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shroudofthesea's review
3.0
i think this series really starts to come into its own in its second installment. the henry vi segments in particular i found chilling and haunting, a great example of what historical fiction can accomplish when executed in a very intentional and purposeful way. by letting the chronicles cover the major events, the author can focus a lot more time and attention on the inner lives of her subjects than a lot of her contemporaries that i've encountered so far.
lisa_setepenre's review
4.0
Dare I say it out loud? I’ve found a good historical fiction series about the Wars of the Roses that isn’t Sharon Kay Penman’s The Sunne in Splendour? And, more importantly, a good historical fiction series that isn’t full of blatant Yorkist, Lancastrian, Tudor or Ricardian side-picking?
Livi Michael’s Rebellion is the second volume in her trilogy about the Wars of the Roses and, like the first volume, this isn’t a traditional historical fiction novel but one where short, often introspective chapters written from a variety of point-of-view figures are woven with brief excerpts of chronicles that form the structure of history. Michael’s focus is largely on Margaret of Anjou and Margaret Beaufort but she covers a range of different perspectives and, as a result, this is a much greyer story with no obvious ‘side’ and no obvious goodies vs baddies narrative.
I remain impressed by Michael’s characterisation choices because, by relying on the chronicle excerpts to inform the reader of the historical events, we instead focus on the internal make-up of the characters and their experiences. I’m not sure if this reliance on the chronicle excerpts will work for all readers but it means Michael can focus on the personalities and emotions as opposed to getting the details ‘right’ or depicting battle after battle. I sometimes felt that the excerpts interrupted the flow of the narrative but it wasn’t often enough that I felt it detracted overall. I was disappointed that Michael’s bewildering negative portrayal of Jasper Tudor was continued in this book.
While I found the first volume, [b:Succession|23848207|Succession|Livi Michael|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1440261112l/23848207._SY75_.jpg|39911576], a little hard to get into at first, Rebellion flew by for me.
Livi Michael’s Rebellion is the second volume in her trilogy about the Wars of the Roses and, like the first volume, this isn’t a traditional historical fiction novel but one where short, often introspective chapters written from a variety of point-of-view figures are woven with brief excerpts of chronicles that form the structure of history. Michael’s focus is largely on Margaret of Anjou and Margaret Beaufort but she covers a range of different perspectives and, as a result, this is a much greyer story with no obvious ‘side’ and no obvious goodies vs baddies narrative.
I remain impressed by Michael’s characterisation choices because, by relying on the chronicle excerpts to inform the reader of the historical events, we instead focus on the internal make-up of the characters and their experiences. I’m not sure if this reliance on the chronicle excerpts will work for all readers but it means Michael can focus on the personalities and emotions as opposed to getting the details ‘right’ or depicting battle after battle. I sometimes felt that the excerpts interrupted the flow of the narrative but it wasn’t often enough that I felt it detracted overall. I was disappointed that Michael’s bewildering negative portrayal of Jasper Tudor was continued in this book.
While I found the first volume, [b:Succession|23848207|Succession|Livi Michael|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1440261112l/23848207._SY75_.jpg|39911576], a little hard to get into at first, Rebellion flew by for me.
caomhin's review
4.0
The Wars of the Roses are one of those parts of English history that I know a bit about but really not enough, so I found the background of this book an interesting prospect. It seems a bit odd calling it Historical Fiction give it is a very accurate chronicle of events, but it isn't a reference book listing plain events and dates, Livi Michael deftly adds colour and humanity to the events whilst staying very loyal to the facts.
This book does suffer a little from something completely outside of Michael's hands - the English were pretty unimaginative with names, especially in the aristocracy. This leads to numerous Margarets, Edwards, and heaven forbid you try to count the number of Henrys. Throw in somewhat intertwined family trees, some titles (which can change hands), and allegiances that flip flop all over the place and at times I found myself slowing right down to make sure I knew who was whom. It's unavoidable since they were the people involved, but I think having only a passing knowledge of the era was a factor, and some one who knows even just a little more would find it a smoother read in that regard.
However, despite the odd moments of trying to work out who was fighting and plotting the story flows very easily. I feel I have closed the book far more informed of this significant period of English history and also somewhat entertained. Luckily the English pulled no punches back then so there are enough executions to make George R. R. Martin raise an eyebrow, even if Michaels doesn't do gory details, simply noting the event in most cases. The politics of Western Europe prove as tangled as ever and are presented in a suitably intriguing manner with plenty of room for people to change their minds on whims as often happened.
A well written book on a tough subject, but the author brings life to these oft forgotten skeletons. Noting that this is the first of a series I will add that the aspects covered in this book are nicely resolved, if a little hurried in the wrapping up at times - but again, that is often how war works. A good standalone book, and certainly a good sign for the subsequent writings.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through First Reads.
This book does suffer a little from something completely outside of Michael's hands - the English were pretty unimaginative with names, especially in the aristocracy. This leads to numerous Margarets, Edwards, and heaven forbid you try to count the number of Henrys. Throw in somewhat intertwined family trees, some titles (which can change hands), and allegiances that flip flop all over the place and at times I found myself slowing right down to make sure I knew who was whom. It's unavoidable since they were the people involved, but I think having only a passing knowledge of the era was a factor, and some one who knows even just a little more would find it a smoother read in that regard.
However, despite the odd moments of trying to work out who was fighting and plotting the story flows very easily. I feel I have closed the book far more informed of this significant period of English history and also somewhat entertained. Luckily the English pulled no punches back then so there are enough executions to make George R. R. Martin raise an eyebrow, even if Michaels doesn't do gory details, simply noting the event in most cases. The politics of Western Europe prove as tangled as ever and are presented in a suitably intriguing manner with plenty of room for people to change their minds on whims as often happened.
A well written book on a tough subject, but the author brings life to these oft forgotten skeletons. Noting that this is the first of a series I will add that the aspects covered in this book are nicely resolved, if a little hurried in the wrapping up at times - but again, that is often how war works. A good standalone book, and certainly a good sign for the subsequent writings.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through First Reads.
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