Under the Hog

by Patrick Carleton

England, 1471.

In a kingdom rent by civil strife Richard, Duke of Gloucester, is determined to keep the Royal House of York on the throne and bring peace to England.

His unswerving support of his brother, Edward IV, against the conspiracies of both their turncoat brother George, Duke of Clarence, and the powerful Lancastrian claimants, wins him many enemies.

And when fate destines him to take the throne, he is forced to quell the rebellions of Lord Rivers and the Duke of Buckingham before marching to meet Henry Tudor on the battlefield.

‘Under the Hog’ is a novel that vividly conjures up the rival passions of the Wars of the Roses and tells of Richard’s love for Lady Anne Neville, the daughter of his greatest enemy, the Earl of Warwick.

Patrick Carleton often wrote unde the pen-name of Patrick Railton, publishing novels including Desirable Young Men, The Hawk and the Tree and Saturday to Monday during the 1930s. He served in the Second World War, but died of tuberculosis in 1942.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Medieval

460 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1938

Reviews

[Marquise · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best Wars of the Roses novels I have ever read.

Hard to believe this is from the 1930s, as it has aged quite well and its somewhat old-fashioned prose is fine and the storytelling nicely paced. Whatever flaws it has, few indeed, are forgivable in my opinion owing to the available knowledge at the time it was published, and the characterisation of Richard III, neither a saint nor a monster (though he does take harsh measures for pragmatic reasons), is noteworthy in its balanced approach.

And what an ending... Someone is going to need a few tissues on arriving to the last scene.

[Ikonopeiston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of Richard III of England told for the most part in carefully constructed vignettes. The voices of both noble and common persons are used to relate the events which have happened or are happening and to show the varying opinions held about the principal actors. The scenes are drawn in such detail and the dialogue is so excellent that it is rather like being the 'fly on the wall' and actually hearing the history for the first time.

I loved this book. But it will not be the book for everyone. The alternate spelling of familiar names, particularly of places, is disconcerting at first and some may find the technique of Carleton to be dry and confusing. The reader should have a firm grasp of the events from a straight forward history before this book will be completely accessible. Also, there are great chunks of French and Latin to navigate from time to time.

As to Carleton's handling of the controversial events of Richard's life, I do not want to offer spoilers so I will only say that he has a most unique and believable explanation for the death of Clarence. I delighted in it. The Princes? Well, I can say nothing without saying too much.

I read this book more slowly than is my wont because I kept coming across passages so exquisitely written as to make me gasp. Several I had to read again and again purely to savour the beauty of the words and the perfection of the construction. The book is more than five hundred pages long and I found myself wishing it were longer so that I could immerse myself in the prose for a few more days. This volume will be kept near me for there are sections I want to make my own, particularly Anthony Woodville's reflections on the night before his execution. They are so very beautiful.

I am so glad I managed to find and read this book.

[Undine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This enigmatic novel is one of the very best historical novels I have ever read--and one of the very strangest. The dark, twisted history of the Wars of the Roses--from the ascension of Edward IV to Bosworth--is told from multiple viewpoints, largely through incisive, witty dialogue. The author excells in creating an eerie atmosphere and air of cynical realism that is a bracing change from the usually flowery, romantic run of historical fiction. (The scene of Henry VI's death is enough to give Alfred Hitchcock the shivers.)

The characterizations are also vivid and fascinating, if usually grim. Carleton's 15th century England is a spooky place indeed, but he adds enough flashes of black humor--often quite funny black humor--to keep the reader involved.

My only real criticism of this book is the controversial heart of his story--namely, his solution to the "Mystery of the Princes." Not only do I believe that Carleton's plot twist is wrong, in a historical sense, but he failed to make it convincing fiction. His argument is evidently that Richard III was a man so consumed with a sense of duty and moral rectitude that, ironically, it led him to have his two nephews killed. (Although admittedly, from what we see of little Edward V, the reader winds up thinking "justifiable homicide.") It is a bold and well-written argument--I certainly admire Carleton's courage in making his hero a child-murderer--but it is an argument that simply fails to "work" for me. (And I can't help but note that the author himself skips over the murders very quickly, almost as an afterthought, as if he himself was not entirely sure of his own plotline.)

