The Stolen Crown: The Secret Marriage That Forever Changed the Fate of England

This novel meets my first criteria for excellent historical fiction: it is well-researched and true to the contemporary sources. The two protagonists are Katherine "Kate" Woodville, youngest sister of Queen Elizabeth, consort to King Edward IV of England, and Henry "Harry" Stafford, the Duke of Buckingham. In turn, they describe their lives and the effect the political and personal events of their time has upon their marriage. The book begins in 1464, when Kate and Harry are children, with the courtship and marriage of Kate's eldest sister Elizabeth Woodville to young and handsome King Edward IV of England. The Woodvilles are a large and close-knit family whose father Richard is a member of the English gentry and whose mother Jacquetta is a kinswoman of the royal House of Luxembourg. Well-born enough though they are, the Woodvilles are considered upstarts, and Edward IV's marriage to Elizabeth, a mere subject, is considered inappropriate by many. To make matters more unbearable to Edward's and Elizabeth's enemies, Elizabeth's numerous sisters are given good marriages, and none is grander than the arranged marriage of Kate Woodville to the fatherless young Duke of Buckingham. Harry is the ward of the Yorkist King and Queen and so has no say in the matter, despite the wealth of his inheritance and his royal bloodline. In Higginbotham's novel, Kate Woodville is spirited, passionate, spontaneous, intelligent, and thoroughly likable. Harry is a far more complex personality, mostly because divided loyalties haunt his youth, as he attempts to reconcile his Lancastrian family ties with his Yorkist upbringing, and his manhood, as he wrestles with his love for Richard of Gloucester, his affection for his wife Kate, and his desire to do the right thing. That he fails to do the right thing and regrets it too late to make amends is the tragedy of his brief life, and his fatal flaw is a love for Richard that blinds him to Richard's amorality, greed, and opportunism. Thanks mainly to the influence of Paul Murray Kendall's biography Richard III, historical novelists have often portrayed Richard as captivated by Buckingham, in whom he sees the charm of his dead brother George. In Higginbotham's novel, however, it is Harry who is enthralled by Richard, whom the younger man has hero-worshipped since childhood. Buckingham's love for Richard is much more potent than his affection for Kate, and leads him to give Richard the weapon he needs to dethrone Edward IV's young son and heir Edward V. It is only when Harry learns of the deaths of Edward V and his little brother that his eyes are opened to Richard. By that time, it is too late. Too late, also, he understands his depth of love for Kate. To make amends, Harry throws his lot with Richard's opposition, who turn to Henry Tudor upon learning of the deaths of Edward IV's sons. The rebellion fails, however, and Harry is taken to Salisbury and executed on Sunday, November 2, 1483. Higginbotham i

Though I love historical fiction and history, I don't have a strong grasp of the War of the Roses. There were moments with the different Henries in The Stolen Crown that I wished that knew more about this time period. Having said that, the book is friendly and accessible to those of us who have a minimum grasp of the key characters. The story is told from the points of view of Kate Woodville and her husband Henry Stafford and begins at key points in their childhood. The early part of the book draws you in with the details of their young lives, their engaging personalities and the sheer importance of the events around them. Kate stumbles upon the wedding of her elder sister and the young King Edward IV. Harry finds himself duke and "playmates" with Richard, Duke of Gloucester. However engaging the beginning of The Stolen Crown may be, I enjoyed the latter part of the story best. For once I got to know Kate's Woodville relatives, I couldn't help but like them. The intrigue, action and drama heightens as the War of the Roses develops - and reading about these events from the perspective of Kate and Harry gives the story an added emotional draw. I don't want to ruin your reading with spoilers but Susan Higginbotham uses foreshadowing to great advantage! If you enjoy historical fiction - do check out The Stolen Crown: The Secret Marriage That Forever Changed The Fate of England by Susan Higginbotham. ISBN-10: 1402237669 - Paperback Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark; 1 edition (March 1, 2010), 400 pages. Review copy provided by the publisher.

I admit it, I usually only read for entertainment. I'm not big on non-fiction, so serve it to me "lite"! This is a fictionalized account of a real time in English history - so maybe the facts aren't actually known, but the author did a great job in filling in the blanks. Ms. H made the story a page turner, the main two characters were likable - even when they didn't do nice. I actually teared up at the end. Then, at the end, Ms H writes about what is really known/unknown, and I thought how she addressed the story made sense, and it is a story to remember. I had read "Traitor's Wife" some years ago, before it became a more publishable book (profitable) and really liked that one, too. So, I will look forward to any new book by this same author. She did good!

Susan Higginbotham has brought us her third meticulously researched historical fiction novel,The Stolen Crown. The story of the secret marriage of Elizabeth Woodville to Edward IV of England is told through the eyes of Elizabeth's younger sister, Katherine. In the way of royal families, Elizabeth's many siblings are soon placed in marriages advantageous to the king, and Kate is married to Harry, the Duke of Buckingham. Historical novels about the War of the Roses and its aftermath are everywhere right now, and I have read several of them. The Stolen Crown seems to be the most carefully researched and true to actual events, as they would have been seen through Kate's eyes. I often complain about historical novels not giving readers enough reference or background, and Susan Higginbotham always includes an interesting Author's Note, that I refer to often while reading. There is also a "cast of characters" in the front of the book, with descriptions and connections given. I highly recommend Susan Higginbotham's The Stolen Crown to those interested in this era of history. It is interesting and exciting, written with an eye on the family behind the history.

The Stolen Crown begins is told from the alternating POV of Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham and his wife Katherine Woodville. Henry (Harry) was married as a young child to Katherine, younger sister of Elizabeth Woodville - Queen of England and wife to Edward IV (no small feat for those *grasping* Woodvilles). When they grow older Harry and Katherine are able to establish a strong marriage, but Harry wants more power and position at court than Edward is willing to give him and he chafes at the bit, which only exacerbates his dilema. Harry is on firmer ground with Edward's younger brother Richard and when Edward dies and Richard thinks he can take it all....... This period and it's history is much too complicated to try to spell out in a review - either you know the basics going in and don't need a rehash or if you don't I'd just have your eyes glazing over trying to explain it all. What I enjoyed most about this one was the *fresh* look at the period from the POV of Harry and Kate and how his rebellion against Richard III might have come about. I just loved Kate's voice and her dry sense of humor, as well as seeing them both as children and then adults caught up in a political storm beyond their control. I loved the way the author brought some humor into the York/Lancaster differences, as well as busting some of those commonly held myths - Katherine being much older than Harry as well as the Woodville women being practicing witches. I appreciate that Higginbotham doesn't try to muddle her story with *authentic* period language - no "woe is me" to be found in this book (but that's a good thing). You also won't find a saintly-pure-as-the-driven-snow Richard as he's been painted by recently by some of our latest and *cough* greatest historical fiction authors, although this Ricardian may not always agree with the author's interpretations :p Impeccably researched, the author mentions in her notes what is fact, what is surmised from the known facts as well as those mysteries that will probably never be solved like the Princes in the Tower. Highly recommended for any fan of this period as well as a good eye-opener for those new to it, this should give you a good grounding without overwhelming you at once. My all time favorite is still Sharon Penman's fabulous The Sunne in Splendour. 4.5/5 stars. ****** My copy courtesy of Sourcebooks. Thank you.