This
Son of York: A Novel. Anne Easter Smith. Bellastoria Press Llp. November 2019.
pb, 506 pp.; ISBN: 9781942209638.
“Loyalty
binds me” was King Richard III’s motto in the late 1490s in England. Anne Easter Smith presents the life of
Richard in a fairly even-handed manner, using multiple accepted sources as well
as the DNA and anatomy studies from King Richard’s corpse found under a car
park in Leicester, Great Britain.
Readers
cannot help but recognize that Richard lived a very difficult life with most of
it spent trying to repel the Tudor traitors from reigning, an endless enmity
between the Lancaster and York families.
As a young boy, his brother Clarence demeaned Richard, calling him “runt”
because of his smaller size. Clarence
was always the charmer around adults but his true mean streak often fell on
Richard. His brother Edward, the King,
knew Richard was the serious moral son and acknowledged it in admiration but
also in jest. Richard begins to earn
some self-respect when he is being prepared to be knighted under Warwick (“the
Kingmaker”) and serve the King.
Richard
is late to experience romance but when he falls in love with Kate Haute, a
commoner, he exhibits faithfulness and truly loving dedication to her for
life. She will have several children who
receive life-long financial support, even after Richard marries Anne, Warwick’s
daughter. From this point, a series of
disasters follow in which Richard is responsible for or connected with the
death of King Henry VII, the two sons of King Henry VII, and several traitors
including his brother Clarence. Add to
that his loss of his son Ned and his wife Anne and readers understand how Richard
is afflicted by guilt and depression.
The
War of the Roses is the main plot of this novel, with Yorkist kings for the
most part accused of too much drinking, injustice, poor leadership, etc. King Richard III actually only rules for two
years before he is killed in the Battle of Bosworth. This story also deals with
the scoliosis back problem that plagued Richard’s life. The author does a superb job of creating a complex
character who is credible and doubtful, proud but plagued by self-doubt,
compassionate but formidably harsh.
The
Son of York is a
momentous work of historical fiction sure to garner praise, questions and avid
commentary. It deserves high praise for
its excellent writing, characterization, depiction of setting and presentation
of complex mysteries and challenges regarding 15th Century English
history. Kudos to Anne Easter Smith for this highly recommended read!