Nevertheless, this novel is a wonderful depiction of one of the most curious periods in English history, and deserves to still be read. It thoroughly shames most of the so-called "historical fiction" drivel written today.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a choral novel about the Wars of the Roses in its wider form - it is about Richard III but it's told by many point of view and has many protagonists. Undoubedtly well written, though the figure of Richard is heavily influenced by tradition: he's always described as small, almost a dwarf, ashen faced, tight lipped, narrow eyed, with many tics, and appearing much older than he actually is. It also puzzled me that the author presents a Richard chivalrious, honest, concerned with justice for everyone, with high moral standards - as indeed he was - yet he judges him guilty of his nephews' murder. And he makes such a contorted reasoning to justify his decision that it sounded unconvincing and unlikely.
A novel that aged well anyway, and give some precious chapters, my favourite of all the one told by little Edward of Middleham point of view. It was so touching, and something I've never found in another historical novel.

[Pauline Calkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 1937, this novel recounts the events in England from 1470 to 1485, ending with the death of King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth. It consists in what another reviewer aptly called a series of well constructed vignettes, told from various points of view. We see, for instance, the Earl of Warwick and the Duke of Clarence trying to convince King Louis XI to back them in an attempt to depose Edward IV. And at a council meeting after Edward’s triumph at the battle of Tewkesbury, his brother-in-law Anthony Woodville successfully persuades Edward that the deposed King Henry IV must be killed, despite the vehement argument of Richard against the murder. And make no mistake about it, the Woodvilles, and particularly Anthony Woodville are the baddies in this drama. Even though interesting, I found some scenes drawn out. (Or maybe it’s just because I’m getting old and impatient.) Other scenes I could have done without altogether, e.g, Jane Shore and Elizabeth Woodville doing some witchcraft.

Richard is portrayed as a man of principal who seeks justice for the common man and the end of the civil wars destroying England. In fact, there is one episode where he is shown presiding over several disputes in his role as “lord of the north.” His philosophy is that “the great are only God’s tools and instrument to amend what is displeasing to him.” He recognizes that he is “a man who trusts too much to his own conscience, and that is how men are damned. I tell you that when I choose what I think to be right I’ll stop at no wrong to accomplish it.” That is his tragic flaw, leading him to murder his brother’s sons believing that was the only way to stop another civil war. But he comes to believe the deaths of his own son and wife are his punishment for those murders.

This is one of the few novels that place primary emphasis on Richard’s views on justice for the commoners and the welfare of Englands, so it rates high marks. The constant references to his physical appearance and nervous mannerism came to be ridiculous, however. He was described as almost a dwarf, not even 5 feet high , with a little white face. At one point, one character likens him to a monkey on his horse. Maybe a little harsh? Moreover, Richard does not appear in any scene without a reference to him pulling his dagger up and down in its sheath and/or playing with the rings on his fingers.

[Melisende · Rating 2 out of 5]

Age has not been kind to this historical novel of the life of Richard III from 1470 until his death on the battlefield of Bosworth.

It was a little confusing as to who was actually narrating events as it seemed to be a story told by many voices - eyewitnesses to events as they unfolded - which made it somewhat clunky and overly melodramatic. Richard is the focus, and he is squarely at the centre, and thus he is cast in a sympathetic and heroic light.

It is what it is for its age.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carleton takes the approach of ‘let’s-just-cover-everyone,-shall-we?’ as he uses a 3rd POV that jumps around to get in the heads of just about everyone, from peasants to kings, and everyone in between, who were present for the roller coaster events of the War of the Roses.

It’s a deliciously meaty book (for the first ¾’s, but more on that later), with a lot of juicy characters to chomp through as we get all the facts and gossip of the era paraded out on a yeasty platter.

