Sun in Splendour

This is the last book of Jean Plaidy's Plantagenet Saga and is a very good ending for the series. This tells the story of three kings. Edward IV, Edward V and Richard III. You are also very well introduced to Elizabeth Woodville and Anne Neville. I read most of this book during a power outage and continued to read through the night because this book told a story I didn't know and kept me wanting to know more. I've only read The Reluctant Queen: The Story of Anne of York (A Queens of England Novel) and that was told from Anne Neville's point of view and mostly concerned her love for Richard III. This book told that story and the stories of everyone surrounding them. Most important to this tale, for me, was Edward IV. A supposedly handsome man he married Elizabeth Woodville without "permission" from Richard Neville, the Kingmaker, sparking all kinds of trouble. You don't really get a feel for the type of woman Elizabeth Woodville was like you do in Philippa Gregory's The White Queen: A Novel (Cousins' War) but you get the jist of their story. You really get to know Edward though and Jean Plaidy made me wish I could meet him just once as he seemed like a really fun person. Her writing style pulls him through. I also really loved that she gave a lot of attention to the mystery of the Princes in the Tower. I've never read anything much on that and she does an amazing job on it. I'll also say she does a very good job and breathing life into Edward V. A king with such a short reign I nearly always forget about it. Then there's the hated Richard III. Jean Plaidy's Richard isn't so bad. He's not 100% likable, but you don't hate him. I liked the treatment he received in The Reluctant Queen: The Story of Anne of York (A Queens of England Novel) but unlike that book this one goes into his reign after the death of his wife. Overall a very good ending to a wonderful series. I was very sorry it had to end.

This volume is but another superb educational tool for anybody who would dig into his or her's heritage. It's essential to understanding from where our Anglo/American culture has evolved.

I've read all of Jean Plaidy's Plantagenet saga, beginning with Henry II and now this masterpiece about Edward IV. I must say that I enjoyed this novel a great deal. Jean Plaidy has this way of keeping the reader guessing even though we know the outcome (assuming we've studied our history a little bit)! "Sun In Splendour" begins with the newly widowed Elizabeth Woodville who was cold and ambitious. She was so beautiful, Edward married her secretly, for she would never become one of his many mistresses. I found, even though she was so hated by the people, that I cared for her a great deal- the mother of the Princes in the Tower. Edward IV had a very loyal brother, Richard, who would later reign as King himself for a short time. He also had a brother George, the power hungry and drama creating, Duke of Clarence who would eventually betray Edward and pay with his life. Edward IV was a philanderer, he trusted too easily and had a hard time saying no to his ambitious wife, whom he loved because she never complained. He was tall and handsome and the people loved him because he was such a strong and kind king. Plaidy had such a magical way of bringing this story to the heart that I found myself caring for everyone...even the "bad guys." It was a great novel and I rate it up their with one of my favorites in the saga. It was never boring and it didn't drag on. It was a fast paced and exciting read and I'm almost sad I had to finish it. But on to the next and last in the saga- "Uneasy Lies the Head" - about Henry VII and the beginning of the Tudor reign!

I loved this book! It's my favorite of the Plantagenets, so far! It really goes into Edward and Richard, their lives and their relationships, it also has alot of battles and swordplay. Great Book!!!