The Brothers York
An English Tragedy
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The Brothers York
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Narrated by:
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Roy McMillan
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By:
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Thomas Penn
About this listen
Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Brothers York by Thomas Penn.
In early 1461, a teenage boy won a battle on a freezing morning in the Welsh marches and claimed the crown of England. He was Edward IV, first king of the usurping house of York. The country, crippled by economic crisis, insurgency and a corrupt and bankrupt government, was in need of a new hero.
Charismatic, able and ruthlessly ambitious, Edward and his two younger brothers, George, Duke of Clarence, and Richard, Duke of Gloucester, became the figureheads of a spectacular ruling dynasty which laid the foundations for a renewal of English royal power. Yet a web of grudges and resentments grew between them, generating a destructive sequence of conspiracy, rebellion, deposition, usurpation and murder. The brutal end came on 22 August 1485 at Bosworth Field, with the death of the youngest brother, then Richard III, at the hands of a new usurper, Henry Tudor.
The Brothers York is the story of three remarkable brothers, two of whom were crowned kings of England and the other an heir presumptive, whose fatal antagonism was fuelled by the mistrust and vendettas of the age that brought their family to power. The house of York should have been the dynasty that the Tudors became. Its tragedy was that it devoured itself.
©2019 Thomas Penn (P)2019 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The Brothers York
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 28-12-19
Superb storytelling
This beautifully written biography of Edward IV and his brothers is narrated with great skill.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- MR
- 22-02-20
Sparkling historical writing
Superlative narrative writing based on thorough research by a leading new historian of the period. Roy McMillan's engaged performance makes it a gripping listen. The story with its brutally gory details has much to tell today's audience about life in an environment where law is dictated by naked political power.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mrs laura Cracknell
- 31-12-19
Superb in both history and story-telling
I found this history to be both rigorous and engaging, which is a hard trick to pull off. For people who read history all the time, it's incredibly well-sourced, weaving the original documents into the narrative seamlessly, and bringing the original authors to life in the narrative. For people who just want the story, it might move a bit slowly, but it's worth the effort.
The Wars of the Roses is a subject I have done a number of deep dives into, but I still learned a lot from this, particularly about England's role in Europe at the time. Most books on the period tend to concentrate on England alone, or give broad overviews. This one dives into the details to a level that seemed extraordinary, at points feeling like it was giving a day-by-day account of events. I always felt that the author had a grip on both the big and small pictures, and told the story in a way I could really follow.
Highly recommended, particularly if you're looking for something to bridge the gap between 'popular' and 'academic' history books.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 02-09-20
excellent
loved every minute of it. the narrator impeccable . Looking forward to more history books. Thank you
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Simon
- 06-02-24
A thorough history on the subject
amazingly detailed and researched history of this turbulent period of English history well worth listening to and a great companion piece to his book about Henry the seventh
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Kevin emery
- 05-05-22
not entirely factual
not entirely factual but interesting all the same
for example that author forgot all about Henry 8th brother
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Tim S WILLIAMS
- 20-07-20
A classic.
One of the most thorough, accessible and well written books of the war of the rose I've come across.
Roy McMillan is a fantastic narrator.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- JL
- 03-11-20
Excellent
Really enjoyed this well written account and the narration was superb, I shall look out for Roy McMillan again.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-05-23
Excellent and well-narrated
This is an exceptionally accessible and compelling account of the House of York. Very much enjoyed the details of the lives of Edward, George and Richard together with that of their father.
The narration is perfect for the tone of the book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jill Desborough
- 17-12-19
One of the best history books I've come across
A big brilliant listen. Lots of researched detail but never dry. Vividly written and wonderfully read. This s an era I've re quite a lot about but still felt I learned new things about the characters and events of these turbulent times. The major players seemed very well drawn, neither overly demonised nor totally unsympathetic, so it felt as if Thomas Penn was trying to give an objective account , rather than either character assassination or a eulogy. He doesn't make categorical judgement about the princes, though you could guess at his opinions. When he does discuss motivations they seem suggestive rather than dogmatic. One or 2 small details left out like Clarence's daughter supposedly always wore a wine casket trinket which indicates the validity of her fathers death by malmsey and I would have liked more about Cecile Nevilles responses to her sons' sexual smear campaigns and relations with them , but maybe these things are unknown. Some readers have seemed to find him very anti Richard, which I didn't find although I'm not a paid up Ricardian. Highly recommend!
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2 people found this helpful