The King's Grace

By: Anne Easter Smith

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Length: 24 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

All that history knows of Grace Plantagenet is that she was an illegitimate daughter of Edward IV and one of two attendants aboard the funeral barge of his widowed queen. Thus, she was half sister of the famous young princes, who, when this story begins in 1485, had been housed in the Tower by their uncle, Richard III, and are presumed dead.

But in the 1490s, a young man appears at the courts of Europe claiming to be Richard, duke of York, the younger of the boys, and seeking to claim his rightful throne from England's first Tudor king, Henry VII. But is this man who he says he is? Or is he Perkin Warbeck, a puppet of Margaret of York, duchess of Burgundy, who is determined to regain the crown for her York family? Grace Plantagenet finds herself in the midst of one of English history's greatest mysteries. If she can discover the fate of the princes and the true identity of Perkin Warbeck, perhaps she will find her own place in her family.

©2009 Anne Easter Smith (P)2009 Random House Audio

absolutely fabulous book

if you're interested in historical fiction this book is a must-read. So far I have enjoyed all of Ann Easter Smith's books, she does a fabulous job of researching history and filling in the blanks with her own logical stories. She also explains at the end of the book the fact from fiction. This book is an absolute work of art.

Entertaining

Overall a fun story. Great listening. At times I couldn't put it down and at times it was a bit slow. Good entertainment.

Sad I finished it!

If you could sum up The King's Grace in three words, what would they be?

Intriguing, entertaining, compelling

What was one of the most memorable moments of The King's Grace?

No one moment, I just love the way Anne Easter Smith puts together well researched historical facts to weave a beautifully written story

What does Rosalyn Landor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She has a special talent for linguistics and voice changes without being garish with it. I love her performance. Very Eloquent

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not really one part, the book was moving in it's totality

Any additional comments?

I can't imagine this book disappointing anyone!

I really enjoyed it!

I thought I may have exhausted this era in my listening to many other versions, but I really enjoyed it!

Some questionable phrases

Overall a good story. Some phrases were used that I have always believed came into use late. Forvexample, eavesdroppers - I associate with Henry the VIII. Not positive about that though. Nevertheless, a good story and enjoyable listen.

Loved it

Love all Anne Easter Smith’s books. My favorite is A Rose for the Crown (a tear jerker!) I wish Rosalyn Landor narrated all her books. She’s the only narrator that has perfect voices for male and female. I found myself wishing the 25 hr long books were longer.

Great read

Loved it, it was a very well developed story line and very believable characters. I couldn’t put it down, thoroughly enjoyed! The reader’s voice was exquisite.

Graceful writing and narration

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. A great listen if you love historical fiction.

What did you like best about this story?

Takes real talent to spin a main character tale worthy of the Plantagenet history from an illegitimate, rarely mentioned, female child of Edward IV. Smith does it superbly.

Have you listened to any of Rosalyn Landor’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

If you could take any character from The King's Grace out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Grace. What makes her deserving is because she doesn't know she is deserving.

So interesting!

I really appreciated the way the author took her well researched facts and wove them in with her skilled imagination at what might have been to create this story.

Nothing like Philippa Gregory

Where does The King's Grace rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have listened to most of Philippa Gregory's books and I have been searching for authors that write similar books. This book is nothing like Philippa Gregory's other than it being a work of historical fiction. Anne Smith's lack of history woven into the story (compared to what I'm used to) and her incessant use of the word Certe in the character conversations made me irritated to the point that I no longer wanted to finish the book at Chapter 9. Other people may enjoy this book, but not me.