The Rose of York: Fall from Grace by Sandra Worth

The Rose of York: Fall From Grace by Sandra Worth. End Table Books. May 2007. ISBN #: 9780975126493

What destiny awaits a King who bases his rule on Malory's account of King Arthur or the chivalric myth and romance of Tristan and Iseult? How much does one embrace idealism while practically dealing with the more demoralizing situations one meets on a daily basis? The Rose of York: Fall From Grace is potent reading for contemporary readers for just that reason - for how many leaders and citizens of any nation yearn for a country of justice, compassion, and nobility? And how many, like King Richard III, are scarred and disillusioned by the ancient good vs. evil battle that ever looms to threaten that heroic vision?

Fall from Grace, the last book in The Rose of York series, depicts a visionary man assuming the crown of England in a time fraught with the treachery of his deceased brother's wife, Bess Woodville and the innumerable disgruntled men and women she has swayed to her dream of wresting the throne from Richard. The mystery thickens with the disappearance of Edward's children! The agony deepens with two more deaths that will plunge Richard into doubt and depression. Foreign powers hasten to take advantage of the King's agony. Worse than the threats are the rumors that turn the nation against King Richard. This brief outline barely touches the poignant depth of this beautiful story of a man whom history does not know whether to bless or curse and whom few realize gifted the Western world with the code of legal justice still practiced today.

'Tis a grand job you have done, Sandra Worth, in this trilogy. This is a deeply moving, well-written book that should become required reading for anyone seeking to know the heights of what a true ruler can imagine and attempt to create, no matter what vicissitudes of life threaten!

Keep writing, Ms. Worth - you are a rare talent at creating meaningful, accurate and literary, historical fiction!