St Martin's Press October 2013
The idea that an anointed King of
England could have lain undisturbed for the last 500 years under the concrete
of a Leicestershire car park caused a flurry of excitement. Along with the rest
of the world, I waited in hopeful anticipation that the achingly vulnerable skeletal
remains would indeed prove to be those of Richard III, the last of the Plantagenet
kings and the last king of England to be killed in battle.
In The King’s Grave, both authors
give their view on the results of the archaeological dig, which took place in
the summer of 2012. From Michael Jones, we are given the historical background into
the life and times of Richard III, putting into context, not just Richard’s fight
for the crown, but also shedding light on the complicated politics which followed
the premature death of Edward IV, in 1483. Philippa Langley’s epic contribution
demonstrates her absolute conviction that Richard lay beneath the letter “R” in
the social services car park, and demonstrates her dogged determination in
getting this project, which was so dear to her heart, from the planning stages
to its ultimate conclusion.
The book is exceptionally user
friendly. It enthrals like a well written historical novel, with at its centre
the almost unbelievable story that a King of England could have been left alone
and vulnerable for so long. As we know, the events which unfolded as Richard’s
remains were uncovered are far from fiction, and only the absolute conviction
from those enthusiasts who gave so willingly of their time, money and energy, meant
that this project ever saw the light of day.
I stayed up long and late to
finish this book, interspersing my time, with watching clips of the dig, which
can be easily found on YouTube. I found the whole project fascinating to
behold, not just the professionalism of those who had the difficult task of
extracting Richard’s skeleton but also in the sheer skill of those experts who
gave so willingly of their time to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Richard,
the last Plantagenet King of England, had indeed been found.
My thanks to NetGalley and St
Martin’s Press for my ecopy of this book.
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Thursday 31 October 2013
Review ~ The King's Grave by Philippa Langley and Michael Jones
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