easier to flick back and see the family tree and refer to earlier incidents with the same cast of characters. I was inspired to 'read' the book by the White Queen on TV which I also found hard to follow because we watched it spaced over a long period of time.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Hard copy of the family tree and a note pad to write some sort of diagram of what's going on!

How could the performance have been better?

It was a bit flat in the way it was narrated almost suggesting the narrator didn't get it either. I am reminded of a great review of a book that I read which basically said a great narrator can turn a poor book into a good one; this one didn't really give a great contribution.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Not for me

Any additional comments?

None

Almost unintelligable as an audio book

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