I have been waiting impatiently for this book to be in print and I was not disappointed. Anne Easter Smith is a tremendous writer and a fine researcher. She said this in her author's notes " That Jane Shore, known by her fellow citizens as the Rose of London, became the concubine of Edward IV, William Hastings, and Thomas Grey is fact".
Jane Lambert was essentially sold in marriage by her father to a cold and impotent silk merchant many years older than her. A lovely woman, she is pursued by many handsome men and won by King Edward as his favorite mistress for years.
Surprising to me, the author, a staunch Richard III supporter, was somewhat disapproving of Richard's treatment of Jane Shore after his brother, Edward IV's death. Smith hopes "I have created an enigmatic personality with flaws" in regards to Richard's character and deeds.
I think she succeeds quite well and the book has twists and turns which take the reader on a journey.
The journey ends in an afterword where she shares with readers a meeting that Jane,now Mistress Thomas Lyneham,has with Sir Thomas Moore as an old impoverished woman,who,"delighted not so much in her beauty as in her pleasant behavior"
A solid ending to a fine book about an extremely fascinating person.
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