I was hooked on this version right from the first scene when we are presented with the Duke of Clarence and Earl of Warwick in a very private conference with the king of France, trying to convince him to give them money in order to yet again change the king of England.

The king of France politely restrains himself from laughing in their faces, but I certainly didn’t hold back as they whine and argue and try to explain away their shifting allegiances. The whole plan ends in disaster for nearly everyone involved, expect the master manipulator king of France, who well earned his title of “Spider King.” Seriously, people. Don’t ever make a deal with someone nicknamed “Spider King” – there is no way you will come out ahead on that deal.)

Later, with Edward IV firmly on the throne, again, we get one of my favorite scenes as King Edward holds an informal conference with his advisors and Anthony Woodville makes the suggestion to kill King Henry VI. Suddenly it’s like a needle-scratch moment as the atmosphere of the meeting plummets from bonhomie to a tense standoff of morals and priorities.

The whole scene is brilliant in that you see how events could have played out in that moment but also you can see Richard listening to all the arguments and not being on board, but the ideas obviously taking root, to come to fruition much later when he himself will have to make a decision regarding whether or not to kill a king being kept in the Tower…

Richard’s fatal flaw here, and seems to be borne out by the historical evidence, was that he actually believes in all that chivalry and piety and responsibility most of his peers just give lip service to. But when you actually follow these rules and insist on church attendance and giving to the poor, and usury being the worst sin in the world, and no swearing and you must actually do real work – that does not win you a lot of high ranking friends, as we see later at the battle of Bosworth.

In this version, when it gets to the Anne-working-as-a-cook part of the story, it’s a mix of Anne both running away and being hidden by George (neat trick), in this version ending up working for an elderly middle-class women who loves good food, strong drink, and juicy gossip about royalty. Anne’s ability to provide her with all the gossip she can stand puts Anne in a comfortable position before the eventual “rescue” from her knight in shining armor, and then Anne and Richard coo at each other like chess club geek doves.

Then we get to see Elizabeth Woodville and her old fashioned womanly wiles in action and, say what you will about her moral compass, it is a masterly performance of a virtuoso playing Edward like a Stradivarius. AND! Super fun bonus – in this version she and Jane Shore work together in a Mean Girls-like team, which was quite a twist, considering Elizabeth usually is portrayed as hating Jane with a cold fury like a winter frost.

A time skip forward and we get the details of Edward’s expedition to France, which was either a total disaster or huge success, depending on how you define the terms. Personally, I love the idea of buying up wars and hence sparing lives, both soldier and civilian, and also preventing a lot of havoc to the environment, social structure, and economy. But that’s just me. A lot of the characters get pretty upset, and with fairly valid reasons.

Then we hurry ahead to when Edward dies, and in this version there really is a conspiracy to kill Richard, and Richard is shown a) acting to defend himself and then b) genuinely doing the Right Thing for The Good Of The Country. His actions seem quite reasonable and noble as presented here, with a brief blueprint laid out of What Could Have Been.

But, after that, as the book continues we get more and more time skips and more and more from-the-bleachers POV rather than the main circle. I love seeing how news of events reaches the middle and lower classes, but the time skips got really annoying to see so many HUGE events blithely covered in a sentence or less.

With regards to the Princes in the Tower, here Richard at one point blurts out that he killed them, but we don’t get any more than that, which leaves a lot of plot hanging.

And then, at the end, we get the inevitable battle of Bosworth with a lot of good speeches about how ridiculous it is to even conceive the idea of Henry “Tydder” as king – and then the book ends literally the second Richard dies, which felt like a punch in the gut. I actually yelled out “That’s it?!” when I realized I was at the end.

As a whole, the book was wonderful for the first ¾’s, but the last quarter could have used a lot more development.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had been looking forward to reading this book since I first became interested in the Wars of the Roses and decided I wanted to read as much as I could on the subject. First published in 1937, Under the Hog gets good reviews and appears on several lists of recommendations of novels set in this period, so when I settled down to read it I expected something special – and luckily, I wasn’t disappointed.

