Read of the Week

This week I gladly dove into Blood and Roses by Helen Castor, the second of her books I have loved. First of all let me say that Helen Castor truly is a master historian, bringing facts and people of the time to the forefront and presenting their stories in an incredible way. In her writing the most ordinary of days in Pre-Tudor England seem fascinating. Blood and Roses presents the life of the Paston family who lived during the tenuous, often violent period of the War of Roses. The time was highlighted by the largest mass slaughter of English nobility in history. This killing was at the hands of brothers, cousins and often former friends as the country divided over the question of who had a legitimate claim to the throne of England. Unlike many authors specializing in this time period, Castor focuses on the contributions of women. She follow Margaret Pastor as she outfits her family's tenants with armor and weaponry and oversees their brief training before marching out to take on a rival landowner who plans to lay siege to Margaret's family home at Gresham in the absence of her father-in law, husband and brothers. Outside of the every day lives of women during this time, Castor pays homage to the men who died defending the York or Lancaster claimants citing one battle where the snow was dyed red from the blood of thousands of dead on both sides. The author uses more primary source material than the reader can comprehend, relying on first-hand accounts of battles, property records, letters and other material to build a foundation for a not only incredibly well-written book, but one that is the pinnacle of historical integrity. This book is one I would happily recommend to you all.

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