(The King's Grave: The Search for Richard III) [By: Langley, Philippa] [Jul, 2014]

by Philippa & Jones Michael Langley

On 22 August 1485 , Richard III was killed at Bosworth Field, the last king of England to die in battle. His victorious opponent, Henry Tudor went on to display Richard's body for two days in nearby Leicester and then hurriedly buried in the chuch of the Greyfriars. Fifty years later, the king's grave was lost, its content believed to be emptied ino the river Soar, and Richard III's reputation was buried under a mount of Tudor propaganda. Now in an incredible find- Richard III's remains have been uncovered beneath a car park in Leicester. The King's Grave traces this remarkable journey.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography

Paperback

Reviews

[Gabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a special book. I loved the back and forth of the past and present in each chapter, I felt it worked well. I really felt like I was on the journey with Philippa on her quest to find King Richard iii's remains, I felt her highs and her lows throughout. The same could be said while reading Michael Jones's chapters on Richards life, I really felt I was witnessing the events happening throughout Richards life. So much so that I was moved to tears while reading the Bosworth chapter.

I remember watching The King in the Carpark documentary when it first aired back in 2013, I remember the excitement surrounding this amazing discovery, and it's because of this discovery that I started my Ricardian journey. Philippa Langley is one of my heroes. She should be proud of this accomplishment.

[Amy Roebuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a theme day on Sunday. Al and I went to Cineplex to see the film of the Stratford Festival live production of Richard III, starring Colm Feore and their usual outstanding acting company. (Daughter Faith and two friends and I enjoyed watching it in person in the brand-new Tom Patterson Theatre last season.) I spent much of the rest of yesterday finishing this remarkable book.

The King's Grave (related editions are called "The King in the CarPark") is Philippa Langley's account of a multi-year effort to gather funding and a team to complete an archaeological exploration in Leicester, England, for the purposes of finding, identifying, examining and ultimately reburying the bones of Richard III. She worked on this book in partnership with historian Michael Jones (pay no attention to the listing of authors as shown above).

I often find it frustrating when authors alternate two timelines or storylines, chapter by chapter. I now believe, at least in this case, that my frustration is a compliment to Langley and Jones. While I'm reading about the dig, I'm upset when I have to stop to pay attention to Richard's history. Then, when I'm reading the history, I wince when I have to stop to get back to the dig. It's a sign that both storylines are absorbing. Good practice, too, for when the Sally Hawkins film The Lost King comes to town!

If you are interested in the story of Richard III (whichever side of the Lost Princes controversy you support), I recommend this book. As the authors are in respectful disagreement over the Princes, they debate that issue in a well-written appendix.

[Mark Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 weeks. A 2-sided story retelling both the archeological dig in a Leicester car park uncovering the long lost body of Richard III, as well as the history of the events that led up to the Battle of Bosworth 1485. Interesting ideas of having to put back historical figures into the context of their times and not judging them based on modern day standards. He did kill his 2 nephews tho

[Jean O'Callaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent blend of discussing the efforts to locate the grave and historical analysis to look beyond Tudor propaganda regarding King Richard III.

[cosylittlereadingcorner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a non fiction book but wow, if you love the period relating to the Wars of the Roses, I highly recommend this as it’s not just about a particular time in history but is so informative in different ways too.

On 22 August 1485 Richard III was killed at Bosworth Field, the last king of England to die in battle. His victorious opponent, Henry Tudor, went on to found one of our most famous ruling dynasties. Richard’s grave was lost during the dissolution of the monasteries with rumours circulating over the centuries that his bones were thrown into the River Soar. We now know that this was not the case as painstaking research and also some gut felt intuition led Philippa Langley and a team of archeologists to discover his remains under a car park in Leicester in 2012.

This book gives an insight into that discovery: what it took to get the project off the ground, how money was raised for the excavation, the obstacles Philippa Langley had to overcome as well as the story of the dig itself. Interspersed with this wonderful story of an archeological excavation and what this means in practice is the life of Richard III: what we know about him, how that view may have been tainted by the Tudors and Shakespeare and could there be a different truth? The book of course touches on the princes in the Tower and the period of unrest in England at the time, bringing you different viewpoints and arguments.

I listened to this on audio and narration is super.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This explanation of Philippa Langley's search for Richard III's grave bears little resemblance to the the film based on this book. This book follows her painstaking research to find his burial place and the help she received from the Leicester University. In the film these men do not come off with glowing portraits, indeed she appears to have been sidelined quite brutally. The book does none of these things. Each chapter on the research process is followed by Richard III's life story. At the end of the book there are appendixes that show in depth the research into the great mysteries of the time: was he a hunchback? No. Did he kill the princes in the tower? there is no evidence for it and many reasons why he would not have found it necessary. The discussion shows that Henry VII had more reason to kill the princes and his treatment of Richard's body after the Battle of Bosworth Field is appalling. So an interesting account of the research and discovery of his remains and the reburial, finally done with respect. An interesting read.

[Mark Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

The amazing story of the finding of Richard III's body and a potted history of the Monarch. The truth about him probably lies between the Shakespeare and The Apologist's version.