ePub Blood Sisters: The Women Behind the Wars of the Roses by Sarah Gristwood in History

Review

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Villains; victors; or victims?By GallaThe concept of this book is interesting....a study of several women who played an integral part of the Wars of the Roses. In some ways it follows the concept of The Kingmaker's Sisters which was an attempt to provide more information about the sisters of the Earl of Warwick and who were all married to men who were active participants in the murder and mayhem of those years. Gristwood; however; has an advantage over Baldwin since there are far more documents related to the women she discusses. These women also were more important and in three or four cases were as equally active as the men in fighting for their cause. Gristwood has certainly done her research and her book is replete with information. She is fortunate in the fact that several excellent biographies have been written about Margaret of Anjou; Margaret Beaufort; and Elizabeth Woodville. I enjoyed reading the book but can understand why some readers might get confused with the plethora of Margarets and Elizabeths. (I learned to give them nicknames some time ago: Margaret the Virago (of Anjou); Margaret the Loyal (of Burgundy); Elizabeth of York the Sacrificial Lamb; and Margaret Beaufort the Cobra....all of which shows my bias.) Despite its completeness; the book is not the most appropriate book for someone just beginning to read about the Wars; and a more general summary might be the best introduction. I also think that Gristwood is a tad too sympathetic to Margaret of Anjou and to Margaret Beaufort and that may reflect an Alison Weir influence. Margaret of Anjou was certainly courageous and valiant in fighting for her husband and son but did not show much intelligence in many of her actions. As for Margaret Beaufort; Gristwood appears to give her the benefit of the doubt as to whether or not she was involved in Buckingham's Rebellion or was actively engaged in manipulating events for her son so early. Why should there be any doubts? She showed herself to be highly focused on her goal and opportunistic in "catching the nearest way". Perhaps the Tudors really should be called the Beaufort dynasty because of her efforts; her son; grandson; and great granddaughters certainly took after her in many ways. Cecily Woodville is a fascinating character and deserved more attention. And as for Anne Neville; she comes across as a cipher. It is true that we know very little about what she was like but in this interpretation she seems to be the cowed victim of her father; her mother-in-law; her brother-in-law; and finally her last husband; Richard III. Reading this book made me an active participant because I found myself either shaking my head in disagreement or nodding in agreement with a number of Gristwood's interpretations. That made it highly enjoyable.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A great book!By aeandersonI was thrilled to see that finally; FINALLY someone had chosen to write a book about the many fascinating women of this time period; and I'm happy to say that this book lived up to my expectations. It is amazing to me that so little is known about these truly incredible women and that they are often simply footnotes in the greater story of the Wars of the Roses.One of the criticisms I have noticed of this book is that a great deal of it is written from a speculative point of view; as in "she might have felt..."; etc. Unfortunately; as I felt the author made clear; we do not always have a complete picture of each of these women for a variety of different reasons. Because of this; it is sometimes necessary to imagine or "fill-in-the-blanks" as to what the motivations or feelings might have been behind some of the documentation that we do have. In this case; the speculation did not bother me because I felt like Gristwood did very well with the material she had available.Other reviewers have mentioned getting lost among the similar names and tumultuous politics. I have been reading up on the Wars of the Roses for several years now and believe that it is one of the most confusing times in British history-- add in the fact that every third person seems to have the same name and it can be really difficult to follow along at times. It might be good to have a little basic knowledge of the families before starting this book; but when you do; please read it because these women deserve to finally have their stories told and Gristwood tells them well. You won't be disappointed!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A story long neglected .By John S. CarterAny mother should read this history then have their daughters read it. The influence of women/mothers has always been known but not told . Now with this history their legecey is now being told. Women have always have had effect upon the affairs of their mle counter parts in politics and statesmanship it just as Ms. Gristwood states ; they have been treated as secondary to the male. I do believe that certain males did know of the women's strength or would learn by taking their femintal for weakness;the ladies have a sutle way of dealing with this. If any other myths that are cleared ; this history does it to the myth of the Sisterhood.The only difficulty in reading this book ; is ;as with most royal history; was the changing of titles.For beginners suggest that one keep lap top near by to provide background on the people. The final chapters are in themselves worth reading.as far as the true effect of these women had upon history.AS ABIGAL TOLD JOHN;'' DO NOT FORGIT THE WOMEN'';BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT FORGIT YOU.