HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

A Rose for the Crown by Anne Easter Smith
Loading...

A Rose for the Crown (original 2006; edition 2006)

by Anne Easter Smith

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
6252337,169 (3.92)44
Having read Alison Weir’s “A Dangerous Inheritance”, which featured that author’s imagined presentation of two of Richard III’s illegitimate children, I decided to check out “A Rose for the Crown” to see how Anne Ester Smith’s interprets these same *real* people as characters in a novel.

Both John and Katherine Plantagenet are portrayed very differently in this novel compared to Ms Weir’s excellent tome, which, although I preferred the latter’s offering, is not a bad thing, as Ms Smith has produced worthy alternatives.

But the main focus of this tale is of the baseborn children’s mother, depicted here as Kate Haute, though to date there is no certainty that KH was John and Katherine’s mother in reality. But this doesn’t matter in fiction, for it naturally gives an author’s imagination more scope.

Ms Smith has used real events during the period 1459-91 as a framework for her novel whilst focusing on the life of Kate Haute from her time as a nine-year-old through to the age of forty. An important theme is Kate’s involvement with Richard III when he was a youth and known then as the Duke of Gloucester.

This is a long book with few lulls. Only once in a while did I feel the author was needlessly digressing and perhaps this tome would’ve been a stronger read had it been edited a little more.

Certainly the amount of commonplace dialogue should’ve been cut down. The dialogue itself is very good but there’s an overuse of “Well met”, “Good day”, and other common niceties that the reader doesn’t need when they can imagine polite greetings without seeing it in black and white.

On several occasions the commonplace dialogue is repeated immediately in the dialogue attribution as the sentence below demonstrates:

“Good day to you, man, and God speed,” Richard dismissed the peasant pleasantly.

The attribution coveys the same info as the dialogue, thus it’s unneeded.

This is arguably the worst sentence in the book:

“Good day to you, Kate,” he greeted Kate cheerily.

You have “Kate” repeated twice in close proximity; an adverb is tagged onto the dialogue attribution; the attribution isn’t needed anyway because we know who’s being addressed, and the “Good day” alone suggests a cheery greeting. Overall, this is more superfluous commonplace dialogue that could’ve been cut altogether.

My main criticism of this otherwise excellent book is the author’s inclusion of a prologue that gives away the fate of John and Katherine, plus a couple of other “surprises”, in the first few pages. Speaking as someone familiar with this period, it didn’t spoil the story as such, but I did not know how the author intended to deal with the brother and sister before I started reading, so instead of learning of their futures by the end of the book I was instead alerted to their fates almost immediately.

Therefore, anyone unfamiliar with the period will probably feel let down by this. The author has revealed the destiny of two important characters too early, ruining any potential suspense regarding their futures. Had Ms Smith integrated the details of this prologue into the latter stages of the book or the epilogue then she would’ve invoked more sympathy from the reader whilst creating a stronger ending.

Although I’ve been somewhat critical, I still really liked this book, as the 4 Stars suggest, and intend to read more work by this author. ( )
  PhilSyphe | Jul 19, 2014 |
Showing 23 of 23
DNF = got almost halfway through, too many offensive stereotypes and cliches. It's a shame, too, because this period in British history is interesting and it's cool to see what Katherine Swynford's descendents are up to but between the amateurish writing and the stereotypes the history couldn't shine. ( )
  sgwordy | Dec 31, 2022 |
First book I've read by this author and I was not disappointed. Wonderfully written and I got lost in the love affair of Kate and Richard III. I can't wait to read the other two books I have purchased from this author. ( )
  ChrisCaz | Feb 23, 2021 |
Basically the life story of Richard III in novel form. I knew little of the Plantagenet's before I read this book which has inspired me to do a little historical research. I find this book to be competent in most of its historical assumptions; perhaps a little less so on the intertwining of Richard and his mistress, Katherine Haute; but it makes for a great story! I will definitely read more of this author. ( )
  Tess_W | Jul 13, 2019 |
A Rose For The Crown is a big improvement over this author’s other works I’ve read. The storytelling is more fluid without a ton of awkward descriptive side paragraphs or too perfect characters (though at times Kate had that stink about her). Phrasing sometimes read as awkward, but I could see the author’s reasons for those exchanges. Overall, I enjoyed this historical exploration more than previous attempts by Smith.

