Wait - is Richard the naughty one?

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I'd only recommend it to friends with a strong stomach for history as it is an enormous work and could easily flatten the casual listener.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Lancaster and York?

The opening chapter describing the "Riches of England" and the purity and number of its rivers, the wealth of its populance and the effect of its beauty upon Medieval foreigners was captivating.

Which character – as performed by Maggie Mash – was your favourite?

Goodness they all run into each other rather; but as long as you roughly keep up with who is for Lancaster, who is for York and who has done a dirty and switched then you're fine. I see some people were irritated by the narrator's foreign accents but I thought they didn't jar at all.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Good God no you'd give yourself Deep Vein Thrombosis. It made for extremely good listening over piles of ironing.

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Awesome summary of a critical part of British history.

Alison Weir’s book is a brilliantly accessible narrative of a fascinating and crucial part of our history. It is hugely enjoyable and informative as well as being well-researched.
The one negative is in the narration which resorts to impersonating accents whenever a direct quotation is used. It results in some almost Allo Allo accents when it is an Italian ambassador. The use of accents adds nothing to the text and should not be used in my opinion.

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Wonderful as always

Alison Weir is a wonderful writer of historical fiction and never disappoints. She clearly does her research and brings her characters to life so you feel as though you know them. Maggie Mash is one of my favourite narrators.

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Interesting story but poor narrator

I like Alison Weir's books but I truly wish they had chosen another reader. She had a really annoying way to mimic Italian and French accents, old man's voice etc. It's hard to focus in the story when the narrator stands out - and not in a pleasant way.

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35 people found this helpful

A complex time in history brought to life

The War of the Roses is a complex period of English history, but I felt that this book made it much more interesting and brought the characters to life. There's a lot of historical detail and many characters to keep track of, but I found it an engaging story. I knew the bare bones of the conflict, but learned a lot from this book. If you like history, you'll enjoy the book. The reader is good.

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20 people found this helpful

Lots of detail

This is a well researched book.Full of lots of detail which helps to bring it to life.Generally I found it enjoyable,the only little niggle is Maggie Mashs' habit of using accents on every quote and it has 1 or 2 boring bits.But still informative and interesting otherwise.

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16 people found this helpful

Fascinating.

Many times throughout my life I'd heard the term 'wars of the roses' and had only the vaguest idea of what they were. This book fills the gap in my understanding. We have so many history books about just a few of our monarchs and it can be difficult to find anything substantial about those less known.

The reign of Henry VI was absolutely disastrous, but fascinating. This book is especially so because of its focus on the people involved above military matters.

The only downside is the narrator. She's alright except for when she's quoting someone, especially men. She uses the same wooden and stodgy voice for just about all of the English men, and poor accents for those born elsewhere.

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2 people found this helpful

Great listen

Would you listen to Lancaster and York again? Why?

A great insight to the politics of the time. You really start to understand what went on.

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A must.

Great book story wel told and clear. A must for anyone who loves the WOTR.

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Absorbing if you like violence

I reached the halfway point in this book, then decided that I had heard enough about the terrible violence of that time in English history.

But the audiobook is very well narrated and the author has you spell bound by the details.

Don’t let anyone talk about our modern day violence without looking at the ancient vests of the roses.

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