A Rose for the Crown: A Novel
by Anne Easter Smith
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Book Summary Information
Author: Anne Easter SmithEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-03-07
ISBN: 0743276876
Number of pages: 672
Publisher: Touchstone
Book Reviews of A Rose for the Crown: A Novel
Book Review: (4.5) "What the eye does not see, the heart will grieve over."
Summary: 4 Stars
The irrepressible Kate Haute, nee Bywood, is intemperate in her actions, frequently precipitating her family's embarrassment. Yet, were it not for her quick wit and easy charm, Kate might never have attracted the attention of Richard of Gloucester, brother to King Edward IV, a major player in the great drama for the throne of England, the War of the Roses. Against the turmoil of the warring houses of Lancaster and York, Kate's clandestine love affair with Richard is a respite for the beleaguered monarch-to-be, Kate a perfect foil for endless intrigues to usurp the throne.
Born on a farm, but raised by a well-placed cousin distantly related to the queen, Kate's prospects are significantly improved. Married to an ageing, but kind merchant, although inwardly resistant, Kate is a dutiful wife. When her husband dies of apoplexy, Kate hopes for a more compatible union and believes she has found it in George Haute, but he is a staggering disappointment, avoiding the marriage bed for the pleasures of the taverns, the new bride faced with a loveless and childless marriage. A chance meeting with Richard of Gloucester changes all that, but the relationship is doomed by social incompatibility, although Kate and Richard throw themselves wholeheartedly into the affair for five years, until Richard marries into royal lineage. Meanwhile, Kate bears his children in her husband's name, George's parents embracing their daughter-in-law and grandchildren.
Kate is but a small part of this rapidly changing landscape, content to remain in the shadows, basking in Richard's love, even when brutalized by her husband to learn her lover's identity. As the war accelerates, Kate and the children are drawn closer to Richard's circle, learning first hand the incessant schemes and battles surrounding the throne. Soon enough the day comes when Kate must relinquish her lover to his fate, left with only memories to sustain her, Richard increasingly defined by his involvement in protecting the rights of his brother, King Edward. Although the Lancastrian point of view is given short shrift, the story line does much to illustrate the enormous expense of an ongoing conflict on the families caught in the middle, over-taxed and burdened by military campaigns that sap the energy of a war-exhausted country.
Kate is an unlikely consort for the future king; more likely she would be a temporary dalliance were it not for his exemplary loyalty. Reality strikes soon enough, Richard's marriage to Anne Neville prompting him to terminate the affair with Kate. Thereafter, the inordinate joy of their union extracts its revenge on Kate, who must release her children to Richard's care, assuring their future as children of royal blood. Kate bears the weight of her choices with good grace, mixing with peasant and prince, from the unpredictable futures of the less fortunate to the privilege of nobility, witnessing a war that drains the country of resources and goodwill toward their king. Although at times unabashedly romantic, the story is tempered with the harsh realities of 15th century England, capturing Richard at his most vulnerable, pre-villain, Kate Haute a buffer against a contentious, brutal world of soulless internecine politics. Luan Gaines/ 2006.
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