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December 15, 2021
Wither One Rose by Janet Kilbourne
Published 1973
Reviewed August 15, 2020
Wither one rose and let the other flourish! ~Shakespeare
I’m going to be up front with you – I don’t like Henry Tudor. I don’t find him likeable, and I don’t find anything admirable about him. And no, he didn’t bring the Renaissance to England; the Renaissance had already begun its arrival under the previous monarchs. Henry Tudor just happened to be the guy on the throne when it started to achieve its full-blown presence. There, now that I’ve got that out of the way, I can continue with this review.
It’s not often that I read a book in which the main character is not necessarily a likeable fellow. And it’s even less often that I find myself actually enjoying such a book, but enjoy this one I did. Maybe it’s because this depiction of Henry Tudor matches many of my own ideas as to what he might have been like.
Wither One Rose by Janet Kilbourne was published back in 1973 – about the time I was first learning about Henry Tudor’s opponent, Richard III. Born in 1958, Ms. Kilbourne was a whole 15 years old when she wrote and published this book. When I was 15 years old, I wrote stories, too, but they read like something written by a teenager and were nothing like this author’s work, which is polished and professional. In short, you’d think you were reading something written by a much more mature, experience writer.
The story follows the life of Henry Tudor, from immediately after the Battle of Bosworth to nearing the end of his life. The first chapter opens immediately after the fighting has ceased, and a smug and victorious Tudor looks down on the broken body of his fallen opponent.
“The Plantagenet had been butchered but he had died like a hero and suddenly glancing at the jubilant troops, Henry could see the grudging admiration in their eyes as they stared down at the body sprawled at their feet. They had killed him, but they respected him, and Tudor’s thin lips twitched and tightened with envious annoyance. . . . And then the annoyance crystalized into a hatred that surged through his whole being like a burning wave.”
He hates Richard even though the two never met. He was raised on hatred -- of Richard and all Plantagenets and Yorkists -- and these negative feelings influence his life and the decisions he makes, so while Richard III is dead when the story opens, his presence is always lurking in the shadows, in the memories of Henry and of others his life touched, both friends and foes.
Henry’s hatred of all Yorkists leads to a desire to wipe them off the face of the earth. His marriage to Elizabeth of York is a political necessity, not something he looks forward to. Though over time their feelings for one another soften, things don’t start off on a very loving note.
Over the years, with the aid of his trusty sidekick, Bishop Morton, Henry oversees the destruction of the House of York and anyone who ever served Richard faithfully. He doesn’t like to be reminded that regardless of how some of the nobles felt, the common people loved King Richard. So Morton and Henry get to work. Evidence is manufactured and a misinformation campaign is put into place to destroy the late king’s reputation for all time.
Although the main focus of the story is Henry and his relationship with Elizabeth, there are side stories as well. Among these are Francis Lovell and his hatred of the man responsible for the death of his dearest friend. John of Gloucester, who is charged with being a traitor, his only crime being his father’s son. William Stanley, who’s haunted by the actions he took on the battlefield that August day. As Thomas Stanley says to his brother, William, about the events at Bosworth: “The way you sometimes act anyone would think you were haunted by the memory.”
Tudor is always distrustful, never allowing himself to love or show emotion. A king should be strong is his philosophy, and a strong king doesn’t show softer emotions like love and affection. Always suspicious, Tudor never forgets that just as he usurped the throne by violence, the same could happen to him. But this Henry Tudor isn’t some one-dimensional villain, and I felt author did a good job in fleshing out his character so that even while not always liking what he does, I was able to come away feeling that I might have a better understanding of what drove the man.
His relationship with Elizabeth of York is an interesting one. While he tries to keep his feelings for her at arm’s length, it’s only natural that over time, the bitterness and hatred they once felt for each other should mellow. This becomes especially so after the death of their son, Arthur. And even though she knows her husband has done some bad things, Elizabeth comes to love him in her own way, even if her husband is unable to return her affections.
There are several moving conversations between Elizabeth and Henry which suggested to me that Elizabeth was the more mature of the two.
“If anyone in centuries to come looks back on our story,” Henry tells her at one point, “I wonder what they will see? Some dull old king who could not show his love, and a faithful wife who perhaps loved too much? I never thought it would turn out like this at the beginning. I thought I would hate you until the day I died . . . Heaven only knows if you hated me in the same way.”
It isn’t until Elizabeth's death that Henry begins to question what he’s done over the years.
“He suddenly arose and went heavily over to the window. The sun was trying vaguely to shine but not making a very good job of it. He thought of them all at the Abbey, praying and chanting over her coffin, making death such a splendid, overawing affair. But she did not care any more, she was met with Richard and young York and all the rest and knew all the answers. That was strange too. Everyone who was living now would one day know the real truth of it all, just as she did. And so would people in years to come. It would be as if he need never have bothered to make up all the stories and all the lies. Richard was waiting for him on the other side and everything would come out in the open and he would be shown for what he really was.”
In the end, Henry comes to the realization that even kings must one day die.
“He was afraid . . . Terribly afraid . . . and he was all alone as he had been at the beginning. The wheel had come full circle and here he stood. Life was weary and death was waiting. It was only a matter of time now. Everything had gone . . . everything he had loved. . . . He leaned his head against the windowpane and gazed out into the sunshine, feeling it warm in his face, the bells thundering in his ears. It was only a matter of waiting . . .”