Under the Hog is a fictional account of the life of Richard III, but along the way we also enter the minds of the other notable men and women of the period, get amongst the action on the battlefield, witness private conferences and murders carried out in secret, and are offered a surprising solution to the mystery of the Princes in the Tower. I don’t think it’s necessary for me to give a synopsis of the plot here, as it does follow the course of real history very closely – and I’ve already written about this period many times before in previous reviews – so instead I’ll just make some general observations about the novel itself.

The approach Patrick Carleton takes is quite unusual. Rather than writing from the perspective of one character or even a few, he writes from many different viewpoints, switching from character to character as the story requires. These include Thomas Wrangwysh, the Mayor of York; the diplomat Philippe Commynes; the scholar Dr Warkworth; Richard III’s close friend Francis Lovell; Margaret of Burgundy, sister of Richard and Edward IV; and Ralph Miller, a young soldier at the Battle of Barnet. So many different voices and personalities, each one coming forward to tell their own part of the story, however big or small, before retreating into the background, in some cases never to be heard from again.

Richard himself is seen mainly through the eyes of other people. It’s only really his wife, Anne Neville, who sees the warm, sensitive man behind the rather grim and austere exterior. Carleton’s portrayal of Richard is largely sympathetic – not a saint, but a human being who sometimes makes mistakes like the rest of us, ruthless when necessary but not needlessly cruel. I appreciated the fact that Carleton takes the time to show us some of the good things Richard achieved during his reign, which are often overlooked, such as his reforms to law and justice. The only thing I didn’t like was his persistence in drawing attention to Richard’s height – or lack of it. When Richard’s skeleton was discovered in Leicester in 2012, it was found that he suffered from scoliosis which would probably have affected his height, but Carleton’s constant descriptions of him as being unusually tiny still seemed a bit strange. He also has Richard continually biting his lip and playing with the rings on his fingers – presumably inspired by the way he has been pictured in his portraits – but again, it was a bit distracting!

The other characters, including the minor ones, are generally very well written. I particularly loved the portrayal of the spiteful, petulant but strangely tragic George of Clarence (I liked the way Carleton tackles the legend of George being drowned in a butt of malmsey) – and of Anthony Woodville, brother of Edward IV’s queen, quietly scheming to keep control of the power his family wield in England. It’s Anthony who, in one of the most memorable scenes in the book, comes up with the idea of murdering the deposed Henry VI in the Tower of London, which I think might be the first time I’ve seen him blamed for that particular incident.

If I hadn’t known that this was a book from the 1930s I would probably have assumed it was a lot more recent than that. It is witty, unromantic and written with a mixture of darkness and lightness. I loved this book, but I don’t think I would necessarily recommend it as a first introduction to Richard III and the Wars of the Roses. The reader is very much dropped straight into the action and it is assumed that you will have at least some background knowledge; names are given their less familiar old-fashioned spellings – Tydder and Wydvylle for Tudor and Woodville – and there are passages of untranslated French. This is probably one to enjoy after you’ve already gained a bit of familiarity with the period.