I think the ambiguity of my Kate Haute and Richard III knowledge helped spice this story for me. All I really knew about Richard was the propaganda that history has spewed about him and the fairly recent discovery of his bones under a parking lot. To see him from the eyes of one who loved him for himself rather than his position was an eye-opener. Kate’s simple faith and love made him more human to me, giving him more complex motivations rather than a lust for power and evil murdering personality.

Kate was a blank slate for me; I’d only read her name in passing. I enjoyed seeing her fleshed out into a woman with a personality all her own: loyal, sometimes blind to reality, loving, and sweet. The author didn’t have much in the historical record to go off of; according to her author’s note, there’s even some doubt that Kate was Richard III’s mother of his illegitimate children at all. Yet, she was a great foil with which to see the times and Richard’s place in them.

The author pleases again in the history department. Her setting skills are handled with aplomb, as per usual. The reader sees, hears, and smells each scene. I’ve come to expect this from Smith. The one area where this book falters a bit falls in this area, though. There are locations in the narrative where the speech can get very stilted and awkward, dragged down with exact phrasing from the era. I can appreciate that the author was striving for historical accuracy; so I can understand the reasoning. Yet, at times these exchanges made reading enjoyment hard to reach.

A great window into a little known woman who saw much change in her life, this work was a pleasant diversion. Historical figures got new life and perspective, Kate giving us a new window into their soul. She, herself, shone as a loving, if flawed, personality. Some stilted conversational exchanges don’t condemn this book. When taken as a whole, the book is a great historical fictional work, and I highly recommend it. ( )
  Sarah_Gruwell | Aug 30, 2016 |
Anne Easter Smith presents a thoroughly plausible scenario in which Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III) meets and loves woman who fathers his illegitimate children. Her research is complete and detailed as she weaves the known people surrounding Richard III as well as his own character. I have always been of the mind that Richard III was a good man who has been maligned through the ages and this book, though fiction, presented my views of him in a believable way. Great book! ( )
  Oodles | Feb 16, 2016 |
Having read Alison Weir’s “A Dangerous Inheritance”, which featured that author’s imagined presentation of two of Richard III’s illegitimate children, I decided to check out “A Rose for the Crown” to see how Anne Ester Smith’s interprets these same *real* people as characters in a novel.

Both John and Katherine Plantagenet are portrayed very differently in this novel compared to Ms Weir’s excellent tome, which, although I preferred the latter’s offering, is not a bad thing, as Ms Smith has produced worthy alternatives.

But the main focus of this tale is of the baseborn children’s mother, depicted here as Kate Haute, though to date there is no certainty that KH was John and Katherine’s mother in reality. But this doesn’t matter in fiction, for it naturally gives an author’s imagination more scope.

Ms Smith has used real events during the period 1459-91 as a framework for her novel whilst focusing on the life of Kate Haute from her time as a nine-year-old through to the age of forty. An important theme is Kate’s involvement with Richard III when he was a youth and known then as the Duke of Gloucester.

This is a long book with few lulls. Only once in a while did I feel the author was needlessly digressing and perhaps this tome would’ve been a stronger read had it been edited a little more.

Certainly the amount of commonplace dialogue should’ve been cut down. The dialogue itself is very good but there’s an overuse of “Well met”, “Good day”, and other common niceties that the reader doesn’t need when they can imagine polite greetings without seeing it in black and white.

On several occasions the commonplace dialogue is repeated immediately in the dialogue attribution as the sentence below demonstrates:

“Good day to you, man, and God speed,” Richard dismissed the peasant pleasantly.

The attribution coveys the same info as the dialogue, thus it’s unneeded.

This is arguably the worst sentence in the book:

“Good day to you, Kate,” he greeted Kate cheerily.

You have “Kate” repeated twice in close proximity; an adverb is tagged onto the dialogue attribution; the attribution isn’t needed anyway because we know who’s being addressed, and the “Good day” alone suggests a cheery greeting. Overall, this is more superfluous commonplace dialogue that could’ve been cut altogether.

My main criticism of this otherwise excellent book is the author’s inclusion of a prologue that gives away the fate of John and Katherine, plus a couple of other “surprises”, in the first few pages. Speaking as someone familiar with this period, it didn’t spoil the story as such, but I did not know how the author intended to deal with the brother and sister before I started reading, so instead of learning of their futures by the end of the book I was instead alerted to their fates almost immediately.

