About book To The Tower Born: A Novel Of The Lost Princes (2005)
Nell Caxton and Princess Elizabeth of York are great friends, both headstrong young ladies, who want the best for both of their families. After the death of King Edward IV and the murky succession of Edward V and Richard III, the two young boys, King Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York, are locked in the tower after it is proven that they were born illegitimate, which means Edward cannot assume the throne. Suddenly one day they are gone, and no one knows where, or if they are even alive. Nell is sure that they are dead, while Elizabeth is sure that they are alive and that her beloved Uncle Richard would never harm a child. Nell is a secretary in Margaret Beaufort's household, and while Nell does not like her, she feels as though there is something to be learned from being in her home, and she is right, although the extent of what secrets are hiding in that house are beyond what she ever could have imagined. One night after being forced to stop at another of Margaret's homes on the way back to the main estate, Nell makes a horrifying discovery. The two princes are alive, being held in a dungeon. Nell makes a promise that she will rescue them, and sets in motion a plan to help the two boys escape. Will they be successful or will Margaret Beaufort succeed in having the boys killed before Nell can save them? "To the Tower Born" is a great read. It brings together two families, and digs through some of the most turbulent times in English history. Many were to ready to believe that Richard III could have had his nephews murdered in order to take the throne for himself, and thereby clear the succession, but there were others who refused to believe that Richard would have stooped so low. There were no lack of suspects.. the Duke of Buckingham, who helped place Richard on the throne, and then designed plans of his own to take the crown. Margaret Beaufort who had a right of her own, but instead wanted the crown for her son Henry Tudor who was in exile. Then there were those that wanted the young prince Edward back on the throne, and would have done anything to undermine him, namely his sister in law, the former queen Elizabeth Woodville. I have long suspected Margaret Beaufort of having more than a passing interest in the young prince's disappearance, as it was to perfect for her and helped her plans along. This book pushes that theory to the front, and places blame elsewhere, thereby vindicating Richard III.
Maxwell states in the author's note, " The debate[of the princes) is stymied by several widely fifteenth century chronicles, all of which are seriously flawed by bias, factual error, and incompleteness.... But none of them has fashioned a wholly satisfying conclusion." Interesting, right? It should be! I just found too many road blocks in the way for me to "like" or "love" this book. Perhaps I have found myself saturated with so many theories about the princes in the tower. Maybe the problem is that I have already read books by [author:Anne Easter Smith|12352], Sharon Kay Penman, Philippa Gregory, Susan Higginbotham and more. What I couldn't stomach is the characterization of Elizabeth Woodville morphing into a 21st century rebellious teen. Maxwell totally lost me when "Bessie" tells her mother to "go stuff it!" I also couldn't by King Edward's daughter just running all over London so free spirited. In addition, I really hated the way Queen Elizabeth because although she had many faults, I am wholly convinced she loved her children. The big turning point of pointing the finger at (view spoiler)[ to Margaret Beaufort and Buckingham was not as original as Maxwell claims. Sorry, sweetie but other people claim the same. (view spoiler)[A real miss for me! (hide spoiler)]
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The fate of the princes in the tower, the young sons of Edward IV who disappeared just before twelve-year old Edward was to be crowned as Edward V, is a mystery that has fascinated people for 500 years. This treatment of the story treads a fine line between historical fiction and rather fanciful alternate history. I’ll give Maxwell credit for coming up with an unusual solution to the mystery. It’s unfortunate, though, that the basis of the story is founded on such stereotyped, almost cartoonish, depictions of the main players. Elizabeth Woodeville and Margaret Beaufort are scheming vilainesses (what other explanation could there be for women involving themselves in such important events?) Saintly Richard III is wronged by false friends. Elizabeth of York is plucky and down-to-earth, though strangely driven by vitriolic hatred of her mother (justified because her mother is an Evil Queen). Nell is Bessie’s best friend and Nancy Drew-like sidekick who just happens to be an extremely well-educated commoner, daughter of printer-to-the-stars William Caxton (view spoiler)[but worldly enough to have some prostitute friends ready to help at a moment’s notice (hide spoiler)]
—Sarah (Presto agitato)
In 1483, Edward and Richard of York—Edward already King of England—were placed, for their protection before Edward's coronation, in the Tower of London by their uncle Richard. Within months the boys disappeared without a trace, and for the next five hundred years the despised Richard III was suspected of their murders.In To the Tower Born, Robin Maxwell ingeniously imagines what might have happened to the missing princes. The great and terrible events that shaped a kingdom are viewed through the eyes of quick-witted Nell Caxton, only daughter of the first English printer, and her dearest friend, "Bessie," sister to the lost boys and ultimate founder of the Tudor dynasty.
—Sandy
An interesting addition to the fiction surrounding the lost princes in the tower, but I wasn't too impressed with the quality of the writing and the depth of the characters. The author puts forth the theory that Margaret Beaufort was to blame for the prince's disappearance. The novel switches between the viewpoints of Elizabeth Woodville and a bookprinter's daughter named Nell as they tell the story to the future Henry VIII. The content is interesting and kept me reading as she theorized about Richard's character and the characters of many others surrounding him. However, I couldn't help but feel like I was reading a novel intended for young adult readers. The girls both have crushes on older men and there's a lot of chaste silliness. Then the book suddenly switches gears and they become these awesome heroines when the book goes off any historical accuracy and into pure speculation near the end (trying not to add spoilers). So, I felt like the romance and the sudden heroics was meant to appeal to a younger audience. Even the style of writing was very simple like a young adult novel. However, my library had this book in the adult fiction section. I'm not saying that I dislike or would not read all young adult fiction, but if this was in that genre it wasn't a particularly good example from it. Anyway, it was interesting to read about the topic, but I'm not sure if I'll check out any other novels from this author if they're similar in tone.
—Jenny GB