[Susan Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are few characters in history who have suffered as much from bad press as Richard III. Much of our preconception of Richard comes from the pen of Shakespeare who was beholden to Elizabeth I, of the House of Tudor who brought him down, Histories tend to be written by the victors so we think of Richard as a deformed evil gnome who brought death and destruction to England.
The Richard of this novel, and many recent works that I have read, is a far different person. In fact, even his hunchback, a staple of descriptions of him, appears to be erroneous, as proven when his discarded bones were dug up in a Leicester parking lot a few years ago.
There is no doubt that he succeeded his brother. There is no doubt that the little princes were murdered. What is up for conjecture is the why behind it and this book's revelation of the overarching avarice and intrigues of Edward's queen and her family provides some insight into what happened and why.
England was a country where alliances meant nothing, where greed and the desire for power was all encompassing and where the nobility jockeyed for position in a constant state of flux. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, between Shakesoeare and the revisionists,. The author villifes the Woodville's and puts Richard on a pedestal. The arguments made to support this are pretty convincing.
What is interesting is this book was originally published in 1937. I had thought the reformation of Richard's reputation was more modern than that. But ultimately, this book is a novel and as such it is well paced, well written (although at times the use of French and Olde English challenges the reader), exciting and moving. We know how it ends but it doesn't stop the reader from "pulling for" Richard.
I can recommend this book to anyone who finds The War of the Roses and the advent of the Tudors of interest. It is also a good read for those who enjoy a historical novel.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detailed intelligent dialogue and rich description Gruesome and realistic battle scenes and frightening scene where Elizabeth Woodville gets a doctor of witchcraft to evoke Satanic curses on Richard III and delightful detail to the foods that were eaten at royal banquets
Starts in France in 1471 when the Earl of Warwick and Duke of Clarence seek help from the French King for their rebellion against Edward IV and ends with Richard's death at Bosworth
Favorable to Richard with the Woodvilles being the chief villains, the books does suppose that Richard ordred the deaths of the princes in the tower for the sake of the stability and peace of England Richard is also presented as small in stature and slightly deformed m with the recent discovery of his remains this has been proven to be incorrect, but this book was written in 1937..Edward IV is a dissolute and decadent ruler
Anne Neville , Richard's queen plays a large part on the novel from her marriage to Henry VI and Queen Marguerite's short lived son and her hiding in disguise of a pastry maid in a widow's household to her death from the plague , she is the love of Richard's life.
Lots of political intrigues and twists and turns
Can be laborious reading but ultimately rewarding
Opens quite a window in the events , personalities and the period

[Oshun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written. It uses multiple, shifting points of view throughout the story. One of the most surprising and moving for me was that of Edward of Middleham at his investiture as Prince of Wales at York. It is written sympathetically to Richard III and takes pains to outline his multiple principled reforms enacted during his brief reign without overstating them. He paints a man of charm and intelligence without making him into a saint or leaving him in the shadows of dark and outlandish slander where Richard III has languished for more than five centuries. There remain controversial narrative choices and arguable fictional resolutions of historical mysteries throughout the book. The mixture of darkness and humor is a masterful fit for the painful period which is depicted in this novel. The tone is pitch perfect also, which for me overshadows a multitude of other debatable choices. The settings, the practices, the clothing, the politics, the mood of the times, and a multitude of small period details are believable, amusing, absurd and agonizing, and yet never overdone. I would highly recommend this book, despite the fact that I would not have necessarily made a number the assumptions which shore up some points of his fictional history.

[Siobhan Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished this kindle book yesterday, 'Under the Hog' by Patrick Carleton. The book was originally written in 1938 but was released as a kindle book in 2015. The book is a historical fiction book on the Wars of the Roses but focuses on Richard III.

At first, I found it very hard to get into this book, but then the pace started to pick up and I started to really enjoy this book! I liked how the author gave some historical characters nickname and put their titles so that the reader wouldn't get confused to which Henry/Richard/Edward the author was talking about. Also the author did an amazing job to give a well rounded portrayal of Richard III, rather than portraying him as a villain or a saint, but showed as a complex character who loved his brother, the King but struggled to go along with him as he saw the flaws in him.

This was a well written novel and shows a great portrayal of Richard III and most of the key players in the Wars of the Roses. I do recommend this book to anyone who likes reading about the Wars of the Roses, Richard III and just wants a good, well written novel to read and enjoy!

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different view and way of discussing Richard III and done well.

[Gilda Felt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was unpleasantly surprised by this book, having read glowing reports over the years. Though published in 1938, the writing is almost archaic. Perhaps this was done on purpose, but it moves the reader too far away from the story. I felt no connection to any of the characters, and that includes Richard.

There are several areas where Carleton seems to be trying to be amusing, but it falls flat. A conversation between Elizabeth Woodville and Jane Shore comes across as almost a farce. And even if the author thought that Richard was a small man (there are accounts from contemporaries that he was slender,) that doesn’t excuse how many times he describes Richard as being tiny, practically child-size.