I give this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars.
Published 1973
Reviewed August 15, 2020
Wither one rose and let the other flourish! ~Shakespeare
I’m going to be up front with you – I don’t like Henry Tudor. I don’t find him likeable, and I don’t find anything admirable about him. And no, he didn’t bring the Renaissance to England; the Renaissance had already begun its arrival under the previous monarchs. Henry Tudor just happened to be the guy on the throne when it started to achieve its full-blown presence. There, now that I’ve got that out of the way, I can continue with this review.
It’s not often that I read a book in which the main character is not necessarily a likeable fellow. And it’s even less often that I find myself actually enjoying such a book, but enjoy this one I did. Maybe it’s because this depiction of Henry Tudor matches many of my own ideas as to what he might have been like.
Wither One Rose by Janet Kilbourne was published back in 1973 – about the time I was first learning about Henry Tudor’s opponent, Richard III. Born in 1958, Ms. Kilbourne was a whole 15 years old when she wrote and published this book. When I was 15 years old, I wrote stories, too, but they read like something written by a teenager and were nothing like this author’s work, which is polished and professional. In short, you’d think you were reading something written by a much more mature, experience writer.
The story follows the life of Henry Tudor, from immediately after the Battle of Bosworth to nearing the end of his life. The first chapter opens immediately after the fighting has ceased, and a smug and victorious Tudor looks down on the broken body of his fallen opponent.
“The Plantagenet had been butchered but he had died like a hero and suddenly glancing at the jubilant troops, Henry could see the grudging admiration in their eyes as they stared down at the body sprawled at their feet. They had killed him, but they respected him, and Tudor’s thin lips twitched and tightened with envious annoyance. . . . And then the annoyance crystalized into a hatred that surged through his whole being like a burning wave.”
He hates Richard even though the two never met. He was raised on hatred -- of Richard and all Plantagenets and Yorkists -- and these negative feelings influence his life and the decisions he makes, so while Richard III is dead when the story opens, his presence is always lurking in the shadows, in the memories of Henry and of others his life touched, both friends and foes.
Henry’s hatred of all Yorkists leads to a desire to wipe them off the face of the earth. His marriage to Elizabeth of York is a political necessity, not something he looks forward to. Though over time their feelings for one another soften, things don’t start off on a very loving note.
Over the years, with the aid of his trusty sidekick, Bishop Morton, Henry oversees the destruction of the House of York and anyone who ever served Richard faithfully. He doesn’t like to be reminded that regardless of how some of the nobles felt, the common people loved King Richard. So Morton and Henry get to work. Evidence is manufactured and a misinformation campaign is put into place to destroy the late king’s reputation for all time.
Although the main focus of the story is Henry and his relationship with Elizabeth, there are side stories as well. Among these are Francis Lovell and his hatred of the man responsible for the death of his dearest friend. John of Gloucester, who is charged with being a traitor, his only crime being his father’s son. William Stanley, who’s haunted by the actions he took on the battlefield that August day. As Thomas Stanley says to his brother, William, about the events at Bosworth: “The way you sometimes act anyone would think you were haunted by the memory.”
Tudor is always distrustful, never allowing himself to love or show emotion. A king should be strong is his philosophy, and a strong king doesn’t show softer emotions like love and affection. Always suspicious, Tudor never forgets that just as he usurped the throne by violence, the same could happen to him. But this Henry Tudor isn’t some one-dimensional villain, and I felt author did a good job in fleshing out his character so that even while not always liking what he does, I was able to come away feeling that I might have a better understanding of what drove the man.
His relationship with Elizabeth of York is an interesting one. While he tries to keep his feelings for her at arm’s length, it’s only natural that over time, the bitterness and hatred they once felt for each other should mellow. This becomes especially so after the death of their son, Arthur. And even though she knows her husband has done some bad things, Elizabeth comes to love him in her own way, even if her husband is unable to return her affections.
There are several moving conversations between Elizabeth and Henry which suggested to me that Elizabeth was the more mature of the two.
“If anyone in centuries to come looks back on our story,” Henry tells her at one point, “I wonder what they will see? Some dull old king who could not show his love, and a faithful wife who perhaps loved too much? I never thought it would turn out like this at the beginning. I thought I would hate you until the day I died . . . Heaven only knows if you hated me in the same way.”
It isn’t until Elizabeth's death that Henry begins to question what he’s done over the years.
“He suddenly arose and went heavily over to the window. The sun was trying vaguely to shine but not making a very good job of it. He thought of them all at the Abbey, praying and chanting over her coffin, making death such a splendid, overawing affair. But she did not care any more, she was met with Richard and young York and all the rest and knew all the answers. That was strange too. Everyone who was living now would one day know the real truth of it all, just as she did. And so would people in years to come. It would be as if he need never have bothered to make up all the stories and all the lies. Richard was waiting for him on the other side and everything would come out in the open and he would be shown for what he really was.”
In the end, Henry comes to the realization that even kings must one day die.
“He was afraid . . . Terribly afraid . . . and he was all alone as he had been at the beginning. The wheel had come full circle and here he stood. Life was weary and death was waiting. It was only a matter of time now. Everything had gone . . . everything he had loved. . . . He leaned his head against the windowpane and gazed out into the sunshine, feeling it warm in his face, the bells thundering in his ears. It was only a matter of waiting . . .”
I give this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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