The King's Grace

It was the cover that caught my eye in the bookstore, and when I read that Anne Easter Smith was tackling the issue of what ever happened to the missing princes in the tower, I knew I had to have this. The protagonist of the book is Grace Plantagenet, an illegitimate daughter of Edward IV. She becomes involved in a mystery when the princes vanish in the tower and, many years later, a man named Perkin Warbeck appears claiming to be the long lost Prince Richard. Is he really the lost prince? Is he just an imposter come to claim the crown of Henry? I found the book to be well written and a good page-turner.

I love historical fiction but I was a bit taken aback by the length of this book. It's a long but rewarding read built around a little known but real person Grace Plantagenet. Grace is the illegitimate daughter of King Edward IV. The author chose Grace as the central character in the book because little is known about her and this gave license for the author to create a fictional life that intertwined with real events and she did this well. Grace becomes involved in the life of Henry VII and the various pretenders to the throne. The book is a bit wordy but a satisfying read and I learned more about actual historical events than I expected. I highly recommend this book to historical fiction lovers.

Very well written, Anne Easter Smith creates a vivid portrait of 15th century England and all the terrors and wonders that accompanied it. The tale comes full circle, bringing back characters from Smith's previous two novels centered upon King Edward and his kin. It is at once heartfelt, gruesome, inspiring and frightening.

A wonderful first-person look at the court of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Very vivid imagery and the fictional love story adds an intimate touch.

In 1485, Richard III, having incarcerated his two nephews Edward and Richard in the London Tower a few years earlier, dies in battle. Everyone including their illegitimate half-sister and frequent visitor Grace Plantagenet assumes the young York Princes who vanished were killed by him. Thus Henry of the House of Tudor claims the crown and ends the War of the Roses. A few years later Perkin Warbeck arrives in London insisting he is the Duke of York, the younger Prince Richard and the rightful King of England, since he also claims his older sibling was killed by their uncle. Though her half-sister is the queen of King Henry VII and she herself is on the outer fringe of the court's retinue, Grace needs to know the truth whether Perkin is Richard or a ruse set in motion most likely by a bitter desperate Duchess Margaret to put the House of York back on the throne. Using an ultra minor real person with links to all the major players in the late fifteenth century as an amateur sleuth, Anne Easter Smith provides the audience with a deep look at the fates of the two princes. The story line is driven by the heroine who wants to be truly accepted by her family as she figuratively swims the polluted Thames trying to determine if the claim is genuine. Fans will enjoy her efforts as Ms. Smith brings to life a court loaded down with Machiavellian-like politics and backstabbing while the major players on the English stage are given the minor treatment as support cast. Harriet Klausner