Friday Recommends...

Friday again, and it's time for my choice of book for Friday recommends...

This is an exciting book blog hop that book bloggers can take part in once a week to share with their followers, the books that they most recommend reading!

The rules for Friday Recommends are:

Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
Pick a book that you've read, and have enjoyed enough to recommend to other readers. It can be a book you've read recently, or a book you read years ago - it's up to you - but make sure you tell us why you love the book (like a mini review). You make the post as long or as short as you like.
Visit the other blogs and enjoy!




My Friday Recommended Read

 is

The Winter King : The Dawn Of Tudor England  

by 

Thomas Penn

Allen Lane (29 Sep 2011)

My 5 ***** Review

The young Earl of Richmond landed at Milford Haven in June 1485, with an entourage of loyal supporters. Two months later in a battle of hope over adversity, the house of Tudor conquered the last of the Plantagenets in the Battle of Bosworth field. Richard III, erstwhile King of England, lay dead and defeated, and the dawn of the Tudor age rose from the ashes of despair.

This easily readable factual account of the latter years of Henry VII's reign sheds light on this enigmatic King who is so often overshadowed by his successor ,Henry VIII. Seen by many as a Machiavellian figure, it's easy to assume that Henry VII was merely the supporting act before the glitter and glamour of his son. However,without the fortitude and control of this slight and unassuming monarch,the dawn of the Tudor age would have crumbled before it had really got started.

The author Thomas Penn has managed to convey the man behind the myth, and has created a sympathetic account of the Tudor search for stability and recognition. The narrative is never cumbersome, as the book can be read quite easily without the need for an extensive bibliography running alongside.

The impeccable research and fine attention to detail, make this book an ideal aide memoir if you enjoy historical novels set during this early part of the Tudor age. Alternatively, it is enjoyable as a stand alone read, and is an accomplished debut by a knowledgeable historian.