The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the RIse of the Tudors

Written by:
Dan Jones
Narrated by:
John Curless

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
85
Narrator
21
Release Date
October 14, 2014
Duration
15 hours 10 minutes
Summary
The author of the New York Times bestseller The Plantagenets chronicles the next chapter in British history-the actual historical backdrop for Game of Thrones The fifteenth century saw the longest and bloodiest series of civil wars in British history. The crown of England changed hands five times as two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty fought to the death for the right to rule. Now, celebrated historian Dan Jones describes how the longest reigning British royal family tore itself apart until it was finally replaced by the Tudors. Some of the greatest heroes and villains in history were thrown together in these turbulent times-from Joan of Arc and Henry V, whose victory at Agincourt and prudent rule marked the high point of the medieval English monarchy, to Richard III, who stole the throne and murdered his own nephews, the princes in the Tower. It is also a period of headstrong and resilient women-Margaret of Anjou, Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort-who were not afraid to seize power and bend men to their will. With vivid descriptions of the battles of Towton and Bosworth, where the last Plantagenet king was slain, this is a bold and dramatic narrative history that will delight readers who like their history with a healthy dose of bedlam, romance, and intrigue.
Reviews
Profile Avatar
Leslee Feaster

Enjoyably written and well narrated. I've been listening to and reading about The War of the Roses for years, and was pleased that the author presented a fairly unbiased description of events as well as some new information.

Profile Avatar
Alexandria R

What a fantastic read. If you are a scholar of the war of roses you cannot complete your career without visiting this beautifully written and fantastic ride through this century.

Profile Avatar
Anonymous

A fascinating book for anyone interested in UK history or has even been to the UK. One really gets a sense of England in the late middle ages, at least from the upper upper crust point of view. If you are not good a remembering names and titles, you may have some problems because the book if full of a who's who in English royalty. To get the full impact it would be helpful to have a chart showing the different families and assorted marriages. Also, if you are not familiar with English place names, having a map handy would be helpful. But even without the genealogy chart and map, the book is a fascinating read.

Profile Avatar
Anonymous

Absolutely riveting account of England’s turbulent 15th century politics, infused with interesting and entertaining quotes from contemporary sources. This felt like a wonderfully crazy roller coaster ride; Jones’s writing style is beautiful and addictive — his manner of providing larger-picture context throughout the exciting stories not only helps to keep the chain of events clear but also makes it easy to understand and even empathize with protagonists who have often not been treated objectively. I also appreciated the well-balanced attention paid to the many women involved in, contributing to or impacted by their history; they emerge as much fully three dimensional portraits as their male counterparts. Extra bonus: The audiobooks version is one of the best narrated books I’ve listened to.

Profile Avatar
Anonymous

This book presents such extensive rich documentation of the history of this time. I appreciated the macro perspective entwined with the details of the individuals involved.

Profile Avatar
Kenneth D.

I enjoyed this book very much as my English history during this period is lacking. I thought the narrator also did a marvelous job reading with emotion and empathy. I just downloaded “The Six Wives of Henry VIII” so I can follow up on what happens to the second Tudor king!

Profile Avatar
eric taylor

Great book, it reads more like a fiction novel more than a book of fact. Dan Jones does a great job of not putting you to sleep with history and continues to present you with new information about historical characters that you thought you knew everything about

Profile Avatar
Philip H.

This story is written like a history book, but with some character development and probably many assumptions. I felt like I was listening to a history of the Games of Thrones families, only drier and not as entertaining. But hey, this is supposed to be true history and not a fantasy story.

Profile Avatar
Chasi D.

Well done all the way around. Great history ride without feeling like you are in school.

1 book added to cart
Subtotal
$24.99
View Cart