Therefore, anyone unfamiliar with the period will probably feel let down by this. The author has revealed the destiny of two important characters too early, ruining any potential suspense regarding their futures. Had Ms Smith integrated the details of this prologue into the latter stages of the book or the epilogue then she would’ve invoked more sympathy from the reader whilst creating a stronger ending.

Although I’ve been somewhat critical, I still really liked this book, as the 4 Stars suggest, and intend to read more work by this author. ( )
  PhilSyphe | Jul 19, 2014 |
I think this is a dreadfully mediocre book: labored characterization, cliched writing, and adds nothing original to our sense of the period or its central dramas. Pretty cover, though.
  rmaitzen | Feb 7, 2014 |
I was very eager to read A Rose for the Crown as I have long been curious of Richard III. Of course I know the history and how many regard him as a villain. Some call him a Wife poisoner and others of course accuse him of being a usurper and a killer of his nephews. Historically none of that can be proven of course and you always have to take some things with a grain of salt (Anne Boleyn being a witch anyone?), still I wanted to see what Anne Easter Smiths take on Richard III would be. I would not be disappointed.

Kate Bywood is a fiery young lady who by all accounts is a nobody to the royal houses of England. However thanks to some turns in life that put her in favorable places she as a young girl and throughout her younger days meets Richard Plantagenet. The more the young pair meet one another the more they are attracted on many levels to each other. You can not help but be drawn into their love story as it unfolds. A love that while is passionate and all consuming both know can never be more than what it is. Richard could have as a royal Duke kept Kate in the kind of comfort that many royal Mistresses throughout time (and at that time) were kept in, especially after she bore him both a Daughter and a Son. However Kate valued the privacy more and her values as to not be known publicly as a Mistress. Something in the end that Richard deeply admires.

The story is heart warming and heart breaking all in the same as we follow the couple through life. In the end we all know what happens historically, Richard III was slain and Henry Tudor took the crown. The bastard Son John of Gloucester would also later be killed as a traitor. The book does not end on a bad note however with a new start being laid out for you the reader to go away with some good feelings. Overall this was another beautifully written book and while of course fiction, I dare anyone not to look upon Richard III with a kinder eye once they have read it. ( )
  LadyAmbrosia | Apr 18, 2013 |
I really enjoyed this fictionalised account of the woman who may have been the mother of Richard III's illegitimate children - the historical details of the story (except for the life of the main character Kate) are authentic and well researched. This is a light and easy book to read but one which rewards by leaving you with a little more knowledge about life and politics during this period of history. ( )
  PennyAnne | Aug 24, 2012 |
A Rose for the Crown is incredibly long and detailed, however, it is an excellent example of the historical fiction genre. The author's research is outstanding. ( )
  saskreader | Jan 6, 2012 |
The best of the series as far as I am concerned. As a huge supporter of Richard III, I always like it when he is painted in a good light. The craziest thing about this book is that the very 1st chapter tells you exactly how the story will end, and yet you find yourself hoping it is will not be so. If you are a fan of the Wars of the Roses based Historical Fiction, it is a worthwhile book to read. ( )
  RockStarNinja | Feb 20, 2011 |
Once upon a time there was really a woman named Katherine Haute who received an annuity from Richard of Gloucester. Based on this scant information, Anne Easter Smith created the Katherine Haute of “A Rose for the Crown,” as the woman who was the unknown mother of Richard III’s illegitimate children, a woman to whom many believe he was faithful before marrying Anne Neville. Anne’s rise from a lowly girl on a farm to the mistress of the Duke of Gloucester seems implausible, but was presented in a way that seems possible.

Overall this was a good read. Kate was an interesting character and her love affair with Richard was sweet. Unfortunately, it suffered a bit for me having been read in the same quarter as “The Sunne in Splendor.” “A Rose for the Crown” was well done, and was an entertaining way to engage with the history surrounding Richard – I think it is an interesting lens through which to view Richard – but it just didn’t feel quite as hardy as ” The Sunne in Splendor.”

If you are a fan of historical fiction, read both this and “The Sunne in Splendor.” Just make sure to read this first, or to wait a year or so between books. ( )
1 vote DevourerOfBooks | Aug 18, 2009 |
This is a particularly good historical novel. Reactions are likely to be somewhat shaded by what one thinks about Richard III. This is a pro-Richard novel.

