Book Blurb:
In a real historical Game of Thrones, a disgruntled younger son, Eddie De-la-Pole, sardonic and bisexual, dominated by his Beloved Mother, nurtures a bromance with the brother of the Yorkist queen. But the vain queen separates them. How will Eddie choose between his beloved friend and the rising, sinister star of the dynastic firmament, Richard, Duke of Gloucester? And who is the mysterious Catalan rabbi, who hangs around the English court, and eventually has a powerful influence over Eddie’s life?
Read and enjoy At the Court of Broken Dreams — a tale of love and war in the Middle Ages — to learn the answers to these and other fascinating questions.
Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/courtofbrokendreams
Editorial Review:
Did I ever tell you about my family? Some say the De-la-Poles originally came from Wales, and are descended from the old Welsh/Britannic princes, but I doubt that... we rose from the slime of the peasantry through brilliance, and brilliant marriages, to fund the brutal proud Plantagenets, then advise them, repeatedly take the blows in their stead when they cocked up the rule of England – and they did it often – and eventually, enriched by the blood of the Chaucers, to marry with them, and reach for the Crown itself. And even now, in the second decade of this sisteenth century of the Common Era, all is not lost; the Tudors are not so secure that they can sit easy on their stolen throne.
Stories of the War of the Roses, of the houses of York and Lancaster, fill the bookshelves in the category of Historical Fiction and Non-Fiction; however, quite often books come along which tell the story from a fresh viewpoint, and this is one of those books. As told in a narrative way, through the eyes of Edward De-la-Pole, a knight serving King Edward IV, son of Elizabeth Plantagenet, Duchess of Suffolk, and the grandson of the famous poet, Geoffrey Chaucer.
Laurence Baillie Brown's rendition of this point-of-view of the events of Edward's secret marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, of his tumultous reign, and the subsequent death of his brother, George, the king's own death, and the rise of Richard of Gloucester to the throne, as narrated through this character is truly unique and fresh. While most of the events of this time period are well-known by most historical fiction “War of the Roses” aficianados, this telling is packed full of De-la-Pole's passion-filled words and his character blazes to life as he vies for the approval, first of King Edward, then of the Queen's brother, and then, later, of Richard III. The twist comes much later when De-la-Pole befriends a Jewish envoy from the King of Aragon, and, ultimately, becomes a convert to the Jewish faith himself.
To describe Edward of York as beautiful could be likened unto calling the Almighty quite strong. He was... magnificent, resplendent, gorgeous. Even married men who were unattracted by the male body looked upon him in awe, mouths gaping in admiration. We were all ready to be his minions. He was very tall, well over six feet, golden blond and manly like a Greek hero. I fell in love. Here was a king to worship, a leader worth dying for.
Within this tale, there is a lot of emphasis put on loyalty, and the quest for greatness and nobility, thus the rise of the De-la-Poles; not to mention, you get a deep sense of this knight's love for the king, which is more than just a bromance since De-la-Pole hints again and again his affinity for both the stronger and the fairer sex. He does, at one point, form a strong attachment, and sets a hopeful star on Margaret, the king's sister, when he delivers her to Burgundy to marry the Duke of Burgundy, Charles. However, she remains his close friend only... and so begins his life-long friendship with Anthony Woodville, Earl Rivers, that is, until Anthony's death, of which he does nothing to prevent since he aligns with Richard's quest for the throne. So much for friendship.
In the mirror of memory, that distorting glass of time which fades or exaggerates all things, the events of the 1460s seem to tumble over each other in quick succession. Was Henry of Lancaster taken into captivity like a bewildered old bear before the revelation of the king's marriage or vice-versa? Does it even matter? I could search through the chronicles of that time, screwing up my exhausted eyes, but history is written by the victors; and they are not we.
For those who enjoy a lot of dialogue in a book, be prepared, for this, as stated, is a narrative of sorts, full of what feels like first-hand accounts of the events taking place, as if De-la-Pole is writing his memoir... which from the first, he declares this is exactly what he is doing. The narrative is rich, full of historical research, enlightening conversations, engaging scenes (such as the tournament), and De-la-Pole's character comes across as likable, intelligent, savvy, and with a gift of telling a story, sometimes with more of a slant perchance in his favor than in established history. Being a reader of this novel and a fan of Geoffrey Chaucer, the way the author wrote this tale using the character of Edward De-la-Pole, the poet's grandson, came across to this reader as truly brilliant. De-la-Pole inherited his grandfather's way of words, and the author renders this remarkably. Very impressive. Yet, as a disclaimer, any who are not wanting to read heavily worded, history packed prose, this might not be for you.
The death of kings are momentous, signalled by signs and portents, signifying the end of an epoch: the death of a kingdom, and its rebirth. But was this King Edward IV – the man who had been but twenty years before the shining giant, the hero of chivalry – whom I had worshipped in my youth? How had he become this bloated leviathan who had murdered his own brother and curdled his kingdom's relations with both Burgundy and France? And who, in dying now so prematurely, was leaving two mere boys – and a tribe of princesses – to inherit this broken legacy.
*****
“The Court of Broken Dreams” by Laurence Baillie Brown receives five stars and the “Highly Recommended” award of excellence from The Historical Fiction Company
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