The book move along at a decent clip most of the time, though there are a few places where suddenly a year a two will pass, years where much is going on. Especially near the end, when the story jumps from Richard making a horrible confession to Anne to the battle at Bosworth. It’s almost as if Carleton got tired of writing the story.

And I’m not sure why this particular title was chosen, as most of the book takes place before Richard becomes king, so obviously England wasn’t being ruled “under the hog.”

[Hanna (lapetiteboleyn) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't think I'd ever see someone make The War of the Roses boring, but here it is.

[Eunan Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

This is fantastic! Am excellent read and a well constructed novel based on the known historical facts of Richard III's life.

[Janice Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant reading

A fantastic read from start to finish full of intrigue and history, I'm going to recommend this book to family and friends.

[Deyanira C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old book that seems be recently written.

Is interesting to read in old books how the author tried to explain Richard appearance and in this book even being so old we have a good description.

His personality I also could understand and kind of like it because it doesn't show him as a perfect hero or a monster , is more a human man, living hard times, In this book Richard is a loyal brother , a man who loves only one women, but who do what is necessary , so not he is not perfect in his actions ,he has good intentions but in order to please his brother the king , Richard has to do things that are not right and he learns to be the man that he has to be , still inside he pays the cost for many of his actions.

Unfortunately for me this book didn't work I wanted to read it for so long and it took me a time to get it so is hard to say it but it disappointed me, my problem is that I feel the story incomplete many many times the beginning is good but eventually we jump between the events, but the transition is not well done and you go from something interesting happening to other thing happening years later, we have a small explanation that doesn't even cover enough to understand or enjoy the full event. Most of the time the story changes and doesn't conclude so you have to interpret the end ,basically in order to understand you need to know about history facts, that's not wrong but it happens so often and is not well done so its frustrating and boring, what is crazy I mean how can Richard's III life can be boring? so many important events, so many plots, and a huge mystery, everything in his life can be interpreted in several ways and every event , his marriage his power, his brothers, his kingdom, all is extremely interesting, but yes in this book many times I wanted to stop reading in fact it was hard to finish the book .

It's a pity because it has good ideas, the story Anne and Richard has a good explanation not exaggerated and realistic but lovely, it respect so good how was Richard's behavior and how was Anne's in the book, but we read very less of them or the events in their life , Richard's friends are present and their union was so positive but then they are lost even when in history they are present in many important events, Richard's family that is crucial and toxic is explained very well specially the weird dynamic but then we only see parts .

The princes of the tower in this book presents a controversial solution, I'm a Ricardian but I accept that we have not evidence that he didn't kill them , as we have not evidence he did it, so it can be interpreted in different ways for fiction , so ok I will not fight about it specially because during the book Richard's actions are controversial what doesn't mean he is bad , it's just part of his duty, and it's well explained, but of course I didn't like the answer to the mystery here .

In general for me was to read parts of a book perhaps was just my perception but being honest even knowing the historical events super well was difficult to understand many times so I didn't enjoy it, this is the first time this happens to me in a fictional novel of Richard III my favorite king , I guess there is always a first time.

I gave 2 stars because as I said it has good points and a good start.

[Lori Macklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written book. By using multiple points of view (royalty, noblemen, soldiers, and common men), you really get a good sense of life in those times. The author assumes the reader knows something about the history of the Wars of the Roses, so it's not an easy read. But it has great prose, and it's well worth the effort.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book - I am a Ricardian and it is pro Richard, but does have a description of him as practically a dwarf, which is a bit disconcerting! overall, I have read better novels, but also many worse and I would recommend it to pro-Richard readers

[Eileen Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful fictional account of the so called Wars of the Roses, the battle between the houses of York and Lancaster.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.

[Ed Draper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

Authentic tone, rich characterization, historical credibility. Displaying command of color and detail, the author has presented a gripping dramatization of a complex era--a good read.

[Leighah · Rating 4 out of 5]

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