The Last Plantagenets

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Summary: Heroism and evil in the Wars of the Roses
Review: A decent book on the historical period which took place in England from the reign of Richard II to Richard III. Not as breathtaking as other Costain titles, this nevertheless was entertaining and very thorough in its section on Richard II. Unfortunately, this takes up half the book, and the rest of the Henries and Edward IV and Dickon are given short shrift.

Rating:
Summary: Heroism and evil in the Wars of the Roses
Review: A decent book on the historical period which took place in England from the reign of Richard II to Richard III. Not as breathtaking as other Costain titles, this nevertheless was entertaining and very thorough in its section on Richard II. Unfortunately, this takes up half the book, and the rest of the Henries and Edward IV and Dickon are given short shrift.

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Summary: The Last Word
Review: Costain once again demonstrates he is a master storyteller and has a knack for infusing life into what could be a dreary story.

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Summary: The Last Plantagenets
Review: English History at it's finest. You feel as if you are there with these people, living their lives. Always in good form, this is one of Costain's best.

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Summary: This is history that reads like a "nail biter" novel
Review: I have an old dog eared paperback of this book. I thought it was long out of print. This and the other three books about the Plantagenets by the same author contain some of the most stirring history of the english speaking peoples. It is hard to believe that a history book could be a page turner, but it's true. They should be required reading in high school, for then our young citizens can gain a proper appreciation of the magnificent beginnings of democracy in England and how our own freedoms, now taken for granted, were won by boody struggles and the wisdom of far-seeing men. This series on the Plantagenets begins with Henry II and his consort, Eleanor of Aquitaine (a wise lady far ahead of her time), and ends with the death of Richard III on Bosworth Field at the hands of the future Henry VII. At the end of this volume the author muses on the mingling of the Saxon and Norman cultures and how they together created an England that brought back the beacon of democracy and respect for human rights for a dark and oppressed world.

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Summary: A true page turner -- and you might even learn something!
Review: I read this series in the 1980's -- and loved it! It has all of the elements of great drama -- and it is history! Why is it no longer available in bookstores

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Summary: Good historian; good storyteller
Review: Mr. Costain is a very good historian. His scholarship is thorough and his conclusions are always logically wrought and sometimes surprising. His sensibilities are surprisingly contemporary, although I would not term him a "revisionist," (he wrote this history in the 1950s). For example, in his defense of Richard III (in this, the final book in this four-volume history) he travails against conventional opinion to demonstrate why King Richard was, indeed, not the Richard III of Thomas More as popularized by Shakespeare and held true to this day. And in the first volume, the author dashes myth and idle folklore to side with those historians who portray Eleanor of Aquitaine as the wise and effective check on Henry II and her sons that, she no doubt was. In so doing he disperses, through well-reasoned argument, the rumors and "Entertainment-Tonight" kind of fluff (History-Lite) that many still believe. I had been told these four volumes were classics. After reading them, but without being a scholar of history, I think those critical readers might be right. Certainly, Mr. Costain opened my eyes to a different kind of history telling, one in which an historian does not hesitate to conjecture or opine openly and to honestly make his case and then leave it for a reader's judgement. From front to back, from first through fourth volumes, this is a valuable and pleasurable experience. Mr Costain, presents, argues, harangues convention and, always entertains with a use of the language that is as sharp as his reasoning and as precise as his scholarship. Mr. Costain is a very good story-teller.

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Summary: Brilliant and addicting
Review: The last installment of the "A History of the Plantagenents" succeeds admirably. Costain has a way of transferring is love and excitement of a subject onto his pages. It's a method that has yet to be rivaled. He gives each character a distinct personality no matter how trivial. William Caxton being a prime example. About half the book is concentrated on Richard II, which is fine because most historians either concentrate on the Black Prince or Henry V and skip over him. Here we see a sympathetic monarch who was easily bullied and who made some bad decisions early in his reign. After Richard II, he continues on through the kings until Richard III. Here he breaks protocol and gives evidence in defense of Shakespeare hunchback, citing Tudor propaganda as the catalyst. Normally, Costain is careful to present detailed accounts of both sides to an arguement, but here he takes a stance. It is quite refreshing and readers will eat it up. Highly recommended as well as the others in the series. My uncle gave me these books and I plan on returning the favor when the next generation comes my way. Treasure these.