Independent of historical politics, it is an extremely rich and vivid novel. The main character is the mother of Richard's illegitimate children. While Richard is the love of her life, she knows that she needs to have her own independent existence, especially after he marries Anne Neville.

Highly recommended. ( )
  PuddinTame | Aug 16, 2009 |
I liked the book, although I found it a little too long, and too long winded in her descriptions of everyday life ( )
  sds6565 | Jun 15, 2009 |
In this novel, Easter creates a character, Kate Haute, who is the mother of Richard's illegitimate children. The character is entirely fictional and the story, while occasionally insipid, is a pleasant enough read. The author credits "Daughter of Tyme" as her inspiration; a novel written some years ago which defended Richard and made a convincing case that he did not have his two boy nephews murdered in order to secure his throne. If the subject is of interest, I would defintely recommend "Daughter of Tyme" rather than this book. ( )
  turtlesleap | Sep 8, 2008 |
A Rose for the Crown is an ambitious first novel. Here Anne Easter Smith tells the story of Richard III--from another point of view.

The book is the story of Richard's mistress, called Katherine Haute. It is known that Richard had at least three illegitimate children, but history is fuzzy as to who their mother was. Smith surmises that Richard had one mistress that he was faithful to for a certain period of time that he then gave up when he married Anne Neville. Katherine Haute is fictional, but the world she lives in is not, and Smith is adept at telling a rich historical story in a way that so few historical fictional novelists can these days.

Kate Haute, born to a farmer, endures two unpleasant marriages before meeting Richard one day in the woods. Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and Kate become lovers, eventually having three children together. Their love story is at the heart of this wonderful novel, with the War of the Roses merely playing the role of backdrop. Richard stays completely faithful to Kate during their affair, only leaving her when he marries. However, he continues to support the children for long afterwards.

What's interesting about this story is that Richard is not the tyrant he appears to be in Shakespeare's play. Rather, Smith argues, he was a gentle, kind man who was prone to sudden bouts of bad temper. Shakespeare placed heavy emphasis on the murders of Richard's two nephews, but Smith tells the story a different way, saying that it was not Richard who ordered their deaths, but one of his close friends who betrayed him. I only know about Richard III through fiction, and not historical fact, so its difficult to determine which is a more accurate portrayal. I tend to think that neither is particularly truthful. A much better book than this is Sharon Kay Penman’s Sunne in Splendour. ( )
  Kasthu | Aug 16, 2008 |
The author definitely had an interesting concept for the book and the amount of research she did into the time period is readily apparent. However in a story that stretchs out for over 600 pages, the author never really manages to bring any of her characters fully to life or make the reader care much about their fates. ( )
  readingrat | Jul 14, 2008 |
Anne Easter Smith is known for the extent of the research that she does in writing her books. Unfortunately, she is not quite so talented with dialog as she with her historical facts and descriptions. But that does not take away much from this large and graceful novel. ( )
  mzonderm | Jun 12, 2008 |
This was a very enjoyable novel about the woman who might have been / could have been the mother of Richard III's bastard children. Certainly he did father 2, and possibly 3 bastard children prior to his marriage to Anne Neville. The author creates a fictional Kate Bygood Haute as one who could have been the mother. Many of the characters and events are historically accurate. I particularly enjoyed the role of John Howard, Duke of Norfolk, a nobleman loyal to the Yorks. I also find it interesting that the author's interest in Richard III was the result of having read Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. ( )
  lindymc | May 31, 2008 |
Beautiful! A wonderful romance that ties in with the War of the Roses. ( )
  sm2623 | Oct 24, 2007 |
I loved this book and am so happy I picked it up. Richard III is written as a serious yet caring young man and it is easy to see how he has been turned into a villain when it probably wasn't any of his fault. I really grew to care for the characters, especially Kate, and felt their pain at their losses. I also loved the specific details of medieval life, thrown in at random, proving that Smith did her research. This is also lighter on the history than, for example, Penman's work, which isn't my personal preference, but served the story well. ( )
  littlebookworm | Apr 2, 2007 |
Showing 23 of 23

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (3.92)
0.5 1
1 3
1.5 1
2 6
2.5
3 19
3.5 6
4 44
4.5 7
5 36

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 203,227,558 books! | Top bar: Always visible